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

The computer-based simulations that an individual will receive on the second day of the USMLE Step III Exam will present the individual with a variety of different patients from different backgrounds. Each simulation will only present the exam-taker with one patient, but the age of the patient, and the ethnic, economic, and social background of each patient will vary from simulation to simulation. The particular problems that a specific patient is experiencing in the simulation will also vary significantly from simulation to simulation and certain simulated patients may be difficult to diagnose while other patients may have relatively obvious conditions. The exact reason that the individual patient has come seeking medical attention may be different for each simulation as well as certain simulated patients may have been experiencing specific problems prior to coming to see a doctor while other simulated patients simply may be coming to receive a routine checkup. In either case, however, it is possible that the exam-taker, by carrying out the appropriate tests associated with the situation, may find other problems that the simulated patient may have been unaware of prior to seeking medical attention. The exam-taker may assume that he or she has the patient's consent, and the parent's consent if the patient is a minor, to carry out any and all necessary tests and procedures on the patient unless the simulation specifically informs the exam-taker otherwise. Regardless of the exact case presented in each simulation, the exam-taker's goal is always to order the tests, examinations, and procedures necessary to effectively care for each specific patient and to issue orders that are in the best interest of the patient.