New El Paso Medical School Class Results on Licensing Exam May Exceed National Average

The world of medicine may take notice of the charter class of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Paul L. Foster School of Medicine with their performance results on the Step 1 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). The Class of 2013 had a first-time pass rate of 97 percent and an average score of 225, which may exceed national averages.

Historically, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine's pass rate for Step 1 is about 91 to 92 percent, with the average score falling between 219 and 221.

“This is a major accomplishment for the students and for the faculty in years one and two who have worked so hard to develop and implement our curriculum,” said David Steele, Ph.D., senior associate dean for medical education and director of curriculum, evaluation and accreditation at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. “The excellent showing of our students on this rigorous examination is a testament to their hard work, perseverance, intelligence and preparation. I am very, very proud of these students.  I also admire their pioneering spirit. They enrolled in a brand-new medical school without a track record of success, established a record and set a high bar for the classes that follow."

Chair of Medical Education Richard Brower, M.D., added, “Ultimately, the student’s performance on STEP 1 is a reflection of their tremendous dedication and potential. The faculty is extremely pleased with the progress of this inaugural class.  Implementation of our new and innovative clinical presentation-based curriculum was an enormous challenge, and it is great to see such positive results so early in our development.”

USMLE is a three-part national exam required for medical licensure.  Part 1 assesses foundational knowledge in the biomedical and behavioral sciences required to practice scientifically informed medicine. The disciplines covered in the exam include anatomy, molecular and genetic biology and biochemistry. At the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, students are required to take the USMLE to enter the third year of the curriculum; and are required to pass the exam to progress to the fourth year.

Paul L. Foster School of Medicine charter student Ahmed Ansari  started studying for Step 1 after the end of the school year in April.

“I studied about 11 hours a day, Ansari said. "I took Step one on July 1. I used 'First Aid' and the 'USMLE World Question Bank,' a resource guide, as my primary learning tools. My advice to other students studying for Step 1 would  be to learn all the concepts really well throughout first and second year and rely on the time you study for Step 1 to review material. It is almost impossible to learn new things right before Step 1."

Medical student Ben Ramos said although he studied for the exam on his own, his wife Claudia had a huge role in his success on the exam.

“She supported me every step of the way," Ramos said.

After taking the exam Ramos felt as though he had done poorly and was waiting for his score report date for bad news. However, Ramos did extremely well. His advice to fellow students is to start studying early, incorporate a Step 1 preparation into your daily studies, don’t overestimate the utility of “First Aid,” focus on mechanisms not buzzwords and don’t forget the purpose of the pre-clinical years.

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