Scope:
This policy applies to all medical students enrolled at University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) and refers to the timing of sitting for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1.
Step 1 Deadline Policy Statement:
Students who complete Foundations Phase at the end of Fall Quarter must sit for the USMLE Step 1 exam on or before March 1* of the following year. MSTP students must sit for the USMLE Step 1 exam on or before March 1 after completing Foundations and prior to entering graduate school.
Short-Term Step 1 Extension Policy Statement:
Students who are academically ready to sit for Step 1 may request an extension of one week (March 8 or earlier) under the following circumstances:
1. Personal Illness
2. Personal/Family Emergencies: Examples of emergencies may include, but are not limited to: accidents, hospitalizations, or death of a close family member.
Procedure:
1. The student must complete the Step 1 Short Extension Attestation Form before March 1st. The attestation form will be forwarded to the student’s Foundations Dean.
Long-Term Step 1 Extension Policy Statement:
Students who are not yet academically ready (as defined below) to sit for USMLE Step 1 by March 1 or have not taken USMLE Step 1 by March 8 for any reason will complete their scheduled Spring quarter Patient Care rotations and will have their Summer A and B rotations dropped to provide additional dedicated study time.
The term “academically ready” refers to those with either a documented NBME CBSSA (National Board of Medical Examiners Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessment) test score which suggests >90% probability of passing or those with a written statement from a Learning Specialist indicating they are considered ready to take Step 1.
Students enrolled in spring quarter clerkships with long-term Step 1 extensions are discouraged from taking Step 1 during this time, as it takes focus off of clinical learning and performance. Attendance and Absentee Policy — Clinical Phases Policy requirements apply during this time.
Procedure:
1. Students who did not take Step 1 for any reason by March 8 and sit for USMLE Step 1 after March 8 may contact the registrar (somreg@uw.edu) and the Assistant Dean for Student Development (adminsa@uw.edu) after they have taken their Step 1 exam to request the addition of next quarter clerkships.
2. Students who need to delay taking Step 1 beyond summer quarter will have the following impact on their Patient Care schedule: † ‡t
a. If not taken by September 1st, Autumn A will be dropped
b. If not taken by the end of Summer B, Autumn B will be dropped
c. If not taken by the end of Autumn A, Winter A will be dropped
d. If not taken by the end of Autumn B, Winter B will be dropped and the student will be referred to Student Progress Committee.
*Dates referred to in this document are inclusive: “by March 1” indicates on March 1 or earlier.
† Because the internal medicine (IM) rotation spans an entire quarter, if a student is scheduled for IM during the quarter which will be dropped, the entire rotation will be dropped.
‡ Students enrolled in longitudinal curricula (e.g., LIC or WRITE) in spring quarter who require a long-term extension for Step 1 may complete the longitudinal component of their clerkship and the following quarter will be dropped.
WRITE Step 1 Delay Procedure:
WRITE clerkships are very challenging to re-arrange to accommodate Step 1 delays. In order to protect the WRITE rotation, an alternative schedule for students enrolled in WRITE will be in effect. The goal of this alternative schedule is to preserve the WRITE time in the patient care phase while aligning with the Step 1 policy as closely as possible.
Olympia LIC students with Step 1 delays will be handled on a case by case basis, again aligning to the current Step 1 policy as closely as possible.
Alternate schedule for STEP 1 delays for students enrolled in WRITE longitudinal clerkships:
1. If not taken by September 1st, Autumn A will be dropped
2. If not taken by the end of Summer B, Autumn B will be dropped
3. If not taken by the end of Autumn A, Winter A will be dropped
4. If not taken by the end of Autumn B, Winter B will be dropped and the student will be referred to Student Progress Committee.
5. If student is WRITE with WRITE clerkship in Autumn A-Winter B, student must have taken step 1 by the start of Autumn A or their Spring A and B for following year will be dropped. Referral to student progress committee will occur at end of Spring A the year following end of consolidation and after completing WRITE clerkship.
Effective: Current
Last Updated: February 1, 2024
Policy Contact: UW School of Medicine, Curriculum Office, somgov@uw.edu; Education Quality Improvement Office eqi@uw.edu