| United States Medical License Exam |
United States Medical License ExamIn the United States and its territories, the individual state medical boards grant licenses to practice medicine. Each medical board sets its own rules and regulations and requires passing an examination, the USMLE, that demonstrates qualification for licensure. USMLE results are reported to each medical board for use in granting a physician an initial license to practice medicine. The USMLE is considered a common applicant evaluation system for initial medical licensure. The USMLE was implemented in June 1993. The USMLE replaced the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) and the NBME Part I, II and III, , the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS), and the Visa Qualifying Examination (VQE. The USMLE is given in three parts and physicians must complete all parts. The Three Steps of the USMLE: Step 1 assesses whether a physician can understand apply “important concepts of the sciences basic to the practice of medicine, with special emphasis on principles and mechanisms underlying health, disease, and modes of therapy.” Step 2 assesses whether a physician can apply “medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision and includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention.” Step 3 assesses whether a physician can apply “medical knowledge and understanding of biomedical and clinical science essential for the unsupervised practice of medicine, with emphasis on patient management in ambulatory settings.” The USMLE is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. (FSMB), and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) |