Privacy Notice
The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) provides this Privacy Notice to describe NBOME’s collection, use and dissemination of personally identifiable information in connection with the www.nbome.org website or any NBOME-affiliated websites.
The NBOME values individual privacy and we want to give our website visitors the opportunity to know what information we collect about them and how it is used.
In this notice, the term “website” includes all NBOME websites, platforms and applications that collect personal information.
Whenever we change our policy, we will provide notification on our home page. You can contact us anytime with questions or concerns about privacy by sending an email to privacy@nbome.org.
1. What Information We Collect
The NBOME collects the following types of personal information from individuals who use our website.
Contact Information that allows us to communicate with visitors, such as name, username, mailing address so that we can send messages to our website visitors.
Personal Information that allows us to conduct business. For test takers, this may include the types of examinations you want to take, your school or organizational affiliation, expected degree and graduation date, professional credentials and similar information. Personal information includes but is not limited to name, residence and email addresses, telephone number, gender, race, citizenship, academic records, date of birth, biometric data, and credit card numbers and billing information.
Transactional Information for online activities, registrations and purchases, including your registration records, NBOME web browsing and purchase history, order information about your use of content (such as accessing scores or practice materials), customer account information and information to process your payments.
The provision of information is sometimes required by law and at other times is a result of a contractual requirement. For example, in order to register and provide testing services, the failure to provide necessary information could, in certain circumstances, preclude you from registering for or receiving the testing services. In general, you are required to respond to most of the questions on the application forms. However, you are not required to provide information regarding your race. Providing this information is optional and does not affect the outcome of your application. The NBOME uses information about the race of its applicants for research purposes and to ensure the fairness of our exams.
By providing your personal information, you acknowledge that NBOME will use that information in accordance with this Notice.
2. Security
The NBOME is committed to ensuring the security of your information. To prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the appropriate use of information, we have put in place appropriate administrative, technical and physical measures to protect the security of your personal information. To protect your privacy, files at rest and data transmission are encrypted.
In order to access some services, you are required to enter a username and password to confirm your identity. We recommend that you do not divulge your user name or password to anyone. We will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or in an unsolicited email.
The NBOME also uses digital certificates that enable visitors to verify the NBOME website’s authenticity and communicate with the NBOME securely using 256-bit encryption that protects confidential information.
When making payment, you will enter our secure payment web page and will have a limited amount of time to enter the required information. The NBOME uses a third-party vendor who uses SSL to process your online payments. All verification, validation and processing of credit card transactions are performed by this third-party vendor. NBOME does not does not store your credit card information nor does it disclose such information except as stated herein.
Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, we cannot and do not ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us.
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
NBOME and its partners use cookies or similar technologies to analyze trends, administer the website, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level, but if you choose to disable cookies, it may limit your use of certain features or functions on our website or service. The NBOME’s web servers may track the Internet protocol (IP) addresses of website visitors to measure the number of visits to the website.
As is true of most websites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information may include IP addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and/or clickstream data. We may combine this automatically collected log information with other information we collect about you. We do this to improve site functionality.
NBOME uses Google Analytics and other third-party services to improve the performance of the Site and for analytics and marketing purposes. For more information about how Google Analytics collects and uses data when you use our Site, visit https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners, and to opt out of Google Analytics, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.
4. Use of Personal Information Collected
The NBOME collects and uses the personal information you provide to better serve you and to carry out its public interest mission, including ensuring exams are fair and maintaining a permanent record of examinee performance.
Such information is used to process your applications and requests for services or materials, to receive support for the services we provide, to verify your identity and that you meet the qualifications for our programs and services, to allow us to contact you to provide those services, to complete delivery of services, for billing, payment and account and contract management purposes, to ensure the integrity, security and fairness of our exams, and to protect you and the NBOME from fraudulent transactions. We also use the information we collect to tailor and improve your website experience. Additionally, the NBOME may use de-identified personal information for research and statistical purposes unless you advise us in writing you do not want your de-identified personal information to be used for such purposes.
5. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties
We may distribute the personal information that you submit to us, both internally within our organization and to our agents and affiliates as necessary for purposes related to our services. While we endeavor to maintain the confidentiality of all material submitted that is identified as confidential by the submitter, we cannot accept, and hereby expressly disclaim, any liability from losses relating to the unauthorized disclosure or interception via the Internet of any information that you submit.
We disclose your personal information to certain third parties to provide the products and services you have requested online. Specifically, we provide and receive personal information from medical schools and residency programs to determine eligibility to take NBOME examinations and for academic and residency application and matriculation purposes, including but not limited to the provision of COMLEX-USA scores and results to candidates’ medical schools.
When you apply for a NBOME examination, we will provide certain registration information to NBOME’s test delivery vendors to schedule and administer the test. If you request a test accommodation, we may also share your personal information with consultants who review and evaluate the requests and the supporting documentation you provide. We will also provide your information to other educational institutions or third parties upon your specific written request.
As noted in Sec. 2 above, NBOME uses a third-party vendor to process your online payment transactions. To process these transactions, your payment information must be disclosed to this third party.
At times we may be required by law, court order or legal process to disclose your personal information. We may disclose information about you, in our sole discretion, if we believe that disclosure is necessary: (a) to satisfy any law, regulation, governmental request or to respond to a subpoena; (b) to operate this website; (c) to protect the safety, rights or property of the NBOME; and (d) or as otherwise permitted under this Notice.
We do not sell or rent your personal information in any instance. We will not share, offer, or otherwise disclose any personal information, such as names, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and other personal information that you voluntarily provide to NBOME, to any organization or individual, except to the extent necessary to provide the services requested by you, comply with applicable laws or valid legal process, to protect the rights or property of the NBOME, or otherwise as provided herein.
6. Access and Ability to Correct Personal Information
We strive to keep your personal information up to date and accurate. Using the website (or contacting us by phone or in writing), you may access and verify or change your personal information such as mailing and e-mail addresses and telephone number. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting you access or enabling you to make corrections.
7. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information only for the period necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was submitted, or as otherwise permitted by law. The NBOME also maintains exam results on a permanent basis for verification by examinees, educational institutions, medical employers and licensing authorities.
8. Links
For your convenience, this website may contain links to other Internet websites. However, NBOME does not endorse, and is not responsible for, the privacy practices or the content of these websites. If you submit personal information to any of those sites, your information is governed by their privacy policies. We encourage you to carefully read the privacy notice of any website you visit.
Our website includes social media features, such as the Facebook button. These social media websites and widgets may collect your IP address, use cookies or collect other information. Your interactions with these social media websites and tools are governed by the privacy notice of the respective social media websites.
9. Children’s Privacy
This website is not designed to attract children. Accordingly, we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 years of age.
10. Communications from the Site
A. Service-related Announcements
We will send you strictly service-related announcements on rare occasions when it is necessary to do so. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance, we might send you an email.
Generally, you may not opt-out of these communications, which are not promotional in nature. If you do not wish to receive them, you have the option to deactivate your account.
You may sign-up to receive newsletters or other communications from us. If you would like to discontinue receiving this information, you may update your email preferences by using the “Unsubscribe” link found in emails we send to you or by contacting us at privacy@nbome.org.
B. Customer Service
Based upon the personal information you provide, we will send you a welcoming email to verify your username and password. We will also communicate with you in response to your inquiries, to provide the services you request, and to manage your account. We will communicate with you by email or telephone, in accordance with your wishes.
11. Inquiries and Concerns
If we decide to change our Notice, we will post those changes to this privacy statement on the NBOME website or we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We reserve the right to modify this privacy statement at any time.
If you have any questions regarding this Notice, you may contact us at:
National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME)
101 W. Elm Street
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: 866.479.6828
ATTN. General Counsel
Email: privacy@nbome.org
Last Updated: July 18, 2018