Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey.
<h4>Introduction</h4>In 2019, 4.6% of US-MD students self-identified as students with disabilities (SWD); many of these students will require accommodations on the USMLE Step-1 examination. Given the high-stakes nature of Step-1 for medical school advancement and residency match, SWD den...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266685 |
| _version_ | 1828204482095218688 |
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| author | Kristina H Petersen Neera R Jain Ben Case Sharad Jain Lisa M Meeks |
| author_facet | Kristina H Petersen Neera R Jain Ben Case Sharad Jain Lisa M Meeks |
| author_sort | Kristina H Petersen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Introduction</h4>In 2019, 4.6% of US-MD students self-identified as students with disabilities (SWD); many of these students will require accommodations on the USMLE Step-1 examination. Given the high-stakes nature of Step-1 for medical school advancement and residency match, SWD denied accommodations on Step-1 face considerable consequences. To date no study has investigated the rate of accommodation denial and its impact on medical school operations.<h4>Methods</h4>To investigate the rate of accommodation denial and evaluate whether Step-1 accommodation denial impacts medical school operations, a 10-question survey was sent to Student Affairs Deans and disability resource professionals at all fully-accredited US-MD granting programs. Two open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.<h4>Results</h4>Seventy-three of the 141 schools responded (52%). In the 2018-2019 academic year, 276 students from 73 schools applied for Step-1 accommodations. Of these, 144 (52%) were denied. Of those denied, 74/144 (51%) were delayed entry into the next phase of curriculum and 110/144 (76%) took the Step-1 exam unaccommodated. Of the 110 who took Step-1 without accommodations, 35/110 (32%) failed the exam, and 4/110 (3%) withdrew or were dismissed following exam failure. Schools reported varied investments of time and financial support for students denied accommodations, with most schools investing less than 20 hours (67%) and less than $1,000.00 (69%). Open-responses revealed details regarding the impact of denial on schools and students including frustration with process; financial and human resources allocation; delay in student progression; lack of resourcing and expertise; and emotional and financial burdens on students.<h4>Discussion</h4>Step-1 accommodation denial has non-trivial financial, operational, and career impacts on medical schools and students alike. The cause of accommodation denial in this population requires further exploration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:24:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4d9aaf0ba71f4a14bc96c8eb4f576fd7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:24:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-4d9aaf0ba71f4a14bc96c8eb4f576fd72022-12-22T03:33:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01174e026668510.1371/journal.pone.0266685Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey.Kristina H PetersenNeera R JainBen CaseSharad JainLisa M Meeks<h4>Introduction</h4>In 2019, 4.6% of US-MD students self-identified as students with disabilities (SWD); many of these students will require accommodations on the USMLE Step-1 examination. Given the high-stakes nature of Step-1 for medical school advancement and residency match, SWD denied accommodations on Step-1 face considerable consequences. To date no study has investigated the rate of accommodation denial and its impact on medical school operations.<h4>Methods</h4>To investigate the rate of accommodation denial and evaluate whether Step-1 accommodation denial impacts medical school operations, a 10-question survey was sent to Student Affairs Deans and disability resource professionals at all fully-accredited US-MD granting programs. Two open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.<h4>Results</h4>Seventy-three of the 141 schools responded (52%). In the 2018-2019 academic year, 276 students from 73 schools applied for Step-1 accommodations. Of these, 144 (52%) were denied. Of those denied, 74/144 (51%) were delayed entry into the next phase of curriculum and 110/144 (76%) took the Step-1 exam unaccommodated. Of the 110 who took Step-1 without accommodations, 35/110 (32%) failed the exam, and 4/110 (3%) withdrew or were dismissed following exam failure. Schools reported varied investments of time and financial support for students denied accommodations, with most schools investing less than 20 hours (67%) and less than $1,000.00 (69%). Open-responses revealed details regarding the impact of denial on schools and students including frustration with process; financial and human resources allocation; delay in student progression; lack of resourcing and expertise; and emotional and financial burdens on students.<h4>Discussion</h4>Step-1 accommodation denial has non-trivial financial, operational, and career impacts on medical schools and students alike. The cause of accommodation denial in this population requires further exploration.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266685 |
| spellingShingle | Kristina H Petersen Neera R Jain Ben Case Sharad Jain Lisa M Meeks Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. PLoS ONE |
| title | Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. |
| title_full | Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. |
| title_fullStr | Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. |
| title_short | Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey. |
| title_sort | impact of usmle step 1 accommodation denial on us medical schools a national survey |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266685 |
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