Presented By: Abigal Schuch, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Co-Authors: Matthew Brennan, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Chayton Fivecoat, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Raghav Rajesh, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Riya Shah, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Marissa Zhu, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Purpose
The USMLE Step 1 exam is a crucial board exam U.S. medical students take in their undergraduate medical education. Although the consequences of this exam are wide-reaching, little is known about how medical schools approach situations where students are not prepared to sit for Step 1 or fail an attempt. The aim of this study is to review the Step 1 policies for U.S. M.D. medical schools.

Methods
This document analysis study will include all 155 U.S. M.D. medical schools. Our approach involves two primary data collection strategies: 1. Document Review: We'll conduct a review of publicly available documents, including student policy handbooks, official websites, and academic resources. This will help us gather detailed information on each school's Step 1 policies. 2. Direct Inquiries: Where information is not publicly available or needs clarification, we will reach out directly to the institutions. We will use a standardized spreadsheet to ensure uniformity and ease of comparison across different schools. The specific data points we will focus on are t ming, eligibility criteria, dedicated study period duration, exam deferment options, and retake policies.

Results
We anticipate the results of this data collection to identify commonalities among schools regarding Step 1 exam timing, eligibility criteria, and provisions for students who do not pass their first attempt. Given the decline in Step 1 pass rates, we expect that many policies have been recently updated accordingly. We hope to identify trends in Step 1 policies with the goal of developing best practices for the Step 1 study period.

Conclusion
We anticipate that our systematic review will provide a greater understanding of the wide variety of Step 1 policies at M.D. medical schools. Our study will help medical students and administrators determine the Step 1 policies that will best prepare students for success in their medical careers.