Why Not Wait? Eight Institutions Share Their Experiences Moving United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 After Core Clinical Clerkships.

The majority of medical students complete the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 after their foundational sciences; however, there are compelling reasons to examine this practice. This article provides the perspectives of eight MD-granting medical schools that have moved Step 1 after the core clerkships, describing their rationale, logistics of the change, outcomes, and lessons learned. The primary reasons these institutions cite for moving Step 1 after clerkships are to foster more enduring and integrated basic science learning connected to clinical care and to better prepare students for the increasingly clinical focus of Step 1.