Predicting academic performance at a predominantly black medical school

A study was conducted by the authors that examined the validity of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), undergraduate grade-point average (GPA), and "competitiveness" of undergraduate college in predicting the performance of students at a predominantly black college of medicine. The performance measures used in the analysis consisted of course grades in all four years of medical school and scores on both Part I and Part II of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examinations. The predictive validities of the MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs were found to be similar to those revealed in earlier studies conducted at predominantly white schools. Two exceptions to these similarities were found. First, the MCAT scores at the black school had a somewhat lower validity in predicting NBME examination scores than was the case at the other schools. Second, of the six MCAT subtest scores, Skills Analysis: Reading had the highest correlation with first-year grades, in contrast to results at the other schools. No differences between men and women were found in the validity of MCAT scores and the GPA. The competitiveness of the undergraduate college attended was found to contribute significantly to the prediction of all measures of medical school performance.     

Relationship between past academic performance and results of specialty in-training examinations

In this study, the authors review the records of 63 graduates of Northwestern University Medical School who were residents in its graduate medical education programs of anesthesia and orthopedic surgery. They examine the relationship among college grades, medical school performance, and the results of assessment by annual, nationwide, medical specialty in-training examinations. For the anesthesia group, the best predictors of in-training examination performance were the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average for nonscience subjects, and the MCAT Science, General Information, and Quantitative Ability scores. For the orthopedic group, the best predictors were the MCAT Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average in nonscience subjects, the MCAT Science score, and the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I and Part II examination scores. The previous academic records for the 63 residents contained little to presage results in the in-training examination. The correlation obtained between nonscience college subjects and the in-training examination results was negative.     

Correlations between SAT scores and MCAT scores of black students in a summer program

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine the relationship between Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores of black students who had participated in a summer program for minority students interested in health careers held at the Medical College of Georgia. A significant correlation was established between these students' SAT and MCAT scores. These findings suggest that students who are likely to perform well in medical school can be selected for medical school while they are still underclassmen, accepted conditionally, and admitted after completing a prescribed curriculum. Early selection has implications for increasing the number of minority students in medicine and for permitting more liberal arts in the premedical education than the present selection process.     

A model for predicting performance on the NBME Part I examination

Multiple regression analyses were employed to determine the relationships between achievement variables as predictors of the performance on Part I of the National Board of Medical Examiners examinations (NBME-I) of 366 medical students. The students' examination score averages in first- and second-year basic science courses were sequentially added to a composite Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score to investigate the increases in prediction accuracy. Four prediction equations were cross validated on two subsequent medical school classes. While the multiple correlation between the predicted NBME-I score and the actual score significantly increased as first- and second-year course examination scores were added to the equations, the overall accuracy in predicting passing or failing did not substantially increase. The most useful equation employed a combination of the MCAT score and the first semester anatomy course examination score. The NBME-I predictions were given by letter to the 1984 and 1985 students approximately a year before they were to take the NBME-I examination so that students at risk of failure could undertake remedial study.     

Program for increasing enrollment of early acceptees in medical school

Early acceptees by medical schools generally have higher Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade-point averages than those accepted later. Between 1977 and 1979, the number of these individuals actually enrolling at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Rutgers Medical School (UMDNJ-RMS) declined from 20.4 to 6.5 percent of all incoming medical students. This prompted the development in 1980 of a one-day, preenrollment program informing early acceptees about the UMDNJ-RMS educational program. Subsequently, more than 40 percent of the early acceptees have enrolled at the UMDNJ-RMS, and this noticeable increase appears to be related directly to the program.     

An experiment in medical education. A critical analysis using traditional criteria

In 1984, in addition to its standard traditional curriculum, Rush Medical College (Chicago, Ill) developed a Socratic problem-based method of teaching basic science material called the alternative curriculum. As part of an evaluation of this new curriculum, students in the two curricula were compared using three traditional measurements: (1) test scores from the National Board of Medical Examiners, Part I; (2) test scores from the National Board of Medical Examiners, Part II; and (3) performance on an oral examination. Alternative curriculum students did not differ significantly from their traditional curriculum classmates on National Board of Medical Examiners, Part I and Part II total scores, although their subset scores on Part I did tend to be lower, reaching significance in one subset area. Differences in performance favoring the traditional curriculum were primarily seen in the early years of the program. Alternative curriculum students in the class matriculated in 1987 scored significantly higher in three of five categories on the oral examination.     

