Medical student non-modifiable risk factors and USMLE Step 1 exam score.

For diversity to exist in the medical graduate workforce, students from all backgrounds should have equitable opportunities of employment. Specialties have utilized a minimal threshold for USMLE Step 1 score when screening applicants for residency interviews. The OHSU SOM class of 2021 completed a 14-question voluntary survey on their Step 1 score and the following non-modifiable risk factors: Adverse Childhood Experience score (ACEs), sex, gender, Underrepresented in Medicine status (URiM), family income during adolescence, highest degree held by a guardian, discrimination experience during medical school, federal/state assistance use, and rural versus urban primary home. Descriptive statistics and unadjusted risk ratios were applied to study the relation between Step 1 score and non-modifiable risk factors as well as certain non-modifiable risk factors and ACEs ≥ 3. The mean Step 1 score was 230 (213, 247). Of the students, 28.2% identified ACEs ≥ 3, 13.6% were considered URiM, and 65.4% were female. URiM were 2.34 (1.30, 4.23),females were 2.77 (1.06-7.29), and those who experienced discrimination in medical school were 4.25 (1.85, 9.77) times more likely to have ACEs ≥ 3. Students who had ACEs ≥ 3 were 3.58 (1.75, 7.29) times less likely to meet a minimal threshold for residency interviews of 220. These are the first results to demonstrate a relationship between Step 1 score and ACEs. Those who identified as URiM, females, and those who experienced discrimination in medical school were at a higher risk of ACEs of ≥ 3. Step 1 transitioned to pass/fail in January 2022. However, the first application cycle that residencies will see pass/fail scoring is 2023-2024, and fellowships will continue to see scored Step 1 until, at the earliest, the 2026-2027 application cycle. These data contribute to a foundation of research that could apply to Step 2CK testing scores, and help to inform decisions about the diversity and equity of the residency interview process.

Describing the Journey and Lessons Learned Implementing a Competency-Based, Time-Variable Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum.

Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine launched a completely new undergraduate medical education curriculum in 2014. This initiative dramatically transformed the MD degree program, changing the instructional content taught, the pedagogical methods used by the faculty, and the methods of assessment, and it added new elements such as academic coaching and programmatic entrustment to the program. One of the most exciting and impactful aspects to date of this curricular transformation has been the deliberate implementation of a competency-based framework that incorporates frequent assessment, tracking of student progression using an electronic portfolio, and academic coaching to optimize learning and customize curricular elements for each student. The next major step in this process-the implementation of time-variable progression-is currently ongoing as a planning group at the school works through the conceptual, logistical, legal, and regulatory issues related to implementing such a system. When implementation is complete, MD students will graduate only once they have earned entrustment for all 13 Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency. This article describes the school's progress to date in its curricular transformation and articulates lessons learned thus far in driving substantive and dramatic institutional changes that profoundly impact students, faculty, and administrators in one academic health center.