ArticleHealth science reports2020
The impact of United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) step 1 cutoff scores on recruitment of underrepresented minorities in medicine: A retrospective cross-sectional study.
Article in Health science reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Representation Quotients to Examine Diversity in Ophthalmology Residency Applicants and Matriculants.JAMA ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Matching Into Integrated Plastic Surgery: The Impact of USMLE Step 1 Transition to Pass/Fail: Did the 2019 Predictions Come True in 2024?Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Focused anatomy workshops for clerkships and the USMLE Step 1 examination.Anatomical sciences education · 2025Article
- Medical student non-modifiable risk factors and USMLE Step 1 exam score.Medical education online · 2024Article
- Race and Sex Disparities Among Emergency Medicine Chief Residents.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Characteristics Associated with Successful Residency Match in General Surgery.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2024Article
- Empowering Excellence: Creating Academic and Professional Parity in Graduate Medical Education.O&G open · 2024Article
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Situational Judgment Testing Among Applicants to an Anesthesiology Residency Program.Journal of graduate medical education · 2024Article
- Selection and Recruitment Strategies among Competitive Pediatric Training Programs and the Impact of Diversity.Academic pediatrics · 2024Article
- Diversity in the pediatric research workforce: a scoping review of the literature.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- Barriers in Ophthalmology Residency Applications for Students Identifying as Underrepresented in Medicine: A San Francisco Match Analysis.Journal of surgical education · 2023Article
- Inclusion, Diversity, Access, and Equity in Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training: Tools for Program Directors.Open forum infectious diseases · 2023Article
- The Upcoming Pass/Fail USMLE Step 1 Score Reporting: An Impact Assessment From Medical School Deans.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2023Article
- The Impact of Holistic Review of Urology Residency Applications on Selection for Interview During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Urology · 2023Review
- Interventions Associated With Racial and Ethnic Diversity in US Graduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- The Costliness of US Residency Applications: Moving Toward Preference Signaling and Caps.Journal of graduate medical education · 2022Article
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Internal Medicine Residency Assessments.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- "This shouldn't be our job to help you do this": exploring the responses of medical schools across Canada to address anti-Black racism in 2020.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2022Article
- Enhancing Diversity in the Ophthalmology Workforce.Ophthalmology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsUnited States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) scores are the single, most objective criteria for admission into residency programs in the country. Underrepresented minorities in medicine (URiM) are found to have lower USMLE scores compared to their White counterparts. The objective of this study is to examine how USMLE step 1 cutoff scores may exclude self-reported URiM from the residency interview process across various specialties.
methodsThis was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 10 541 applicants to different residency programs at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health between May 2014 and May 2015. We identified Blacks and Hispanics as URiM. The primary outcome is the percentage of applicants with USMLE step 1 score above different ranges of cutoff score, from 205 to 235 in five-point increments, by race/ethnicity and by URiM status. Secondary outcome is percentages of URiM vs non-URiM above and below mean USMLE step 1 scores by different specialties (internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry).
resultsThe study sample included 2707 White, 722 Black, 805 Hispanic, 5006 Asian, and 562 Other Race/Ethnicity applicants. Overall, 50.2% were male, 21.3% URiM, 7.4% had limited English proficiency, 67.6% attended international medical schools, and 2.4% are Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA) members. The mean (±SD) USMLE step 1 score was significantly greater among non-URiM applicants as compared to URiM applicants (223.7 ± 19.4 vs 216.1 ± 18.4,
conclusionUsing a USMLE step 1 cutoff score as an initial filter for applicant recruitment and selection could jeopardize the benefits of a diverse residency program. Practical implications are discussed.
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