Use of MCAT data in selecting students for admission to medical school

In the spring of 1986, medical school admissions personnel were surveyed on their institutions' admissions practices and the use of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) data in student selection. The admissions officers listed sources of information considered in processing applications. The variables accorded high importance were: overall and science undergraduate grade-point averages, quality of degree-granting institutions, letters of evaluation, interview ratings, MCAT scores, extracurricular activities, work in areas related to health care, breadth and/or difficulty of course work, and state of legal residence. Variables judged of medium importance were: nonscience grade-point average, graduate study, narratives supplied through the American Medical College Application Service or supplemental narratives, demographic factors, and undergraduate research. The respondents divided the 15-point MCAT scale into exemplary, acceptable, and unacceptable ranges of performance. These responses varied widely among institutions. The mean response for the bottom of the acceptable range was a score of seven, and the mean for the beginning of the exemplary range was 11. In considering individual MCAT subtest scores, 34 percent of the admissions officers regarded the six scores individually and equally, 51 percent weighted the areas in ways related to their curricula, and 43 percent summed or averaged scores with equal weights at some point. Thirty-one percent used MCAT scores to adjust grade-point averages across undergraduate institutions.     

Effect of two preclinical curricula on NBME Part I examination performance

The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine conducts two preclinical medical education programs. In Track I (lecture-based), students attend classes 24 hours per week, and lecture time totals 908 hours over a 50-week period. In Track II (problem-based), students attend classes only 12 hours per week, and lecture time totals 112 hours over the same 50-week period. Institution of the Part I examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) as a graduation requirement provided an opportunity to compare the performances of students in both tracks. When students from each track with similar Science Problems subtest scores on the Medical College Admission Test were compared, no significant differences were observed in the students' total scores or pass rate on the NBME examination. However, there were significant differences in scores on the microbiology subtest of the NBME examination, with the Track I students achieving higher scores. The 1984 report of the Project Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and College Preparation for Medicine of the Association of American Medical Colleges stressed the need to examine critically and consider reducing the scheduled instructional and lecture hours in preclinical medical education programs. In the study reported here, the authors demonstrated that reduction of scheduled instructional time, when replaced by a guided problem-solving program, is not detrimental to students' performance on the NBME Part I examination.     

Use of a medical reasoning aptitude test to help predict performance in medical school

A medical reasoning aptitude test (MRAT) was designed to assess aptitude for clinical problem-solving in medical school applicants. The purpose of the study reported here was to determine whether the information provided by this test, when used in conjunction with college grade-point averages (GPAs) and scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), would improve the prediction of medical school performance. Specifically, the authors investigated the incremental predictive value of the MRAT relative to students' overall performance in medical school and, more specifically, to their knowledge and clinical reasoning during preclinical years and clinical performance during the clerkship year. Overall, it was found that, with the exception of the first year, the addition of MRAT scores to the GPAs and MCAT scores increased precision in identifying students who performed poorly or exceptionally well in the second year and the clinical clerkship year. This last finding is especially useful, since few other tests have provided that information. On the basis of the preliminary findings, the authors propose further use and validation of the MRAT.     

The effect of commercial coaching courses on performance on the MCAT

Two studies on the relationship between taking a commercial coaching course and performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are reported. In both studies, one based on repeating examinees and another based on first-time examinees, differences in scores favoring coached examinees were found on the Science Knowledge and Science Problems subtests. The results on the Skills Analysis: Quantitative subtest were mixed, while neither study found differences between the two groups in scores on the Skills Analysis: Reading subtest. The analyses further revealed that the differences in scores on the Science Knowledge and Science Problems subtests were less pronounced for examinees with low scores on the Skills Analysis: Reading and Skills Analysis: Quantitative subtests, examinees with very low or very high undergraduate grade-point averages, and examinees from very selective undergraduate colleges. The substantive importance of the differences was also explored. The coaching effect was estimated to increase an average student's probability of acceptance by 5 percentage points. The results suggest that coaching for the MCAT has a limited effect that supports rather than undermines the validity of the test.     

History of not completing courses as predictor of academic difficulty among first-year students

The study reported here was undertaken to determine whether the prediction of academic difficulty in the first year of medical school is enhanced by a consideration of the number of courses withdrawn from, repeated courses, and incomplete courses on a student's undergraduate academic record. All students enrolled from 1981 through 1985 at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine who experienced academic difficulty in the first year were selected for the study. Successful students were matched with these students in terms of minority or majority status and served as a control group. Discriminant and classification analyses were performed in a hierarchical stepwise manner to predict success or difficulty in the first year. The variables that were significant in discriminating between minority students who had academic difficulty and those who did not were the science grade-point average (grades in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics), the score on the reading subtest of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and the number of withdrawals from courses. For majority students, the significant discriminating variables were the score on the MCAT biology subtest and the number of incompletes taken for courses. The results of this study have implications for medical school admissions committees, premedical advisers, and premedical students.     

