Exploring the underperformance of male and minority ethnic medical students in first year clinical examinations

Woolf, Katherine; Haq, Inam; McManus, I. C.; Higham, Jenny; Dacre, Jane

doi:10.1007/s10459-007-9067-1

Cited by 57 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Previous studies found consistent evidence for women performing better at undergraduate level,30 31 but did not identify significant differences at postgraduate level,11 32 for written papers, consistent with our data. Notable exceptions are the anaesthetic postgraduate written examination (FRCA), a negatively marked paper where men outperformed women,14 and the clinical parts of MRCP and MRCOG, where women performed significantly better,8 11 suggesting that there may be gender differences in performance for some examination techniques but not others.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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

Menzies

Minson²,

Brightwell³

et al. 2015

Postgraduate Medical Journal

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MRCPCH part 1B outcome was related to place of primary medical qualification, with a significantly lower pass rate for international medical graduates compared with UK graduates, as well as significant variation in examination outcome between graduates from different UK medical schools. These data may be used to guide new initiatives to improve support and education for these trainees and to inform development of undergraduate curricula and help trainees prepare more successfully for postgraduate examinations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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

Menzies

Minson²,

Brightwell³

et al. 2015

Postgraduate Medical Journal

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“…This may be partly the result of using a statistical analysis which looks at all factors simultaneously, rather than separate single-factor comparisons such as used in other studies. Woolf et al (2008) have shown that differences in performance on written tests may be explained by other factors. However, the composition of our student body which has few students from minority ethnic groups is unusual and studies in other medical schools with a more representative ethnic mix should provide more convincing evidence.…”

Section: Minority Ethnic Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are multiple choice tests fair to medical students with specific learning disabilities?

Ricketts

Brice

Coombes

2009

Adv in Health Sci Educ

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The purpose of multiple choice tests of medical knowledge is to estimate as accurately as possible a candidate's level of knowledge. However, concern is sometimes expressed that multiple choice tests may also discriminate in undesirable and irrelevant ways, such as between minority ethnic groups or by sex of candidates. There is little literature to establish whether multiple choice tests may also discriminate against students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), in particular those with a diagnosis of dyslexia, and whether the commonly-used accommodations allow such students to perform up to their capability. We looked for evidence to help us determine whether multiple choice tests could be relied upon to test all medical students fairly, regardless of disability. We analyzed the mean scores of over 900 undergraduate medical students on eight multiple-choice progress tests containing 1,000 items using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. We included disability, gender and ethnicity as possible explanatory factors, as well as year group. There was no significant difference between mean scores of students with an SLD who had test accommodations and students with no SLD and no test accommodation. Virtually all students were able to complete the tests within the allowed time. There were no significant differences between the mean scores of known minority ethnic groups or between the genders. We conclude that properly-designed multiple-choice tests of medical knowledge do not systematically discriminate against medical students with specific learning disabilities.

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“…URM resident performance on the POA may not be affected by this, owing to the lack of any preconceived notions on performance for this test. 21,22 We originally hypothesized that the URM residents would perform better on some of the standardized patient stations, most notably the cross-cultural communication and informed consent stations. This did not bear out, and in fact the findings support the argument that all physicians need training in the area of cultural competency and health disparities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for Increasing Diversity in Graduate Medical Education: The Competence of Underrepresented Minority Residents Measured by an Intern Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Lypson¹,

Ross²,

Hamstra³

et al. 2010

Journal of Graduate Medical Education

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Objective Some have commented that the limited number of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in United States' residency programs is due to a lack of qualified candidates. At the University of Michigan, an objective structured clinical examination is administered to incoming residents at the beginning of training to determine baseline competence. In this study we wanted to determine if competence differed for underrepresented minorities when compared to non-URM residents. Method The postgraduate orientation assessment, a 10-station examination, was developed that focused specifically on the knowledge and skills needed in the first 6 to 18 weeks of training. Stations assessed competence in informed consent, aseptic technique, evidence-based medicine, diagnostic images, critical laboratory values, cross-cultural communication, and Joint Commission requirements such as surgical fire safety, pain assessment, and management. We used various assessment measures including standardized patients, computer-based testing, and multiple-choice questions. Results Our study found no significant differences in overall mean scores between URM residents and all other residents for the 5 years during which we administered the examination, except for 2002. This stands in contrast to the consistently worse performances of URM students on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge. Also, URM residents did not perform better or worse than their non-URM colleagues on standardized patient stations during the course of 5 years during which the examination was administered. Conclusions The postgraduate orientation assessment provides residency program directors with a standard format to measure initial clinical skills. When compared to incoming non-URM residents from a variety of medical schools, URM residents perform as well as other trainees. Our results may aid in the recruitment efforts of URM medical students into academic residency programs such as those at the University of Michigan.

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Exploring the underperformance of male and minority ethnic medical students in first year clinical examinations

Cited by 57 publications

References 18 publications

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

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

Are multiple choice tests fair to medical students with specific learning disabilities?

Evidence for Increasing Diversity in Graduate Medical Education: The Competence of Underrepresented Minority Residents Measured by an Intern Objective Structured Clinical Examination

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