Preparing for boards: UNE medical student research looks at best methods for learning
A study by a group of third-year students at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine examines the best methods for learning by medical students in the second year of medical school, specifically in how to optimally prepare for national medical licensing board examinations.
Ryan Kollar, Robert Harmon, Nicole Rainville, Frank Jackson and Ethan Duane of the UNE COM Class of 2019 are looking at the best ways to prepare for both of the first board examinations medical students have to take: the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1. “One of the most critical ways medical schools prepare their students for practice is by properly guiding them in their preparation for national medical licensing board exams,” says Ryan Smith, D.O., M.S., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and director of the UNE COM Division of Psychiatry, who serves as their faculty research advisor. “This student research can support the development of best practice education for medical schools around the country.”
Two of the students have received awards for their work on this project, winning first-place at two research venues at state osteopathic conventions. Frank Jackson won first place in the New Hampshire Osteopathic Association (NHOA) Research Poster Presentation at the annual convention in Conway, New Hampshire in January, 2018. Ethan Duane won first place in the Maine Osteopathic Association (MOA) Research Poster Presentation at the organization’s annual convention in Portland, Maine in February, 2018.
The group will also present their research at the Northeast Osteopathic Medical Education Network (NEOMEN) Conference in May. They are working on a manuscript for publication.
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