The Formation of C3DO
How Did C3DO Come to Fruition?
With the formal discontinuation of COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE in June 2022, the NBOME was presented with the opportunity to explore new and innovative ways to assess fundamental osteopathic clinical skills, such as building a patient history, performing physical examination, structural examination and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), physician-patient communication and interpersonal skills, clinical decision making, and others.
The Role of the Special Commission
The Special Commission on Osteopathic Medical Licensure Assessment (Special Commission), which convened from 2021-2022, recommended researching long term solutions to assess clinical skills competencies for osteopathic medicine.
Given feedback received from across the profession, the Special Commission suggested piloting a COM-based COMLEX-USA national standardized assessment to include an in-person, hands-on evaluation of fundamental osteopathic clinical skills including interpersonal and communications skills and OMT.
C3DO Task Force
The C3DO Task Force was formed to oversee the creation of a COM-based clinical assessment program and comprised experts in medical education and licensure.
C3DO Advisory Panel
The C3DO Advisory Panel was a larger oversight group formed of broader representation from specialty colleges, student and patient advocacy groups, and members of the profession. Its goal was to review the activities and data collected during each Phase of the pilot and provide guidance to the Board as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions
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