CUNY School of Medicine Policy                                                              Medical Education

 Policy Summary:

Students who score below a level that predicts an acceptable probability for passing Step 1 on a required Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE) administered on a date set by the Department of Medical Education, will be required to enroll in Bridge to Clerkship (BTC).

 Purpose/Rationale:

To provide students with a course that will offer structured guidance to address both knowledge deficits (e.g. specific content) as well as process-oriented issues (e.g. study strategies). This policy arose in the context of students struggling in addressing these gaps in an unstructured manner and then being at great risk of failing the USMLE Step 1 exam—a very high stakes exam for medical students.

 Procedure:

Who:          

1) All M2 Students

2) Any other student required to take the assessment CBSE

When:        

This required CBSE will be administered in the spring semester of the M2 year (approximately the last week of February of M2 year).

Logistics:

A cutoff score will be determined by the Chair of Medical Education after reviewing the exam results.  The cutoff score will likely be the score that predicts a 40-50% probability of passing Step 1.

 Those scoring below the cutoff score will be required to take and pass the Bridge to Clerkship (BTC) course to progress in the medical school. The Chair of Medical Education or their designee will inform students if they have met the criteria to be required to enroll in this course.

 Informing the students of the policy:  Every year the Chair of the Department of Medical Education will inform students of this policy 1) at M1 orientation, 2) by email at the end of the M1 academic year, 3) at M2 orientation, and 4) in an email reminder in December of the M2 year.

 A referral to Student Affairs (for review and evaluation) will be made for any student with an unapproved absence for this CBSE and they will be required to sit for the exam at a time to be determined by Medical Education.

 RELEVANT LCME STANDARDS:

1.1 Strategic Planning and Continuous Quality Improvement

8.3 Curricular Design, Review, Revision/Content Monitoring

 Other Issues:

1)  For the 2024/2025 academic year the M2 students will be informed at three timepoints: 1) by email at the end of their M1 academic year 2) at M2 orientation, and 3) in an email reminder in December of the M2 year. This was reviewed and felt to be reasonable and sufficient.

 Keywords:

CBSE
BTC
Bridge
M2
Step 1