Table 1 Primary Specialty representation of USMLE Test writers. Captures the relative representation of the 33 unique specialties among USMLE test writers and modified active US practicing physician population. The difference column is denoted with + for specialties in which an excess of members is present and denoted - for specialties lacking proportional representation
From: Imbalanced specialty representation of USMLE and NBME test writers
Board Certified Specialty | Modified Total Active Physicians (%) | Observed on USMLE Task Taskforces and Committees (%) | Observed Representation USMLE Task Forces and Committees (n) | Expected Representation on USMLE Task Force and Committees (n) | Difference in Representation (Observed- Expected) (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Internal Medicine (Hospital Medicine and Primary Care only) | 14.8 | 30.5 | 60 | 29 | + 31 |
Family Medicine | 14.6 | 12.2 | 24 | 29 | -5 |
General Surgery | 3.1 | 13.2 | 26 | 6 | + 20 |
Infectious Disease | 1.2 | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | + 2 |
Pediatrics | 9.6 | 10.2 | 20 | 19 | + 1 |
OBGYN | 5.3 | 5.6 | 11 | 10 | + 1 |
Geriatrics | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Critical Care Medicine | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
Emergency Medicine | 5.6 | 6.1 | 12 | 11 | + 1 |
Pathology | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
Psychiatry | 6.0 | 6.6 | 13 | 12 | + 1 |
Neurology | 1.7 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Anesthesiology | 5.2 | 2.0 | 4 | 10 | -6 |
Ophthalmology | 2.4 | 2.0 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
Plastic Surgery | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Allergy and Immunology | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Cardiology | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0 | 7 | -7 |
ENT | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Pulmonology | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Metabolism/ Endocrinology | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | -2 |
Dermatology | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Hematology and Oncology | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
Neurosurgery | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Radiology (Interventional and Diagnostic) | 4.4 | 0.5 | 1 | 9 | -8 |
Gastroenterology | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
Rheumatology | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | -2 |
Nephrology | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
Vascular Surgery | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Orthopedic Surgery | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
Radiation Oncology | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Internal Medicine - Pediatrics | 0.7 | 3.6 | 7 | 1 | + 6 |