The predictive validity of MCAT scores and undergraduate GPA for COMLEX-USA licensure exam performance of students enrolled in osteopathic medical schools.

Context: Osteopathic (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [DO]) medical students account for more than 25 % of all medical students in the United States.

Objectives: This study examined the predictive validity of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) total scores and cumulative undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs) for performance on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 and Level 2-CE (Cognitive Evaluation) licensure examinations administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). Additionally, the study examined the degree to which MCAT total scores and UGPAs provide comparable prediction of student performance by key sociodemographic variables.

Pre-Medical Preparation in Microbiology among Applicants and Matriculants in Osteopathic Medical School in the United States.

It is recognized that medical school curricula contain significant microbiology-related content as part of the training of future physicians who will be responsible stewards of antimicrobials. Surprisingly, osteopathic and allopathic medical schools do not require pre-medical microbiology coursework, and the extent to which medical students have completed microbiology coursework remains poorly understood. In this report, we show that fewer than 3% of applicants and matriculants to osteopathic medical school (OMS) have completed an undergraduate major or minor in microbiology, and fewer than 17% of applicants and matriculants to OMS have completed one or more microbiology-related courses.

A Quantitative Examination of Undergraduate Neuroscience Majors Applying and Matriculating to Osteopathic Medical School.

Undergraduates choose to become neuroscience majors for a number of reasons including future career goals. Faculty and administration of undergraduate neuroscience programs understand that many neuroscience majors have aspirations of applying and matriculating to medical school (Prichard, 2015); however a quantitative understanding of this particular student population remains unknown, especially in the context of the national growth in undergraduate neuroscience education (Ramos et al., 2011).

Quantitative Description of Medical Student Interest in Neurology and Psychiatry.

Context: Given the well-documented shortage of physicians in primary care and several other specialties, quantitative understanding of residency application and matching data among osteopathic and allopathic medical students has implications for predicting trends in the physician workforce.

Objectives: To estimate medical student interest in neurology and psychiatry based on numbers of applicants and matches to neurology and psychiatry osteopathic and allopathic residency programs. Also, to gauge students' previous academic experience with brain and cognitive sciences.