Correlates of performance of the ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment: influences of candidate characteristics on performance.
OBJECTIVE
Since 1998, over 30,000 international medical graduates (IMGs) have taken the ECFMG CSA. Although candidate background variables have been shown to predict basic and clinical science performance, little work has focused on the relationships between candidate characteristics and clinical skills performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether candidate characteristics were related to CSA pass/fail status.


METHODS
Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between candidate characteristics and CSA pass/fail status for a sample of 11,690 IMGs over a two-year period.


RESULTS
Results indicated that gender, English language proficiency, recent medical school graduation, and clinical science performance (USMLE Step 2) were all related to clinical skills proficiency.


CONCLUSIONS
The results provide additional support for the validity of CSA pass/fail decisions.
Van Zanten
Marta
M
The Educational Commission for Froeign Medical Graduates, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. mvanzanten@ecfmg.org
Boulet
John R
JR
McKinley
Danette W
DW
D000328:Adult; D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States