Stuart selected out of more than 200 COMLEX item writers

Melissa K. Stuart, Ph.D.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) Microbiology/Immunology Associate Professor Melissa K. Stuart, Ph.D., was recently selected as 2009 Item Writer of the Year for COMLEX-USA Level 1 by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. (NBOME).

NBOME is a not-for-profit corporation that serves public and state licensing agencies by administering examinations testing the medical knowledge of those who seek to serve the public as osteopathic physicians. The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensure Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) examination sequence is currently accepted for licensure in all 50 U.S. states and is used as an accreditation requirement for all schools and colleges of osteopathic medicine by the Commission on Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine of the American Osteopathic Association.

COMLEX certified item writers write new questions, or items, for the three levels of the comprehensive exam. NBOME uses hundreds of item writers who submit new items for review and revision. Actual items used on the exams are the product of multiple revision steps.

Dr. Stuart was selected out of more than 200 item writers who contributed to COMLEX-USA Level 1 in 2009. According to NBOME, Dr. Stuart’s items are a model for the type and format needed to produce a valid, high-quality examination that assesses competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health professions.

“I am surprised and pleased to be recognized by the NBOME for my item-writing efforts,” said Dr. Stuart. “I feel that submitting questions for Part 1 COMLEX-USA is both a privilege and a professional obligation. By becoming involved in test development, my colleagues and I can play a role in ensuring that osteopathic medical students seeking licensure have a sound knowledge base in the basic sciences.”

As Item Writer of the Year for Level 1, Dr. Stuart will receive a personalized plaque, recognition by the NBOME board of directors at its annual meeting in December, and recognition in NBOME’s quarterly newsletter, The Osteopathic Examiner.

“Dr. Stuart’s achievement honors KCOM and ATSU,” said KCOM Dean Philip Slocum, D.O. “It demonstrates the quality of our program and faculty. The COMLEX-USA exams are licensure examinations that assure the public of the competence of graduating physicians. KCOM faculty have a long tradition of helping establish the standards that physicians must meet nation-wide.”

Dr. Stuart recently completed NBOME’s item-writing training course, achieving the status of “Certified NBOME Item-Writer,” during which she was required to submit 10 original items over the course of 12 months. She joins three other microbiology/immunology faculty members who also recently achieved “Certified NBOME Item-Writer” distinction: Neil J. Sargentini, Ph.D., chair and associate professor; Neal Chamberlain, Ph.D., associate professor; and Vineet K. Singh, Ph.D., associate professor.

“I am pleased that all of the faculty in my department have reached this goal of certification,” said Dr. Sargentini.

Three microbiology/immunology faculty not only submit exam questions to NBOME, but also serve as current or past members of the Level 1 Review Committees. Dr. Stuart has served on the Level 1 Item Review Committee since 2004, and Drs. Sargentini and Chamberlain are both past members of the committee.