Assessment and Outcomes

Assessing student learning and analyzing the outcomes of that assessment data is critically important, both to student and program success. That’s why we implement measures to ensure student assessment is accurate, thorough, and accessible.

Two important measures of student success include students’ performance on national osteopathic licensing exams, as well as how graduates match for residency nationwide. These outcomes will be tracked and assessed annually to demonstrate how effective the KansasCOM curriculum is in training competent, empathic, and successful physicians.

KansasCOM uses top-of-the-line assessment applications to evaluate students’ progress, abilities, and competence.

KansasCOM will track key outcomes as they relate to students’ and graduates’ performance on national licensing exams, as well as residency match rates to understand how KansasCOM students compare to national averages.

National Licensing

COMLEX-USA (Comprehensive osteopathic medical licensing examination of the United States)

A three-level, national standardized licensure examination designed for licensure for the practice of osteopathic medicine. COMLEX-USA is designed to assess osteopathic medical knowledge, knowledge fluency, clinical skills, and other competencies essential for practice as an osteopathic generalist physician. The first two components are generally a graduation requirement for attaining a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) from colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. Components can also be used for entry into and promotion within graduate medical education (residency) training programs. For more information visit https://www.nbome.org/exams-assessments/comlex-usa/.

COMLEX-USA Level I

A problem- and symptom-based assessment, administered in a time-measured environment that integrates the foundational biomedical sciences and other areas of medical knowledge relevant to solving clinical problems and promoting and maintaining health in providing osteopathic medical care to patients. Competency domains assessed include application of osteopathic medical knowledge, osteopathic patient care and osteopathic principles and practice, communication, professionalism, and ethics. Students take the COMLEX-USA Level 1 exam between their second and third year.

COMLEX-USA Level II-Cognitive Evaluation (Level II-CE)

A one-day computer-based assessment that integrates application of knowledge in clinical science and foundational biomedical sciences and osteopathic principles with other physician competencies related to the clinical care of patients and promoting health in supervised clinical settings. Competency domains assessed include application of osteopathic medical knowledge, osteopathic patient care and osteopathic principles and practice, communication, systems-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and ethics.

COMLEX-USA Level III

A two-day computer-based examination assessing competence in the foundational competency domains required for generalist physicians to deliver safe and effective osteopathic medical care and promote health in unsupervised clinical settings. Competency domains assessed include application of osteopathic medical knowledge, osteopathic patient care and osteopathic principles and practice, communication, professionalism, and ethics. Competency assessment occurs in the context of clinical and patient presentations and systems-based practice as required for entry into the unsupervised practice of osteopathic medicine as an independently practicing osteopathic generalist physician and for readiness for lifelong learning and practice-based learning and improvement.

KansasCOM will publish its GME match results when available after its inaugural class of osteopathic medical students participate in the residency matches during the 2025-2026 academic year.