University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine student Ben Walker has earned the highest score among his classmates on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 exam.
The Minnesota native scored 273 out of a possible 300 points on the exam, which is the first of three tests that students must pass for medical licensure in the U.S. The Step 1 exam measures how well students can apply basic and foundational science concepts to clinical scenarios and is one of the most important—and toughest—tests they must pass.
Walker will receive a scholarship for his high score, to be applied toward medical tuition and fees.
He recently reflected on the exam and what’s next:
Why did you choose to pursue medicine?
The medicine decision started in middle school when my dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He went through chemotherapy and he's doing well now, but that was kind of what planted the seed. And then, I really just liked science and just helping people.
What has your experience at the UI Carver College of Medicine been like so far?
My experience has been awesome. I think our curriculum does a really good job of preparing us for exams, as I guess my score would reflect. I like the way our curriculum is set up, where we take USMLE board exams after clinicals. And then, overall, I just think the people here are awesome. It's got a very Midwestern feel, everybody's super nice and friendly. The atmosphere is awesome, especially during like things like football games. And then there's a good outdoor atmosphere here, as well.
What went into your preparation for the USMLE Step 1 exam?
I started preparing around the middle of my clinical year. And mostly what I did was just a lot of practice questions. In total, I probably did close to 10,000 questions. And then there was also just spaced repetition of learning things over and over again, which our curriculum tries to do.
- What was your reaction to learning your score, and that it was the highest in your class?
I was pretty excited. And, obviously, it was really awesome to get some financial assistance. It was also nice just because that's a pretty big screener that people use on residency applications, so to know that I had a score that wasn't going to keep me out of any place was comforting. What are your short- and long-term goals in medicine?
I’m currently applying to diagnostic radiology. Diagnostic radiologists spend most of their time interpreting imaging, like X-rays, CTs, and MRIs, but are also able to perform some image-guided interventions. I hope to eventually complete a fellowship in a more procedural subspecialty of diagnostic radiology so I will have more opportunity to interact with patients, but it's such a broad field that I don't yet know where I would want to specialize.
What are you looking forward to?
I'm just excited to learn a lot more. If medical school is a lot of information, radiology is that much more. I love learning; I love just expanding my knowledge, gaining new perspectives on how to look at things, and just getting more experience with hands-on patient care.