The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) is pilot testing a new musculoskeletal (MSK) subject exam, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD) as part of the Project 100 initiative. The Project 100 initiative aims to ensure that 100 percent of American medical schools offer dedicated instruction in musculoskeletal medicine.

The content outline was developed by NBME staff members with a musculoskeletal task force. The Web-based exam comprises 75 basic and clinical science items. This new exam will undergo pilot testing with medical schools that volunteer to participate. The first in a series of pilot exams was successfully administered at Washington University in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2006. Plans are to complete testing by the middle of this year.

Once the pilot tests are completed, the exam will be offered to schools at no charge for the first 2,000 examinees. Schools will be notified when the exam is available for general usage, and the content outline will be posted on the NBME Web site.

Volunteer to participate

Schools that would like additional information about the exam or want to discuss participation in the pilot testing program should contact Judith Miller at jmiller@nbme.org.