DESCRIPTION OF EXAMINATION

For case selection, Level 2-PE applies the Dimension I categories from the COMLEX-USA blueprint. The content (case selection) of Level 2-PE is crossed with the following axes:

Patient Presentation Axis

Standardized patients present in simulated ambulatory medical settings with problems and symptoms that are either acute, chronic, or provide opportunities for health promotion and disease prevention. In addition, the patients encountered are balanced to meet the examination specifications for patient gender and age as a reflection of national osteopathic physician practice patterns based on national survey data as well as expert judgment. In addition, the demographic and cultural profiles of patients are instrumental considerations in the case development process.

Osteopathic Medical Practice Axis

In any examination form, the following clinical skills are evaluated in the majority of the standardized patient encounters

Biomedical/Biomechanical Domain

• Osteopathic Principles and/or Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment
• History-taking and Physical Examination Skills
• Integrated Differential Diagnosis and Clinical Problem-Solving
• Written Communication and Synthesis of Clinical Findings (SOAP note format)

Humanistic Domain

• Physician-Patient Communication, Interpersonal Skills, and Professionalism

Successful passage of the two distinctive domains is required to pass COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE.

Clinical Content Axis

Based on Dimension I of the COMLEX-USA blueprint, expert judgment, and national survey data of osteopathic physician practice patterns, candidates will encounter standardized patients presenting with the symptoms, problems, or complaints that are common to primary care osteopathic medical practice. These include:

• Patients with Neuromusculoskeletal Symptoms/Problems
• Patients with Respiratory Symptoms/Problems
• Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms/Problems
• Patients with Cardiovascular Symptoms/Problems
• Patients with Other Symptoms/Problems

The Level 2-PE is a one-day examination of clinical skills where each candidate will encounter twelve standardized patients over the course of a seven-hour examination day. The examination takes place at NBOME’s National Center for Clinical Skills Testing in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (bordering Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Examination design, test specifications, testing format and other details are available in the Orientation Guide for COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE on the NBOME’s website. A DVD Instructional Program on COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE has been provided to the Office of the Dean at each of the colleges of osteopathic medicine, and is also available for viewing on NBOME’s website.

COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE is the clinical skills component of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA). Consistent with NBOME’s mission to protect the public, COMLEX-USA-Level 2-PE helps to fulfill the public and licensing authority mandate for enhanced patient safety through the documentation of the clinical skills proficiency of graduates from osteopathic medical schools. The Performance Evaluation augments the written COMLEX-USA-Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation (CE) of osteopathic medical knowledge by providing an assessment of clinical skills. These clinical skills are: doctor-patient communication, interpersonal skills and professionalism, medical history-taking and physical examination skills, osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative treatment, and written communication skills (including synthesis of clinical findings, integrated differential diagnosis and formulation of a diagnostic and treatment plan). These patient-centered skills are evaluated in the context of clinical encounters with standardized patients, and are required to be personally performed as appropriate in a timely, efficient, safe, and effective manner.

EXAMINATION SCORES

COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE/Clinical Skills Examination Scoring

Detailed information regarding examination scoring for COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE is available in the Orientation Guide that is on the website. Scoring is criterion-based and reported as Pass or Fail only. Successfully passing the two distinctive domains is required to pass COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE. These include the Humanistic Domain, which is a measure of physician-patient communication, interpersonal skills, and professionalism, as well as the Biomedical/Biomechanical Domain, which includes history-taking, physical examination, osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative treatment, written communication (synthesis of clinical findings in a SOAP Note format), integrated differential diagnosis, and clinical problem-solving. Candidates who are unsuccessful in meeting the passing standards for either domain are provided further feedback on their score reports as to relative areas of strengths and weaknesses.

Score Reports

COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE score reports will be mailed to the candidate and the dean of the candidate’s school approximately 8-10 weeks from the date of the examination, but may be subject to additional delays that are contingent upon candidate scheduling and other variables. Candidates may also access their COMLEX-USA scores online using a unique candidate identifier and passcode, and Deans (and their administrative representatives) may access this information for their students as well as confirm test session dates using a secure school page of the system. Deans also receive aggregate score information for their students on an annual basis.

A duplicate score report may be sent to a candidate upon receipt of a written request within 30 days after the original release of the score. The candidate should allow 10 business days for delivery. Thereafter, a candidate must request an official certified transcript or a photocopy of the score report and pay a fee as determined by the NBOME.

Score Confirmation/Verification

Prior to mailing score reports, the NBOME conducts a thorough process of quality assurance to ensure that all candidate scores are accurate. However, a candidate who wishes for his or her scores to be rechecked may submit a written request for score confirmation/verification with the accompanying $50 fee.

For the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE examination, this process involves confirmation of the numerical aspects that make up the scores, but not further review or rescoring of videotaped performances or written SOAP Notes.

Requests for score confirmation for Level 2-PE should be submitted directly to the NBOME National Center for Clinical Skills Testing. All requests must be received in writing within three months of the completion of the examination (or 30 days from the issuing of the score report, whichever is later) and must include the $50 fee for score confirmation/verification. The candidate will be notified of the score confirmation/verification results in writing within two weeks of the receipt of the request.