I did not see anything in the article about a unified board exam or the COMLEX in the AMnews. Did you get more info from another source, Pre? Here is the article Prefontaine (named after the runner?) referred to from AMnews:
Professional Issues |Despite discord, FSMB reaffirms resident licensure policy
Delegates at the Federation of State Medical Boards annual meeting in St. Louis unanimously rejected a resolution to water down a controversial policy to license residents and oversee medical students. It was a stunning rebuke to organized medicine -- including AMA, the Assn. of American Medical Colleges and the American Osteopathic Assn. -- that has tried to halt a controversial policy that encourages the nation's state medical boards to license residents and monitor students. Representatives of those groups said the proposals are overly intrusive and potentially harmful to oversight systems already in place to protect the public from incompetent or impaired residents and troubled students. The majority of medical board directors expressed support for FSMB's policy that recommends the institution of a licensure system for the nation's 110,000 allopathic and osteopathic residents. However, physicians representing at least two state medical boards indicated they would not adopt the federation's policy. The policy also encourages, but does not mandate, medical schools to share disciplinary action information with state boards. One criticism of the policy is the vagueness of the reportable information that should be compiled on residents. In response, the federation devised a model resident reporting form. The five main questions require program directors to note disciplinary actions on residents, unusual absences from the program of greater than two weeks, resignations, dismissals and referrals to substance abuse programs.
