USMLE
The USMLE is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. (FSMB), and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).
The USMLE assesses a physician's ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. Each of the three Steps of the USMLE complements the others; no Step can stand alone in the assessment of readiness for medical licensure.
· In the United States and its territories, the individual medical licensing authorities ("state medical boards") of the various jurisdictions grant a license to practice medicine. Each medical licensing authority sets its own rules and regulations and requires passing an examination that demonstrates qualification for licensure. Results of the USMLE are reported to these authorities for use in granting the initial license to practice medicine. The USMLE provides them with a common evaluation system for applicants for initial medical licensure.
Step 1, it tests the basic sciences
· Anatomy,
· Behavioral sciences,
· Biochemistry,
· Microbiology,
· Pathology,
· Pharmacology,
· Physiology,
Step 2
Step 2 is further divided into two separate exams.
Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK)
Step 2 CK is constructed according to an integrated content outline that organizes clinical science material along two dimensions: physician task and disease category.
Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS)
Step 2 CS uses standardized patients, i.e., people trained to portray real patients. The cases cover common and important situations that a physician is likely to encounter in clinics, doctors' offices, emergency departments, and hospital settings in the United States
Step 3
Step 3 continues to be a two-day exam. The exam is usually taken by IMGs during the residency training program. It assesses whether you can apply the medical knowledge and understanding of basic and clinical science considered essential for the unsupervised practice of medicine. It emphasizes on patient management in ambulatory settings. The exam stresses on physicians tasks and clinical situations during initial patient evaluations, continuing care, and emergency.
