Program areas at NBME
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States and is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and NBME. The USMLE program supports medical licensing authorities in the United States through its leadership in the development, delivery, and continual improvement of high-quality assessments across the continuum of physicians' preparation for practice. It assesses a physician's ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care.For further information visit www.usmle.org.Note: The expenses reflected above do not include management and general expenses.
Custom Programs consist of a diverse portfolio of global customized assessment services and examination programs. The primary sources of revenue for Custom Programs are Health Profession Services, the Health and Wellness Coach Certifying Examination and the Post Licensure Assessment System. The Health Profession Services program provides comprehensive assessment, educational, consultative, and research services for healthcare organizations. During 2023, NBME's Health Profession Services worked with a variety of organizations to administer examinations for purposes of licensure and other evaluations of special competence for examination programs sponsored by health-related organizations. These organizations included allied health professional associations, members of the American Board of Medical Specialties, and medical societies. Examinations are administered worldwide, where applicable.NBME and the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching collaborate to provide the Health and Wellness Coach Certifying Examination. The collaboration provides an opportunity to draw upon the unique capabilities of each organization to provide a high-quality assessment for health and wellness coaches. Exam content is developed by nationally recognized leaders in the field of health and wellness coaching and covers areas such as coaching structure and process, health and wellness, and ethics.The Post-Licensure Assessment System (PLAS) is a joint activity of NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). PLAS comprises two programs: the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX) Program and the Assessment Center Program (ACP). SPEX is a one-day, multiple-choice examination of current knowledge requisite for the general, undifferentiated practice of medicine and is intended to be used for reasons of endorsement or reciprocity of licensure. The ACP provides comprehensive objective and personalized assessments of physicians for whom there is a question regarding clinical competence. Together, the PLAS programs have assessed physicians for reasons that range from endorsement of licensure to license reactivation after disciplinary action.Note: The expenses reflected for Custom Programs on Part III, line 4c do not include management and general expenses.
The Medical School and Student Services program provides assessment services to domestic and international medical schools, students, and residents. Assessments include the subject examination program, self-assessment services, and web-based examination programs and pilot projects. Subject exams measure achievement in the traditional basic and clinical science disciplines and are used to compare student performance with a national reference group. A series of web-based self-assessments are available to help students assess their readiness to take USMLE. Faculty services include item-writing workshops, and medical school liaison activities include the Advisory Committee for Medical School Programs.Note: The expenses reflected above do not include management and general expenses.