How to Study USMLE Course: Part 1
Posted: Sunday, October 11, 2009
by Raveendran Kandathil
Individual
It is the dream of every Medical Graduate, whether from the U.S. , Canada or International Medical Graduates (IMGs) from different parts of the globe, to get through the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to become eligible for selection to the Residency Program and practice medicine in the U.S.A.
This will be a two-part article and I will be sharing with you various aspect of USMLE like, where to get information, what is the registration procedure, topics covered in various Steps and where to get high yield USMLE books, other study materials, and specialized coaching etc.
The first thing you should do is to collect all the information related to USMLE exam from www.usmle.org and other details like eligibility, registration procedure and how to submit application for registration etc. from www.ecfmg.org ( Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG ) .
Once you have collected information from organizations like USMLE and ECFMG, the next step will be to find out relevant study materials for USMLE preparation. Organizations like KAPLAN Medical can help you in this process, which are offering excellent coaching and guidance through online, class room based or home study method.
It is not that easy to get into th Residency Program, especially for the IMGs, because of limited availability of seats for IMGs. One has to go through various hurdles like passing the Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) for Residency Match and finally the Step 3 in order to get a license to practice medicine in U.S.A.
On an average about 37000 candidates participate in the exam annually for about 25000 Residency positions, of this about 8000 are IMGs. Approximately 75% of the available seats are cornered by US Seniors and a small portion by the U.S. resident IMGs. Out of about 8000 plus IMGs appearing for the exam, only 40-42% of them get selected for the Residency.
That means there is fierce competition for available seats and only the very best and those who have excellent communication, clinical and patient management skills get through to the USMLE Residency Program.
Topics covered in the examination
The pathway to medical licensure requires completion of a U.S. residency training program. Most programs select candidates using the national residency matching program (NRMP) also known as the Match. In order to qualify to participate in the match, international medical graduates or IMGs, must obtain certification by the educational commission for foreign medical graduates (ECFMG), which in turn requires the completion of all exam requirements.
Medical Licensure in the U.S. starts with preparing for the step 1, step 2 clinical knowledge (CK) and step 2 clinical skills (CS) examinations. These can be completed in a 3 to 9 months period. However, clinical skills can be completed in about one to two months time.
The step one course consists of the following subjects: anatomy, behavioral sciences, biochemistry and medical genetics, immunology and microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology. These topics are covered in the first two years of medical school study known as basic science subjects.
In clinical knowledge, the following subjects are covered. Internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry and ethics, and surgery. These are subjects learned in the third and forth years of your medical school study.
Clinical skills are a practical live exam using standardized patients that is meant to test a candidates English communication and clinical skills. Step 3, tests patient management skills at the level of a first-year resident.
Raveendran Kandathil. Well experienced in sales & marketing, worked in middle management cadre. Experienced in the field of real estate, insurance, concept/product selling. Can write article on any general subject, education, travel, and health etc.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Raveendran, this is a very good article, indeed. This information shared proves to be very helpful for someone in this field. You will be a great addition to Searchwarp, Welcome!Thanks for the complement.
Hi Raveendran.Thank you for writing this article. I had been trying to get this information for my niece.Welcome to Searchwarp!Best to you and yours,NenitaNice to hear that it wa useful t some one in need. In case any help is needed write to me.Thanks
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