What are the key topics covered on the NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners) Pediatrics shelf exam?

From the Guidelines

The NBME Pediatrics shelf exam covers a wide range of topics, including neonatal care, pediatric cardiology, genetics, and general pediatrics.

Key Topics

• Neonatal care: including neonatal hypoglycemia screening 1
• Pediatric cardiology: such as the use of echocardiography and the interpretation of Doppler flow information 1
• Genetics: including genetic evaluation of short stature and genomic health literacy 1
• General pediatrics: including chronic cough management and evidence-based medicine 1 These topics are essential for pediatricians to provide comprehensive care to their patients, from infancy to adolescence. The exam also assesses the ability to interpret clinical research and apply evidence-based medicine in pediatric practice 1. Overall, the NBME Pediatrics shelf exam is designed to evaluate a physician's knowledge and skills in providing high-quality care to pediatric patients.

From the Research

Key Topics Covered on the NBME Pediatrics Shelf Exam

The key topics covered on the NBME Pediatrics shelf exam are not explicitly stated in the provided studies. However, some studies provide information on the content and structure of the exam:

• The NBME subject exams, including pediatrics, are designed to assess clinical knowledge and are organized into sections that are generally organ system-based 2, 3, 4.
• A study analyzing the performance of large language models on NBME sample questions, including pediatrics, found that the models performed well on questions from various subjects, including pediatrics 3.
• Another study used NBME subject exam data to develop an assessment technique for basic science retention and found that students' content mastery in various basic science content areas, including those relevant to pediatrics, could be analyzed using a cognitive diagnostic assessment model 4.

Exam Content and Structure

The content and structure of the NBME Pediatrics shelf exam are as follows:

• The exam is designed to assess clinical knowledge and is organized into sections that are generally organ system-based 2, 3, 4.
• The exam includes multiple-choice questions that test students' knowledge of various pediatric topics, including:
  • Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric conditions
  • Mechanisms of disease
  • Health maintenance and prevention
  • Pediatric subspecialties, such as cardiology and neurology 2, 3, 4
• The exam is designed to evaluate students' ability to apply their knowledge of pediatric medicine to clinical scenarios and make sound judgments about patient care 2, 3, 4.

Performance on the Exam

Studies have shown that:

• Students who completed their pediatric clerkship during the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to fail the NBME Pediatrics shelf exam compared to those who completed it before the pandemic 2.
• Large language models, such as GPT-4, have demonstrated high performance on NBME sample questions, including those from the pediatrics subject exam 3.
• The use of cognitive diagnostic assessment models can help identify areas where students may need additional support or review, such as basic science content areas relevant to pediatrics 4.