Step 2 CS was an exam that assessed medical students’ ability to apply their clinical knowledge and skills in a simulated office setting with multiple standardized patients. The exam was held at only six testing sites across the United States and required students to travel on their own dime to attend.
Step 2 CS was suspended indefinitely in May 2020 because of the COVID risks of the testing format, which required face-to-face interactions with standardized patients and air travel to the testing sites. The USMLE had intentions to reintroduce Step 2 CS with a modified, web-based format in the future; however, on Jan. 26, 2020, plans to relaunch Step 2 CS were discontinued.
Elizabeth Minto, M.D., director of clinical skills at the USA College of Medicine, said the overall reaction to the decision from students and faculty has been positive.
“For the students, it removes an expensive, inconvenient, stressful experience that has always been of questionable value for actually demonstrating clinical effectiveness,” she said. “For those of us that teach and assess students’ clinical skills — their ability to collect a history, perform a physical exam, and utilize effective communication skills and patient-centered decision making — it is liberating to no longer feel required to ‘teach to a test,’ but rather to teach the best practices for real world clinical practice.”
In the announcement detailing the discontinuation, the USMLE noted the importance of assessing clinical skills for medical licensure: “In the absence of Step 2 CS, elements of clinical reasoning and communication will continue to be assessed on other exams (Steps) in the USMLE sequence. Computer-based case simulations in Step 3 and communication content recently bolstered in Step 1 are examples of these efforts that will continue. While not a replacement for Step 2 CS, these formats continue to contribute positively.”
“I think we will see a lot of creativity and innovation in this area of medical education in the coming months and years,” said Minto. “I’m very happy about this change.”
For more information on the discontinuation of Step 2 CS and future USMLE announcements, visit the USMLE website.
