At the close of the Phase I, pre-clerkship curriculum, prior to entry into clerkships and taking the high stakes United States Medical Licensure Step I Exam, this course will offer resources to students as they engage in self-directed learning to consolidate and reactivate knowledge learned over the prior fourteen months of medical school. Concurrent with the dedicated board study period, this course will be taught by expert faculty using active learning methods in large group sessions in which lecture is minimized and student misconceptions are addressed. Students are invited to engage with as many or as few of the teaching sessions as they feel will be helpful to meet their personal learning needs. Test-taking success strategies and psychological preparation will comprise a significant proportion of the course, with support from learning specialists and near peer students who have successfully passed through this phase of their education. To this end, all students will be required to take full, timed NBME practice exams on specific dates during the course, with instruction in how to analyze their individual results to identify learning needs and formulate an individualized study plan. Course topics are pulled from the domains of microbiology, pathology, physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biostatistics and epidemiology, and clinical ethics, with specific topics identified using evidence such as historic Phase I summative exam results, AAMC graduation questionnaire data, focus groups of students who have successfully taken the exam, and consultations with directors of Phase I courses and Phase II clerkships.
Prerequisite: Prior enrollment in all Phase I courses