Changes in the qualifications of medical school applicants, 1981 to 1985

The decline in the number of medical school applicants has prompted concerns among medical educators regarding the effects of this decrease on the qualifications of the applicant pool. Changes in the qualifications of medical school applicants were analyzed in terms of age, sex, and ethnicity or racial group using two measures of quality: Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade-point averages. The distributions of these measures for 1981 and 1985 applicants were compared. The results showed that there were significant but modest gains over the years in the percentage of men and women applicants who scored from 10 to 15 on the MCAT biology, chemistry, physics, and science problems subtests. There were also significant percentage gains for applicants in all age categories, except applicants over age 32, and for all ethnic or racial groups except blacks. The authors conclude that a variety of sociodemographic, educational, and selection factors may account for these changes.     

客观结构化临床考试在住院医师规范化培训年度考核中的应用

  目的  通过开展对客观结构化临床考试(objective structured clinical examination, OSCE)在住院医师规范化培训年度考核中应用的研究,指导今后OSCE的试题设置,使试题更规范、合理。  方法  选取参加2020年蚌埠医学院第一附属医院住院医师规范化培训年度考核的内科专业学员2018级62人、2019级64人的考核成绩为研究对象,分别分析OSCE设置的信度、效度、难度、区分度,并比较2个年级学员各站考试分数,讨论OSCE试题设置的合理程度及培训时间对成绩的影响。  结果  OSCE设置的信度选择评价者信度进行分析,结果良好;效度使用内容效度进行评价,效度较高;OSCE试题对于2018级学员的难度在0.55~0.78、总难度为0.72,对于2019级学员的难度在0.49~0.79、总难度为0.67,2个年级的单站难度、总体难度基本达到适宜标准;OSCE试题对于2018级学员的区分度为0.18,对于2019级学员的区分度为0.19,稍嫌不足;比较2个年级学员各站考试分数,2018级学员有5站(共6站)成绩高于2019级学员,差异有统计学意义(P < 0.001)。  结论  本次OSCE考站设置较为合理,可以客观反映学员的培训水平及临床实践能力,考核区分度有上升空间,培训时间与成绩呈正相关。      

护校学牛自尊述情障碍与心理健康相关研究

目的探讨护理专业学生自尊水平、述情障碍与心理健康状况的关系。方法对 3 0 0名护理中专二年级女性学生采用自尊量表 (SES)、多伦多述情障碍量表 (TAS)和症状自评量表 (SCL 90 )作评定 ,SCL 90评分与高中学生常模比较 ,分析SES、TAS评分与SCL 90评分间关系。结果护理专业学生SCL 90抑郁和恐怖因子分高于常模 ,而躯体化、敌对和偏执因子分显著较低。相关分析显示 ,SES评分与SCL 90评分间呈负相关 ,TAS总分及其因子Ⅰ、Ⅱ分与SCL 90评分呈正相关 ,而因子Ⅲ分则呈负相关。回归分析也显示低自尊和述情障碍对心理障碍的预测作用。结论低自尊水平和某种述情障碍对护理专业学生人群的心理问题具有影响 ,提示提高自尊水平 ,改善情感表达对增进学生心理健康水平有积极意义。     

实习护生伦理决策能力及相关因素的研究

目的:分析实习护生伦理决策能力的现状及其影响因素。方法:便利选取在蚌埠医学院、皖南医学院附属医院实习的护生共550名,调查工具为护理伦理决策问卷(JAND)。结果:有效问卷为522份。实习护生的护理伦理决策能力平均分为270.22±22.96,伦理课程、学历和实习时间在护生的伦理决策能力间差异均有统计学意义(P0.05～P0.01)。结论:护生伦理决策能力多处于中等水平,其中伦理行动维度得分较低。实习医院及学校的伦理教育是影响护生伦理决策的重要因素。     

Student performance on the NBME Part II subtest and subject examination in obstetrics-gynecology

Clerkship directors in obstetrics-gynecology often use the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) norms to evaluate third-year medical students' performance on the NBME obstetrics-gynecology subject examination. A comparison of the scores of 342 students at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine showed that the students performed significantly better on the NBME subject examination than on the Part II subtest in obstetrics-gynecology. These results concur with the findings of the NBME, which advises directors wishing to adjust the criterion group norms to determine the average difference observed in a school's performance on the two examinations and to use that difference or some portion of it in their interpretation of percentile scores on the subject examination. Additional analyses revealed that a single, linear weight may inappropriately adjust these scores, that student performance on the Part II subtest depends on specialty choice (obstetrics-gynecology versus all others), and that time and sequence of the clerkship were unrelated to the students' performance on the two examinations.     

