Kaplan Medical Expands Clinical Skills Assessment Preparation for International Medical Graduates

New Course at Stanford University Provides Bi-Coastal Options

NEW YORK, April 10, 2003 - Addressing a growing need for doctors to have strong clinical and communication skills and an upturn in the number of international medical graduates coming to the U.S., Kaplan Medical, a unit of Kaplan Test Prep, has expanded its preparation course for the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) to the West Coast with a new program at Stanford University.

A day-long practical exam that all international medical graduates must pass to earn certification and enter a U.S. residency program, the CSA evaluates ability to take a directed history, perform a physical examination and communicate effectively in English. According to a recent poll by Harris Interactive, a majority of Americans consider good communication and clinical skills critical for physicians and believe that all students (both foreign and domestic) should have to pass an examination testing them before receiving their medical licenses. As such, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is implementing a new clinical skills exam in 2004. This exam will take the place of the current CSA, and will be required of both US medical school graduates and international medical graduates.

Kaplan's new CSA course, which will be held at Stanford University School of Medicine's Boswell Clinic, builds on the success of Kaplan's CSA preparation at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York which has been running for almost five years. It includes five standardized patient encounters with performance feedback, professional evaluation of patient notes and a 75-minute group debriefing session.

"At Kaplan Medical, we've always recognized the importance of helping students with their communication and clinical skills," said Rochelle Rothstein, MD, Senior Vice President of Kaplan Medical. "This California course will expand our geographic offerings and allow more physicians to take advantage of our leading CSA preparation program. We are also looking into creating similar programs at other medical schools nationwide."

The program at Stanford will be overseen by Dr. Elliot Wolfe, MD, FACP, the Director of the Office of Medical Student Professional Development at Stanford and the co-director for the yearlong physical diagnosis course Physicians and Patients, which introduces first-year medical students to the medical interview, essentials of the physical examination and professionalism issues. He also currently serves as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Director of the Office of Student Affairs at Stanford University School of Medicine.

The 2003 program dates are May 3, June 7, June 21, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1 and December 6. For more information, please visit www.kaplanmedical.com.

About Kaplan Medical
Kaplan Medical is the world's largest provider of preparation services for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) and the NCLEX. Preparation is offered through a full range of options including books and software, online courses and question banks, video review programs and live lectures in eight U.S. locations conducted by nationally- recognized faculty. Kaplan also prepares thousands of U.S. students and foreign professionals annually for dental, nursing, and pharmacist licensing exams. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

Press Contacts:

Karen Blass
212-974-6233
karen_blass@kaplan.com

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