Rationale and Objectives
The variability in medical imaging evaluation across US medical schools inspired leading radiology student educators to develop the Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology (AMSER) Standardized Exam (SE). This examination tests the understanding of essential material and concepts which are endorsed by the AMSER National Medical Student Curriculum in Radiology.
Materials and Methods
The AMSER Electronics Committee developed and deployed the AMSER SE using Radiology ExamWeb (REW), a previously-developed databank of imaging questions. The Committee created an examination blueprint that placed emphasis on effective use of medical imaging and less emphasis on image interpretation. Question items correlating to the blueprint were used from the REW databank to draft AMSER SE version 1, which was piloted in early 2012. Item performance was then analyzed, and the exam was revised. After national deployment, a subsequent revision was performed 1 year later. AMSER SE version 2, developed in a similar manner, was released in early 2013 and will go through a similar process of revision. A 20-question Practice Exam was also developed.
Results
Since national deployment, more than 1400 students, in over 22 institutions, have taken the AMSER SEs.
Conclusions
The collaborative project of the AMSER Electronics Committee has resulted in the successful national deployment of two examinations using questions that have been validated and based on the AMSER peer-reviewed national curriculum. We hope that this assessment tool will help drive a more uniform approach to curriculum development, promoting more effective and safe use of medical imaging. This step should also help promote the value radiologists bring to the patient care arena.
Highlights
The collaborative project of the Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology (AMSER) Electronics Committee has resulted in the successful national deployment of two high-quality, validated, standardized examinations and deployed through Radiology ExamWeb (REW).
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Materials and methods
Radiology ExamWeb
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Development of the AMSER SE
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AMSER SE Item Validation and Revision
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Results
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Table 1
Statistics of Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology Standardized Exam (AMSER SE), version 1 and version 2
AMSER SE 1 AMSER SE 2 Questions ( n ) 113 106 Number of times the examinations taken ( n ) 1295 (1026 as shared examination) 163 (144 as shared examination) Mean score 75 72 Standard deviation 8.4 6.9 Institutions using ( n ) 22 9
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Discussion
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Limitations and future goals
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Acknowledgments
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References
1. Straus C., Webb E., Kondo K., et. al.: Medical Student Radiology Education: Summary and Recommendations from a National Survey of Medical School and Radiology Department Leadership. JACR 2014;
2. Lewis P., Shaffer K.: Developing a national medical student curriculum in radiology. JACR 2005; 2: pp. 8-11.
3. Lewis P, Shaffer K, Donovan A. AMSER National Medical Student Curriculum in Radiology. 2012. Microsoft Word file. Available at: https://www.aur.org/Secondary-Alliances.aspx?id=141
4. Lewis P., Chen J., Lin D., et. al.: Radiology ExamWeb: development and implementation of a national Web-based examination system for medical students in radiology. Academic Radiology 2013; 20: pp. 290-296.
5. Case SM, Swanson DB. Constructing written test questions for the basic and clinical sciences, ed. 2003. PDF file. Available at: http://www.nbme.org/PDF/ItemWriting_2003/2003IWGwhole.pdf
6. ABR Item Writer’s Guide http://www.aur.org/uploadedFiles/Alliances/AMSER/Educator_Resources/Student_Evaluation/ABR-Item-Writers-Guide.pdf
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