An evaluation of demographic factors affecting performance in a paediatric membership multiple-choice examination

Menzies, Lara; Minson, Susan; Brightwell, A; Davies-Muir, Anna; Long, Andrew; Fertleman, Caroline

doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-132967

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…We have been unable to find exactly comparable data from medical licensing examinations in other countries. A UK retrospective analysis observed that international graduates aged more than 37 years actually performed better in a postgraduate paediatric examination 17. However, a US analysis noted a negative correlation between age when first certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Surgery and subsequent success in maintenance of certification examinations 18…”

Section: Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographics and performance of candidates in the examinations of the Australian Medical Council, 1978–2019

Yeomans

Sewell

Pigou³

et al. 2020

Medical Journal of Australia

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Section: Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographics and performance of candidates in the examinations of the Australian Medical Council, 1978–2019

Yeomans

Sewell

Pigou³

et al. 2020

Medical Journal of Australia

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“…We included 23 retrospective observational studies, one prospective cohort study 28 , and one case-control study. 29 Seven studies were from Canada 12,14,15,27,[30][31][32] , eight from the USA 25,26,29,[33][34][35][36][37] , seven from the United Kingdom 1,[38][39][40][41][42][43] , and one each from Australia 7 , Sweden 28 and Finland 44 . Four were single-institution studies.…”

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The remaining two studies 39,44 showed a statistically nonsigni cant association between age and success in certi cation exams. Six studies 15,30,39,41,42,44 explored the associations between female sex and success in certi cation exams, with ve studies 15,30,39,41,44 indicating that female candidates were more likely to succeed in various certi cation exams.…”

Section: Success In Qualifying Examsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors for success and failure in international medical graduates: a systematic review of prognostic factor studies

Schabort,

Abdar,

Couban

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background International Medical Graduates (IMG) are an essential part of the international physician workforce, and exploring the predictors of success and failure for IMGs could help inform international and national physician labour workforce selection and planning. Methods We searched 11 databases, including Medline, Embase and LILACS, from inception to February 2022 for studies that explored the predictors of success and failure in IMGs. We reported baseline probability, effect size in relative risk (RR), odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) and absolute probability change for success and failure across six groups of outcomes, including success in qualifying and certificate exams, successful matching into residency, retention in practice, disciplinary actions, and outcomes of IMG clinical practice. Results Twenty-five studies (375,549 participants) reported the association of 93 predictors of success and failure for IMGs. Female sex, English proficiency, graduation recency, higher scores in USMLE step 2 and participation in a skill assessment program were associated with success in qualifying exams. Female sex, fluency in English, previous internship and results of qualifying exams were associated with success in certification exams. Retention to work in Canada was associated with several factors, including male gender, graduating within the past five years, and completing residency over fellowships. In the UK, IMGs and candidates who attempted PLAB part 1, ≥4 times vs first attempters, and candidates who attempted PLAB part 2, ≥3 times vs first attempters were more likely to be censured in future practice. Patients treated by IMGs had significantly lower mortalities than those treated by US graduates, and patients of IMGs had lower mortalities [OR: 0.82 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.99)] than patients of US citizens who trained abroad. Conclusions This study informed factors associated with the success and failure of IMGs and is the first systematic review on this topic, which can inform IMG selection and future studies. Systematic review registration PROSPERO: CRD42021252678

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“…Research has also demonstrated that female doctors perform better academically, 6 particularly in clinical 7-10 rather than written assessments. 7,11,12…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in fitness to practise test scores: a cohort study of GPs

et al. 2019

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BackgroundTests of competence are written and clinical assessments taken by doctors under investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) who have significant performance concerns. Male doctors on average perform more poorly in clinical assessments than female doctors, and are more likely to be sanctioned. It is unclear why.AimTo examine sex differences in the tests of competence assessment scores of GPs under investigation by the GMC, compared with GPs not under investigation, and whether scores mediate any relationship between sex and sanction likelihood.Design and settingRetrospective cohort study of GPs’ administrative tests of competence data.MethodAnalysis of variance was undertaken to compare written and clinical tests of competence performance by sex and GP group (under investigation versus volunteers). Path analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between sex, written and clinical tests of competence performance, and investigation outcome.ResultsOn the written test, female GPs under investigation outperformed male GPs under investigation (Cohen’s d = 0.28, P = 0.01); there was no sex difference in the volunteer group (Cohen’s d = 0.02, P = 0.93). On the clinical assessment, female GPs outperformed male GPs in both groups (Cohen’s d = 0.61, P<0.0001). A higher clinical score predicted remaining on the UK medical register without a warning or sanction, with no independent effect of sex controlling for assessment performance.ConclusionFemale GPs outperform male GPs on clinical assessments, even among GPs with generally very poor performance. Male GPs under investigation may have particularly poor knowledge. Further research is required to understand potential sex differences in doctors who take tests of competence and how these impact on sex differences in investigation outcomes.

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An evaluation of demographic factors affecting performance in a paediatric membership multiple-choice examination

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Demographics and performance of candidates in the examinations of the Australian Medical Council, 1978–2019

Demographics and performance of candidates in the examinations of the Australian Medical Council, 1978–2019

Predictors for success and failure in international medical graduates: a systematic review of prognostic factor studies

Sex differences in fitness to practise test scores: a cohort study of GPs

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