The Effect of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Curriculum on United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Performance.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019;
77:898-903. [PMID:
30825436 DOI:
10.1016/j.joms.2019.01.043]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 01/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE
Over the years, a few types of combined oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS)-MD residency curricula have evolved that differ in how the MD is integrated. The purpose of this study was to look for a difference in United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) Step 1 pass rates among these different curricula.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An anonymous electronic survey was e-mailed to the directors of all 46 United States-based OMS-MD-integrated programs, querying OMS curriculum type and USMLE Step 1 results over the years 2007-2017. Programs were then characterized by the curriculum sequence, whether USMLE Step 1 was taken before or after starting medical school, and the amount of dedicated test preparation time.
RESULTS
Of 46 OMS-MD program directors, 32 (70%) responded. No statistically significant difference in the USMLE Step 1 pass rate was found among the 4 main types of OMS-MD curricula (range, 89 to 95%; P = .06). Completing some part of medical school before taking USMLE Step 1 also had no effect on OMS residents' pass rates (94% vs 92%, P = .23). However, an increasing number of weeks of dedicated test preparation time was significantly correlated with increasing USMLE Step 1 pass rates (87% with no dedicated test preparation time, increasing to 96% with ≥6 weeks of dedicated test preparation time; P = .05). Finally, only 7 of 806 total residents (0.9%) dropped out of a program because of the inability to pass USMLE Step 1.
CONCLUSIONS
The data show a high overall USMLE Step 1 pass rate with a direct correlation between the duration of dedicated test preparation time and pass rate. No difference in USMLE Step 1 pass rates was observed based on the sequence of OMS-MD-integrated curricula or the completion of some pre-USMLE medical school before USMLE Step 1 among OMS residents.
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