医学生英语学习倦怠现状调查与对策研究

目的调查医学生英语学习倦怠现状,探究医学生英语学习倦怠形成机制,提出针对性的解决措施。方法对某医学院医学生采取分层整群抽样方法,采用张奇智编制的＂大学英语学习倦怠问卷＂调查,使用SPSS 19.0统计软件包进行数据分析,采用一般线性模型进行倦怠值的影响因素分析。结果 537名医学生中27.15%的英语学习倦怠值在66分以上,处于严重英语学习倦怠状态。男生英语学习倦怠值为（61.85±17.66）,女生倦怠值为（49.80±14.15）,男生比女生更易产生学习倦怠（P〈0.001）。高考成绩与倦怠值呈负相关（P〈0.001）。农村、城镇生源学生的英语学习倦怠值差异无统计学意义。各医学专业的倦怠值差异无统计学意义。结论高考成绩和性别是影响英语学习倦怠值的主要因素。对男生和高考成绩较低的医学生,应该帮助其树立正确的英语学习动机,提高英语学习自我效能感,培养英语学习策略以及加强专业学习和就业指导,等。     

临床医学实习生心理健康状况及影响因素分析

目的: 通过问卷调查和数据分析探讨临床专业实习生的总体心理状况。方法: 采用问卷调查法(包括基本情况调查表和SCL-90量表), 对蚌埠医学院临床专业2010年级进入医院实习的学生共457人进行人口学资料的调查和心理健康状况的测试。结果: 临床实习生SCL-90各项指标中躯体化、焦虑、恐怖因子的评分均高于全国大学生常模和青年组常模(P<0.01);而强迫症状、抑郁、敌对、偏执、精神病性因子的评分均显著低于全国大学生常模和高于全国青年组常模(P<0.01)。女生的抑郁、焦虑和恐怖因子各评分均高于男生(P<0.05～P<0.01), 男生的敌对因子评分高于女生(P<0.05);农村学生的人际关系敏感、焦虑和偏执评分均明显高于城镇学生(P<0.01);单亲家庭实习生在SCL-90各因子评分上均高于双亲家庭实习生(P<0.05～P<0.01);准备考研与不准备考研的实习生SCL-90各因子评分差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论: 蚌埠医学院临床医学实习生心理健康水平略低于全国青年常模和全国大学生常模;临床实习生的心理健康水平在性别、生源地、家庭结构方面均存在不同。     

2006年新乡医学院在校大学生亚健康状态危险因素分析

目的:通过对医学生亚健康状态相关因素的研究,为开展亚健康状态干预工作提供参考依据。方法:采用分层、随机区组、整群抽样方法,抽取新乡医学院1200名在校大学生进行现场问卷调查,并利用SPSS14.0对结果进行统计描述和检验、方差分析、相关分析、Logistic回归分析等统计学处理。结果:本研究显示医学生亚健康状态的危险因素主要有:睡眠质量差、睡眠紊乱、运动过量、学习方面问题等。结论:医学生应该通过保证充足睡眠,减少疲劳发生,保持良好心态等措施减少亚健康发生。     

Evaluation of objective structured practical examination and traditional practical examination

To evaluate the competency of Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) as an assessment technique compared to Traditional Practical Examination (TDPE) in assessment of laboratory component of physiology, the results of Physiology practical examination of 400 students from 4 Medical Colleges, two Government and two non Government (Dhaka Medical College, Mymensingh Medical College, Bangladesh Medical College, Uttara Women's Medical College) under Dhaka University were studied. Students' performance in OSPE and TDPE was compared. Mean score obtained in OSPE was 77.72+/-0.66 and found significantly higher than that for TDPE (64.44+/-0.61). Again mean scores achieved in OSPE were compared among different Medical Colleges and significant difference was noted. In OSPE, male students achieved significantly higher score than that of female students, especially in responding question station. The outcome of the present study thus indicates that OSPE is a better choice as an assessment technique over the Traditional method measuring wide range of practical skill. It may be concluded that it is important for competency based performance discrimination and it also helps improving students performance quality in laboratory exercise.