School of Medicine

KU medical students score success on licensing exam

KU School of Medcine students surpassed the national pass rate on Step One of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) for the third consecutive year. The Step One exam is administered to students at the completion of their second year of medical school.

The Class of 2007 scored a 98 percent pass rate, compared to the national average of 93 percent. In addition, the KU medical students' average score of 219 topped the national average of 217.

"During the past three years, we've seen our medical students' preparedness to apply basic science to clinical scenarios improve," says Executive Dean Barbara Atkinson. "That's a credit to the dedication of both our faculty and our students. I'm very pleased and proud."

The USMLE is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) of the United States Inc., and the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®). The USMLE assesses a physician's ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care.

View the KU School of Medicine USMLE Step 1 Performance Summary (PDF)

View the KU School of Medicine USMLE Step 1 Performance Histogram (PDF)

The University of Kansas Medical Center prepares students for leadership roles in today's dynamic health care environment in Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health and Graduate Studies. The Medical Center offers more than 2,500 students an innovative curriculum and patient-centered clinical training in partnership with the University of Kansas Hospital. A leader in biomedical research, the KU Medical Center is a key partner in the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.

KU School of Medicine Students Discover Their Residency Matches

More than 100 fourth-year medical students from the University of Kansas Medical School eagerly awaited their Match Day results March 16 in Battenfeld Auditorium on the KU Medical Center campus. Family and friends applauded as Laura Zeiger, assistant dean of Student Affairs, called medical students to the stage to open their envelopes, step to the microphone and read their "matches." Many stepped on stage with babies in arms and toddlers in hand, demonstrating an aptitude for "multitasking."

KU School of Medicine students matched to residencies at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago; Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.; Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta; Baylor University Medical Center in Houston; Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York; Brown University Medical Center in Providence, Rhode Island; and University of California – San Diego Medical Center in San Diego, just to name a few. Read more

With assistance from Laura Zeiger, assistant dean of Student Affairs, Anna Dorsett and her 11-year-old daughter, Alexandra, learned Anna will start her emergency medicine residency at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.