Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status
Abstract Background Accreditation systems strive to ensure the quality of undergraduate (basic) medical education and encourage ongoing improvements. Despite increasing global emphasis on quality assurance activities, there is limited research linking accreditation of medical education to improved s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03101-7 |
| _version_ | 1818752859430191104 |
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| author | Marta van Zanten John R. Boulet Christine D. Shiffer |
| author_facet | Marta van Zanten John R. Boulet Christine D. Shiffer |
| author_sort | Marta van Zanten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Accreditation systems strive to ensure the quality of undergraduate (basic) medical education and encourage ongoing improvements. Despite increasing global emphasis on quality assurance activities, there is limited research linking accreditation of medical education to improved student and graduate outcomes. The purpose of this study is to compare the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) performance of students and graduates who attended international medical schools accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) to individuals who attended schools that did not meet this criterion. Methods During the 2018-2020 study period, 39,650 individuals seeking Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG®) certification took one or more USMLE examinations. We cross-tabulated USMLE performance (first-attempt pass/fail result) and medical school accreditation status. Results Individuals seeking ECFMG certification who attended international medical schools accredited by an agency recognized by WFME had higher or comparable USMLE first-attempt pass rates compared to individuals who attended medical schools that did not meet this criterion. Conclusions Implementing and maintaining meaningful accreditation systems requires substantial resources. These results provide important positive evidence that external evaluation of educational programs is associated, on average, with better educational outcomes, including in the domains of basic science, clinical knowledge, and clinical skills performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:58:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bfa94dd9a452404ca55e5e49e026cc4b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:58:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-bfa94dd9a452404ca55e5e49e026cc4b2022-12-21T21:20:14ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202022-01-012211810.1186/s12909-022-03101-7Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation statusMarta van Zanten0John R. Boulet1Christine D. Shiffer2Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER)Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER)Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)Abstract Background Accreditation systems strive to ensure the quality of undergraduate (basic) medical education and encourage ongoing improvements. Despite increasing global emphasis on quality assurance activities, there is limited research linking accreditation of medical education to improved student and graduate outcomes. The purpose of this study is to compare the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) performance of students and graduates who attended international medical schools accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) to individuals who attended schools that did not meet this criterion. Methods During the 2018-2020 study period, 39,650 individuals seeking Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG®) certification took one or more USMLE examinations. We cross-tabulated USMLE performance (first-attempt pass/fail result) and medical school accreditation status. Results Individuals seeking ECFMG certification who attended international medical schools accredited by an agency recognized by WFME had higher or comparable USMLE first-attempt pass rates compared to individuals who attended medical schools that did not meet this criterion. Conclusions Implementing and maintaining meaningful accreditation systems requires substantial resources. These results provide important positive evidence that external evaluation of educational programs is associated, on average, with better educational outcomes, including in the domains of basic science, clinical knowledge, and clinical skills performance.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03101-7AccreditationInternational medical schoolsInternational medical graduatesMedical licensure examinations |
| spellingShingle | Marta van Zanten John R. Boulet Christine D. Shiffer Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status BMC Medical Education Accreditation International medical schools International medical graduates Medical licensure examinations |
| title | Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| title_full | Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| title_fullStr | Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| title_short | Making the grade: licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| title_sort | making the grade licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status |
| topic | Accreditation International medical schools International medical graduates Medical licensure examinations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03101-7 |
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