Opinion: Testing medical students is big business. I see it as extortion
On Friday, I’ll be one of thousands of medical students nervously waiting for the results of this year’s Match Day, the moment we learn where we will go after medical school for internships and residencies.
Our destinies are a mystery until the Match. Some students will be invited to join their dream programs; others won’t match at all.
Regardless of their futures, however, all students who get to Match Day have been extorted by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).
This board is is ostensibly to “protect the health of the public.” Its balance sheet, however, suggests the organization might have a different motive. Last year, the NBME made more than . It relies mainly on physician volunteers to write the test questions while compensating its executive board with high six-figure salaries.
