title: Relationships between scores on the COMLEX-USA Level 2-Performance Evaluation and selected school-based performance measures.
abstract: The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination USA Level 2 Performance Evaluation (COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE) is a national multistation performance examination designed to examine students' osteopathic clinical skills. The current study examines the relationship between achievement levels on the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE and selected school-related variables for the class of 2005 at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WVa (N=70). Significant (P<.01) correlations between the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE summary performance and selected academic achievement measures include: weighted Physical Diagnosis grade, 0.41; weighted year 1 and year 2 Osteopathic Principles and Practice grade, 0.37: overall year 2 grade point average, 0.42; the objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) Physical Examination score, 0.40; and the OSCE Total Station score, 0.33. While further research is needed, the current study found modest but notable relationships between school-generated academic variables and performance on the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE, and therefore supports the validity of the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE examination for assessing the clinical skills of future osteopathic physicians.
authors.affiliation: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, 400 N. Lee Street, Lewisburg, WV 24901-1128, USA. hbaker@wvsom.edu
authors.forename: Helen H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Cope
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Adelman
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schuler
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gimpel
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D010021:Osteopathic Medicine / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States