Preparation for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations in the Face of COVID-19

Brianna Borsheim; Chelsea Ledford; Edan Zitelny; Caroline Zhao; John Blizzard; Yenya Hu

doi:10.1007/s40670-020-01011-1

Preparation for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations in the Face of COVID-19

Med Sci Educ. 2020 Jun 16;30(3):1267-1272. doi: 10.1007/s40670-020-01011-1. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Authors

Brianna Borsheim¹, Chelsea Ledford¹, Edan Zitelny¹, Caroline Zhao², John Blizzard³, Yenya Hu¹

Affiliations

¹ Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA.
² Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL USA.
³ Albany Medical College, Albany, NY USA.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the canceling and rescheduling of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) examinations due to the nationwide closure of the Prometric testing centers, which poses a significant challenge to medical students. The rescheduling of a high-stakes board examination leads to significant stress and potential burnout. Students may need guidance to decrease anxiety and reframe their study plan while maintaining their knowledge. Here, we combined board examination coaching tips with specific worked examples to describe how to prevent burnout, give recommendations for scheduling, and suggest practical approaches to USMLE and other high-stakes examinations.

Keywords: Approach; Burnout; COVID-19; Coaching; Scheduling; USMLE examination preparation.