The USMLE

Students who wish to practice medicine in US hospitals or do postgraduate medical degrees or medical specializations in the USA must take and pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) which commonly known as the "board exam". The USMLE is a standardized test that is a requirement for practicing medicine in the USA or Canada independently and it is there to ensure that all medical graduates and medical doctors practicing medicine in the USA perform at the same basic level.

The United States Medical Licensing Examination or USMLE is a multi-part professional medical administered by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Medical doctors or medical graduates are required to pass the USMLE exam before being allowed to practice medicine in Canadian hospitals or American hospitals. The USMLE assesses a doctor’s ability to apply medical knowledge, medical concepts, and medical principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that are important in healthcare and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care.

Medical graduates from allopathic medical schools must take and pass the three stages of the USMLE. Osteopathic doctors can opt for the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX).

The USMLE consists of three steps. All three USMLE steps must be passed before a medical graduate is eligible to apply for a license to practice medicine in hospitals in the USA or Canada.

Medical students who have graduated from non-US medical schools and international medical graduates must pass all three steps of the USMLE exam to be licensed to practice medicine in the Canadian or American hospitals, regardless of the title of their medical degree.

Results of the USMLE exam are used in granting the initial license to practice medicine in the USA or Canada and to enroll on a hospital residency program in USA or Canada.

The USMLE three steps examinations are USMLE step 1, USMLE step 2 and USMLE step 3. The three steps of the USMLE are administered at different points during a doctor's medical education to assess a variety of medical skills and knowledge.

International medical graduates who graduated from non US medical schools, can prepare for and sit the 3 USMLE steps and exams consecutively which normally takes about one year.

Step 1 of the USMLE exam takes 8 hours and assesses the basic biological and medical knowledge.

Step 2 of the USMLE consists of two sessions, session one which is a nine-hour multi-choice exam assesses key medical topics and specialties, while session two involves simulated patient interactions.

Step 3 of the USMLE is practical and is taken after the completion of the first year of the medical residency. Step 3 assesses the doctor's ability to practice medicine in a medical setting such as hospital independently and safely. Step 3 of the USMLE exam is a combination of multi-choice questions and practical patient simulations where the doctor must make precise decisions resulting in treating the patient and keeping him alive.

The successful completion of the USMLE stages shows and proves that medical graduates have the ability to effectively deal with clinical problem solving, patient handling skills and the medical knowledge to practice medicine safely and successfully.

International medical graduates need to take and pass the USMLE exams and apply for admissions to the hospital residency program which can be between 3 to 8 years depending on the medical specialization chosen.