Overview

Step 2 CS is designed to evaluate your ability to gather information that is important for a given patient presentation. During your physical examination of the standardized patient, you should attempt to elicit important positive and negative signs. Make sure you discuss with the patient your initial diagnostic impression and work-up plan. The patients may ask questions concerning their complaints. You should address each patient's concern as you would in a normal clinical setting.

The ability to communicate effectively with patients, demonstrating appropriate interpersonal skills, is essential to safe and effective patient care. Step 2 CS is intended to determine whether physicians seeking an initial license to practice medicine in the United States, regardless of country of origin, can communicate effectively with patients. The standardized patients are trained to assess your communication, interpersonal skills, and English-speaking skills.

Your ability to document in the patient note the findings from the patient encounter, diagnostic impression, and initial patient work-up will be rated by physician raters. You will be rated based upon the quality of documentation of important positive and negative findings from the history and physical examination, as well as your listed differential diagnoses and diagnostic assessment plans.

 Scoring

Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE)
  • Data gathering - patient information collected by history taking and physical examination
  • Documentation - completion of a patient note summarizing the findings of the patient encounter, diagnostic impression and initial patient workup

    • Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS)

  • Questioning skills
  • Information-sharing skills
  • Professional manner and rapport

    • Spoken English Proficiency (SEP)

  • Clarity of spoken English communication within the context of the doctor-patient encounter
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     Eligibility

    To be eligible, you must be in one of the following categories at the time of application and on the test day:
  • a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US or Canadian medical school program leading to the MD degree that is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME),
  • a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US medical school leading to the DO degree that is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or
  • a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a medical school outside the United States and Canada and eligible for examination by the ECFMG.
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    If you have been dismissed from medical school, you are not eligible for the USMLE, even if you are appealing the school's decision to dismiss you.

    		  
     
     
     
     
     
     

     

    Preparing for the USMLE Step 2 CS

    What to Do on the Day of the USMLE Exam