CSPE Testing Temporarily Suspended November 20, 2020
In view of new travel restrictions imposed by Pennsylvania, the NBPME has suspended the Part II Clinical Skills Patient Encounter sessions that were scheduled for November 30 and December 1 and 2. Candidates currently scheduled are being contacted by NBOME to offer refunds or the opportunity to reschedule. NBPME plans to offer additional dates for testing around the February dates previously announced. These will be available to the affected candidates in addition to others who plan to take the test during this cycle.
CSPE Announcement July 15, 2020
Schedule Changes
NBPME remains committed to the importance of the CSPE as a distinctive and validated examination to test essential skills not otherwise evaluated for licensure. The experience of state licensing boards in disciplinary issues highlights the significance of this aspect of testing to satisfactory performance of licensees.
The board has agreed that the start of the examination should be delayed until October 1, 2020, and will extend until February 2021. Further, scores will not be reported as part of the 2021 Match process. Finally, candidates will have the option to test during this session or in a later cycle as long as the examination is successfully completed prior to completion of residency. Candidates from the Class of 2021 will be permitted to attempt Part III regardless of their status in Part II CSPE. This exception applies only to the Class of 2021.
Precautions Taken by NBOME for Safety
The NBOME is developing specific details regarding the exam encounters with standardized patients. However, these measures are already in place:
- Candidate and Staff health screening. Exam staff will assess candidates during the check-in process and conduct thermal screenings of all candidates.
- Social distancing. These protocols will be rigorously enforced throughout the NCCST. However, patient encounters will still require direct contact/interaction.
- Staggered exam start times. On days with more than one exam scheduled, they will be staggered to start about an hour apart. Start times will be communicated via email received in the weeks leading up to their exam.
- Larger capacity rooms. Large rooms have been reserved for registration and breaks to further support social distancing protocols.
- Hand sanitizer. This will be available in all common areas throughout the NCCST, in all examination rooms, and at all SOAP note terminals.
- Clear face masks issued to all candidates and standardized patients. These masks provide protection from spreading respiratory droplets while allowing viewing of the full face. Please note, these are not face shields, but actual face masks that fully cover the nose and mouth of the wearer.
- Enhanced cleaning procedures. Hospital-grade disinfectant will be used to periodically wipe down high-touch surfaces both in exam rooms and at SOAP note terminals, plus daily deep-cleaning before each testing session.
Process to reschedule
The NBOME Portal remains open to rescheduling your exam should you wish to test this year. You can log on and reschedule your exam for any open session in the cycle beginning in October 2020. If you wish to cancel your examination, please email [email protected] to cancel your examination.
Please reschedule or submit a cancellation request within the next 14 days. Once your cancellation request is received, you will be removed from your scheduled examination session and a refund for the registration fee will be processed. Refunds will appear as a credit on your original form of payment and should be complete within two weeks of your cancellation request.
The NBPME will continue to monitor developments in the pandemic and will carefully consider potential effects on the clinical skills exam.