2025, The Year of Kaplan Medical!
by Jonathan Bruner, D.O., Executive Director of Institutional Medical Programs | December 20, 2024
As the end of 2024 draws to a close, I am reflecting on all of the hard work and accomplishments at Kaplan this past year (there were a lot of them!). We are excited about our upcoming initiatives for 2025 which will expand even further on the framework we developed this year to continue to meet our goal of helping medical students become the best physicians they can be. I am honored to be on this journey and hope you will join us.
Looking Back on 2024
2024 was a year of growth and reflection for medical education. There has been an increasing number of applicants and matriculants with a continued downward trend in passing rates for medical board exams since the first exams went pass/fail. USMLE(R) Step 1 is the most dramatic change from its pre-pass/fail rate in 2021 of 95% to 90% for US/Canadian schools most recently. Similarly, non-US/Canadian Schools dropped from 77% to 68%. COMLEX-USA(R) Level 1 is the exception, with a very slight increase of 1% during the same time, but with all of these exams continuing to have high pass rates, it has been more important than ever to avoid a failing score.
This was not lost on us here at Kaplan as we rededicated ourselves to finding the best strategies to prepare medical students for success. This started with taking advantage of one of Kaplan’s biggest benefits, which is the vast array of resources available to us as the longstanding leader in board prep. At the beginning of the year, we began meeting regularly with our Kaplan Learning Analytics & Psychometrics Team, which included reviewing all of our question data to ensure they met our high standards with p-value and point biserial data. From there, as we do every year, we updated any questions that happened to be performing not up to our standards. We also started meeting with our Learning Management and Deliver Operations teams to find the best solution for reaching current learners.
In 2024, we launched our newly updated Preclinical (Step/Level 1) Live Online class that maximizes outcomes through the use of specific learning strategies. We utilized our highly experienced faculty to help guide content, standardize the overall approach to have a consistent learning experience, and then integrate assessments to reinforce concepts. The success has been overwhelmingly positive. Students and institutions have glowing feedback, including feeling very prepared to take their exams.
Looking Ahead to 2025
One thing is clear: Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform medical education. How exactly remains uncertain, but it could be as small as tutoring students or as widespread as an adjunct to patient care. At Kaplan Medical, our plans put us at the forefront of AI research for exam preparation and education. We will have some exciting updates to share with you in the coming months about how we will be utilizing AI technology to improve the student learning experience.
With the success of our Preclinical Live Online Class in 2024, it only makes sense to follow a similar path for the rest of our Live Online classes. Surveying is already underway to determine what is and is not working best for current students again and allow us to tailor the class to their needs. We anticipate getting started on the new learning science and course materials early next year, with a rollout sometime later in 2025.
We have been receiving increased requests for more student support. In an effort to meet our students need, we plan to expand our current advising opportunities to include more residency match support in 2025. On a larger scale, we are also expanding our efforts to help address the physician shortage in the U.S. by building programs and partnerships with government agencies to help increase the workforce.
These upcoming initiatives will be shared publicly and in greater detail as they are launched later in 2025. Stay tuned for more information from Kaplan Medical.
Kaplan Medical’s New Year’s Resolution
While we have the vast resources to set students up for success, we know there will always be unexpected challenges. Our New Year’s resolution at Kaplan Medical is to continue to improve our ability to adapt quickly so that we can always leverage the unexpected for our students' success. Our entire team wishes you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and I am a third-generation osteopathic physician. My career path has been most influenced by an interest in both science and education. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science degree, major in biology and minor in chemistry, from the School of Education. Becoming a physician was the natural intersection of my interests, so I went on to graduate from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing my residency in Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) there as well. I practiced and worked as an associate professor for 18 years and also worked as a residency director for two ONMM programs before joining Kaplan.
See more posts by Jonathan Bruner, D.O., Executive Director of Institutional Medical Programs