Blueprint

The scope of clinical practice shown by the life-long learning model demonstrates the increasing sophistication in clinical knowledge and experience physicians use in making health care decisions.

As a further assessment point for many osteopathic physicians, COMVEX comprehensively evaluates the broad scope of unsupervised clinical practice.

Examination Structure · Dimensions 1 & 2

• Dimension 1: includes various patient presentations (e.g., symptoms, signs, physical disturbances).
• Dimension 2: includes six general physician skill areas that frame physician-patient encounters in the healthcare setting.

While medical knowledge within Dimension 1 is the core of all clinical practice, COMVEX examinations offer ever-expanding means of demonstrating knowledge based on an increasing scope of physician knowledge and skill in the clinical setting. The majority of the COMVEX examination focuses on Dimension 2, applying physician knowledge in the areas of patient evaluation and case management.  Each test item can be plotted by its intersection on the two axes of Dimensions 1 and 2.

Dimension 1 – The Patient Presentation
Population Health Concepts and Patients with Presentations Related to Health Promotion, Chronic Disease Management, and Human Development	8 – 16%
Patients with Presentations Related to Digestion and Metabolism	4 – 10%
Patients with Presentations Related to Cognition, Behavior, Sensory & Central Nervous Systems, Substance Abuse, and Visceral and Sensory Pain	28 – 38%
Patients with Presentations Related to the Musculoskeletal System, including Somatic Pain	6 – 12%
Patients with Presentations Related to the Genitourinary System and Human Sexuality	3 – 8%
Patients with Presentations Related to Circulation and the Respiratory System	8 – 16%
Patients with Presentations Related to Thermoregulation	2 – 6%
Patients with Presentations Related to Trauma, Masses, Edema, Discharge, and the Skin, Hair, and Nails	8 – 16%
Patients with Presentations Related to Pregnancy, the Peripartum, and the Neonatal Period	3 – 8%

Dimension 2 – Physician Tasks
Health Promotion / Disease Prevention	3 – 6%
History & Physical Examination	22 – 26%
Diagnostic Technologies	13 – 17%
Management	35 – 43%
Scientific Understanding of Health & Disease Mechanisms	3 – 6%
Health Care Delivery	8 – 12%

 

All items on the COMVEX examinations are carefully selected and reviewed by the members of the COMVEX review committees, consisting of practicing osteopathic clinicians and/or osteopathic medical school faculty members with subject-specific expertise.

Reference Materials COMVEX Application Form COMVEX Bulletin of Information NBOME Published Research Fundamental Osteopathic Medical Competency Domains

Practice & Preparation Resources Study Materials Dimension 1: Patient Presentations Dimension 2: Physician Tasks Practice Exams COMVEX Practice Examination