Projects

USMLE Pass/Fail transition and impact upon likelihood to invite

Program Directors use the USMLE score on Step 1 as a tool to decide which applicants should be invited for an interview. With the planned transition to Pass/Fail scoring in 2022, it is unknown how this will impact program director assessment of applicants, and if this will favor students from more renowned academic backgrounds

Description: survey based study with simulated applications assessing likelihood to invite of applicants from top 10 US News and World Report medical schools versus those from state run institutions, osteopathic and international institutions. Simulated applications are randomly presented to PDs in pediatrics and emergency medicine with both Step 1 scores and Step 1 pass/fail

Status: data acquisition ongoing through Fall/winter of 2021

Experience in creating a rural rotation for emergency medicine residents

Although there has long been interest in creating rural rotation experiences for emergency medicine residents, few institutions have been able to create robust experiences given the lack of qualified faculty or facilities amenable to participating. WVU EM has partnered with our Rural Emergency Medicine Institute (REMI) to establish a multi-site rural educational experience for our residents

Description: interview/focus group study that explores the differences and challenges associated with providing emergency care in resource limited and rural settings, as well as the administrative challenges of starting a new rotation in centers that have not previously been involved in graduate medical education

Status: interviews complete, thematic analysis and manuscript development ongoing