The Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam — A Poor Value Proposition

Given the very high pass rates among examinees and the cost of the Step 2 Clinical Skills exam, it appears to provide a poor return on investment and little appreciable value to the U.S. health care system. Should it be eliminated? Efforts to minimize the regulatory and administrative burden in U.S. health care have never been greater. Stakeholders, including physicians, increasingly focus on eliminating waste and reducing costs in these areas to maximize the value and efficiency of care. One regulatory domain that deserves greater scrutiny in this context is medical licensure. For example, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) mandate the purchase of four licensing products by medical students and resident physicians over the course of their training. This three-step series of examinations is known as the United States Medical Licensing . . .