College of Osteopathic Medicine COMLEX Pass and Graduation Match Rates

College of Osteopathic Medicine COMLEX Pass and Graduation Match Rates

Policy regarding methods used to collect and review information on student outcomes and licensure pass rates: Data regarding student pass rates on licensure exams is collected annually from national licensing bodies and is posted to LECOM’s website. This information is collected and reviewed by the Dean of each respective program and the Provost of the institution. Once the data has been reviewed and confirmed, it is approved by the Office of Communications and Marketing for use on the LECOM.edu website, as well as in recruitment materials.

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) provides Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: COM Continuing Accreditation Standards that each College of Medicine is required to follow.  The latest update of these Standards was July 1, 2019.  Two Elements of the Standards require publication of outcomes:  Element 6.12: COMLEX-USA and Element 10.4 GME Placement Rates.  These data are included below.

Element 6.12:  COMLEX-USA

All students must successfully pass COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2 CE, and Level 2 PE prior to graduation from an osteopathic medical school.  The COM must publish to the public the COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2 CE, Level 2 PE, and Level 3 first time pass rate for all students in each class at the COM.

*COMLEX Level 2PE was suspended by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners in 2020. The AOA-COCA Element 6.12 has not yet been updated to reflect this change.

Element 10.4: GME Placement Rates

A COM must demonstrate and publish publicly the placement of its graduates in graduate medical education program, including through the publication of placement rates of its students.

LECOM has three campuses with COMLEX data and graduates. The LECOM at Seton Hill campus, located in Greensburg, PA is an additional location, as is the LECOM at Elmira campus in Elmira, NY. As additional locations, all student-related data is included with the Erie campus data. LECOM at Elmira matriculated its first class in fall 2020, so will not have any data until the inaugural class completes two years of Preclinical education. LECOM Bradenton in Bradenton, FL is a branch campus and their student-related data is presented separate from the Erie campus data.

The following information is presented as LECOM’s response to Element 6.12: COMLEX-USA.

What are the COMLEX exams?

All Osteopathic medical students are required to take COMLEX Levels 1, 2, and 3.  The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) website (www.nbome.org) provides the following description of the COMLEX Exams:

“COMLEX-USA (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States) is a three-level, national standardized licensure examination designed for licensure for the practice of osteopathic medicine. COMLEX-USA is designed to assess osteopathic medical knowledge, knowledge fluency, clinical skills, and other competencies essential for practice as an osteopathic generalist physician. It is also a graduation requirement for attaining a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree from colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States, and for entry into and promotion within graduate medical education (residency) training programs.” For additional information on the NBOME and COMLEX exams, please refer to the website.

Students take the COMLEX Level 1 following completion of their second year and Level 2 after the completion of their third year. Level 3 must be taken after graduation and prior to entry into the GME-3 year of residency.

LECOM COMLEX Performance summary:

COMLEX LEVEL 1 BOARD PASS RATES

First time pass rate for testing cycles for years 2018/19 to 2021/22

COMLEX LEVEL 2 CE (Clinical Evaluation) BOARD PASS RATES

First time pass rate for testing cycles for years 2018/19 to 2021/22

COMLEX LEVEL 2 PE (Performance Evaluation) BOARD PASS RATES

First time pass rate for testing cycles for years 2016/17 to 2019/20

COMLEX LEVEL 3 BOARD PASS RATES

First time pass rate for testing cycles for years 2017/18 to to 2021

COMLEX-USA Level 3 must be taken after a student has graduated and entered residency. The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Program requirements state that “Residents must have passed COMLEX-USA-Level 3 prior to entry into the GME-3 year”.
Each residency program determines any requirements for preparation and may set the date when the exam must be taken.

The following information presented as LECOM’s response to Element 10.4: GME Placement Rates

The number of students from each graduating class who applied to and obtained/were offered placement in graduate medical education programs, and the number of students from each graduating class who applied to and were unable to obtain placement in an accredited graduate medical program is shown below. View the detailed match information.