Implications of Change to USMLE Step 1 Scoring for Otolaryngology Residency Programs

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

Azizzadeh

Lee

2020

The Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners recently announced a change in the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scoring convention to take effect, at the earliest, on January 1, 2022. There are many reasons for this change, including decreasing medical student stress and incentivizing students to learn freely without solely focusing on Step 1 performance. The question remains how this will affect the future of the otolaryngology–head and neck surgery match. By eradicating Step 1 grades, other factors, such as research, may garner increased importance in the application process. Such a shift may discriminate against students from less well-known medical schools, international medical graduates, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who have fewer academic resources and access to research. Residency programs should try to anticipate such unintended consequences of the change and work on solutions heading into 2022.

supporting

confidence: 77%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pass/Fail Scoring of USMLE Step 1 and the Need for Residency Selection Reform

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

Azizzadeh

Lee

2020

“…A similar argument contends that different programs look for different characteristics in applicants, and so would not rank all applicants in the same order. [33][34][35][36] This is true, but the simulation accounts for this by weighted random selection of applicants for interviews, creating a unique ranking of applicants for each program. Thus, similarity in applicant qualification or varying program priorities are modeled by the simulation.…”

Section: Simulation Applicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simulation of the Effect of Interview Caps on the National Resident Matching Program Match in Otolaryngology

Mitton

Elder²,

Hunter

2022

Academic Medicine

“…1,6 Moreover, as more than half of OTO-HNS programs use USMLE scores as a screening tool, 41 the recently announced change of the USMLE Step 1 examination to pass/fail scoring furthers the need for residency selection reform. 69,70 Additional reasons supporting the need for process reform include curtailing the massive application cycle costs incurred by applicants, 3,37 increasing the understanding of which applicant characteristics are best correlated with an ideal resident, 8 and ultimately ensuring the highest quality of future otolaryngologists to lead the specialty.…”

Section: The Need For Residency Selection Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main catalysts for many of the aforementioned proposals have been to control the rising OTO‐HNS applicant volume to relieve the difficulties high‐applicant volumes create for programs 12,13,38 and discourage students from broadly applying to programs simply to potentially increase their matching chances—which obscures the programs’ abilities to discern true interest among applicants 1 , 6 . Moreover, as more than half of OTO‐HNS programs use USMLE scores as a screening tool, 41 the recently announced change of the USMLE Step 1 examination to pass/fail scoring furthers the need for residency selection reform 69 , 70 . Additional reasons supporting the need for process reform include curtailing the massive application cycle costs incurred by applicants, 3 , 37 increasing the understanding of which applicant characteristics are best correlated with an ideal resident, 8 and ultimately ensuring the highest quality of future otolaryngologists to lead the specialty.…”

Section: Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Ideas and Innovations to Improve the Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Residency Application and Selection Process

Heiser

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

et al. 2020

Objective To (1) summarize strategies proposed in the recent otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (OTO-HNS) literature for improving the residency application and selection process, (2) evaluate the effects of recently implemented changes to the OTO-HNS match, and (3) discuss recommendations for future changes to the OTO-HNS residency application and selection process. Data Sources PubMed, Medline Ovid database, and article reference lists. Review Methods A structured literature search was performed to identify current English language articles relating to the objectives of this study using the aforementioned data sources, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was limited to submissions published between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020. Conclusions Numerous proposals have been made for improving the otolaryngology residency application and selection process and addressing the competitive nature of the Match. These proposals include but are not limited to mandating a secondary essay, implementing consortia and early match processes, using a signaling system, conducting regional and web-based interviews, offering early engagement with interest groups, instituting a hard cap on applications, increasing costs of applying, counseling self-restraint to prospective applicants, and creating application filters. Implications for Practice As the volume of literature surrounding the OTO-HNS Match continues to increase, this review aims to provide a summary of past proposals and serve as a guide for possible future innovations. We propose 3 initiatives that may improve the residency application and selection process for both program and resident, with minimal impact to the current National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match structure.