WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) Class of 2018 students achieved a 100 percent pass rate for the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examinations (APMLE) Part II Written and Part II Clinical Skills Patient Encounter (CSPE) given by the National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners.

All 34 students from the class passed on their first try, which is itself a first for WesternU CPM.

“I’m so proud of each member of this class. A 100 percent passage rate is proof that teamwork, collaboration and trust in our system will prevail for years to come,” said CPM Interim Dean Lester J. Jones, DPM, MSEd. “Each member of the Class of 2018 will serve as a guiding light for all students that follow in the upcoming years.”

The Part II written examination samples candidates’ knowledge in the clinical areas of Medicine; Radiology; Orthopedics, Biomechanics and Sports Medicine; Anesthesia and Surgery; and Community Health, Jurisprudence, and Research. Part II CSPE assesses proficiency in podiatric clinical tasks needed to enter residency, according to APMLE.

Jones credited the students’ success to pre-clinical and clinical faculty and physician coordinators in medicine and surgery at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Olive View/UCLA, the Foot & Ankle Center and the Western Diabetes Institute of the Patient Care Center (PCC), and at other off-campus sites, all of whom gave of their knowledge, skills, positive attitudes and experience so that students could achieve success at each level of the podiatric medical experience.