Anyone know how CCLCM students have done on step 1? I know that it really depends on the student, but I do believe that a certain type of curriculum can prepare you better for the test. I have been told by some medical students from other institutions that PBL based learning does not prepare you well for step 1.
The class of 2009 averaged 229 on Step I with a 100% first time pass rate. (The national average is around 217 with a 92% first time pass rate.) The official stats haven't come out yet for the class of 2010, but rumor has it that they did even better than the first class.
CCLCM does not teach toward the boards, so if that's what you're looking for, this isn't the right program for you. However, it is NOT true that PBL curricula do not prepare students for the boards as well versus traditional curricula. Several peer-reviewed studies have been done looking at how each type of curriculum prepares students for the boards, and most have found
no significant difference between PBL versus traditional curricula with regard to USMLE performance. Here are a few references on this subject if you're interested in reading more about it:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2001.01058.x
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15734816&dopt=Citation
One study found that PBL students actually performed
better on the USMLE:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16799282&dopt=Citation
On a somewhat related note, PBL is not just a med school thing. This study was done looking at the Harvard Dental School. They found that their PBL curriculum led to higher scores on the dental board exams:
http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/9/1003
These students from other schools that you talked to may not particularly like doing PBL, and that's perfectly legitimate. I'll be the first person to say that CCLCM is not the right program for everyone, maybe not even the right program for most people. I have friends at other schools who really like going to lectures or watching them on line. Personally I can't relate to that feeling at all, but everyone has their own preferences for how they learn the best, and it doesn't mean that what works best for one person works best for everyone. You have to decide what works best for you. But, if you think that you would like to attend a PBL curriculum school, do not let people scare you off by telling you that you won't be prepared for the boards, because the scientific evidence does not back up that claim.
Do they also use USMLE bank questions for their regular tests, like Case? That was one thing I really liked when I was at Case. I think it's a great way to prepare for Step 1.
I'm not sure what you are asking here. We don't have tests at CCLCM, so we don't take the block tests that the UP students take. If that's what you're wondering, then no, we don't take those tests or any others during our time at CCLCM. If you mean do we take the practice NBME exams that are put out as preparation for the USMLE, then yes, we do take those. There is a four hour NBME basic science test being offered free of charge to us through the school on two different dates. Some of my classmates will be taking that test this Thursday along with the UP students, and the rest of us will take it next month. The school also gives us each two vouchers to purchase two additional NBME practice tests (there are a total of four available for purchase). We can purchase the last two exams at our own expense if we want to take them, which I think most of us plan to do. Finally, many of us are also getting Qbank from Kaplan, which has a few thousand practice USMLE-style questions. So if you're a person who likes to do a ton of questions, no worries. There will be more than enough for you to do even if you don't do them as part of the standard curriculum.
😉
Drizzt3117 and anyone else waiting to hear, Dean Franco didn't attend our class meeting today, so I don't have anything new to tell you about when you will hear. Sorry.
to you also!
