USMLE Step I Exam - Treatment and Factors that Affect Treatment and Prevention

The USMLE Step I Exam covers a variety of topics related to the general principles that an individual must know in order to effectively practice medicine and information about the normal and abnormal functioning of each system of the body. The questions on the exam that are related to the systems of the body are there primarily in order to determine if an individual understands how the body functions as a whole and how a problem in one part of the body can cause problems in other parts of the body as well. However, many of the questions on the exam are not only designed to assess an individual's knowledge of how each system of the body functions, but are instead also designed to determine if an individual knows how to treat problems that arise in each system and understands the factors that can affect how effective a particular treatment will be. The types of treatment covered for each system varies from system to system, but most of the treatment questions on the exam focus on the effects, normal use, and side effects of drugs that can be used to treat a particular condition. However, treatment questions on the exam will also focus on other types of treatment such as surgery, specific medical procedures related to that body system, rehabilitation, and other similar treatments.

The specific factors that can affect a patient's treatment that are covered on the exam include behavioral factors, emotional factors, environmental factors, ethnic factors, factors related to the patient's gender, occupational factors, factors related to the patient's lifestyle and history, factors related to the family's lifestyle and history, and factors related to societal influence. These factors are covered on the exam for each system of the body as they relate to that particular system. However, the reproductive system, in addition to these factors, also has questions regarding the effect of gender identity on a patient's treatment, the effect of a patient's libido on a patient's treatment, factors related to family planning, factors related to pregnancy, factors related to the patient's sexuality, factors related to the patient's sexual orientation, and the effects of stress and violence factors such as child abuse, rape, traumatic stress syndrome, and other forms of violence. These topics do not necessarily reflect every treatment and treatment factor that will be covered on the exam, but most of the treatment questions will relate to these specific topics or topics similar to the ones mentioned here.