USMLE Step III Exam (Day 2) Computer-Based Simulations - Simulated Locations

All of the computer-based simulations that an individual will receive on the second day of the USMLE Step III Exam will take place in one of two primary medical settings. The first medical setting that a simulation may take place in is an outpatient office where the exam-taker is considered to be a doctor sharing the office with a group of other medical professionals that specialize in a wide range of various medical fields. The second medical setting that a simulation may take place in is a hospital setting where the doctor is working in a 400-bed regional referral center with a fully equipped emergency room, imaging center, intensive care unit, labor and delivery unit, laboratory, and an operating room. Each setting operates in a similar fashion to its real counterpart with similar hours of operation and as such the medical office is only open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM while the hospital is open 24 hours a day within the simulation. The exam-taker will be informed whether the simulation is taking place in the medical office or the hospital at the beginning of each simulation and the exam-taker has the ability to move the patient from location to location. However, the exam-taker can only directly move a patient between the emergency room, the intensive care unit, and the outpatient office. In order for a patient to be moved to the imaging center, the labor and delivery unit, or the operating room, or for tests to be performed on the patient and sent to the laboratory, the exam-taker must write orders requesting that specific procedures, tests, or actions should be taken. These actions and any patient transfers that are required to carry out the exam-taker's orders will then be carried out by the hospital's staff.