Scientific Publications Database

Article Title: Self-assessment differences between genders in a low-stakes objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).
Authors: Madrazo, Lorenzo; Lee, Claire B; McConnell, Meghan; Khamisa, Karima
Journal: BMC research notes Volume 11 Issue 1
Date of Publication:2018
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Physicians and medical students are generally poor-self assessors. Research suggests that this inaccuracy in self-assessment differs by gender among medical students whereby females underestimate their performance compared to their male counterparts. However, whether this gender difference in self-assessment is observable in low-stakes scenarios remains unclear. Our study's objective was to determine whether self-assessment differed between male and female medical students when compared to peer-assessment in a low-stakes objective structured clinical examination.RESULTS: Thirty-three (15 males, 18 females) third-year students participated in a 5-station mock objective structured clinical examination. Trained fourth-year student examiners scored their performance on a 6-point Likert-type global rating scale. Examinees also scored themselves using the same scale. To examine gender differences in medical students' self-assessment abilities, mean self-assessment global rating scores were compared with peer-assessment global rating scores using an independent samples t test. Overall, female students' self-assessment scores were significantly lower compared to peer-assessment (p<0.001), whereas no significant difference was found between self- and peer-assessment scores for male examinees (p=0.228). This study provides further evidence that underestimation in self-assessment among females is observable even in a low-stakes formative objective structured clinical examination facilitated by fellow medical students.