Changes in self-perceived abilities among male and female medical students after the first year of clinical training.
BACKGROUND
It is known that male and female medical students have different experiences in their clinical training.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether male and female medical students change in their self-rated work habits and interpersonal habits during the first year of clinical training.


METHODS
Longitudinal study of self- and peer-assessment among 224 medical students in 3 consecutive classes at a private US medical school. Students rated themselves on global work habits (WH) and interpersonal attributes (IA). Students also rated and were rated by 6-12 peers on the same scale.


RESULTS
In the second year of medical school, there were no differences between men and women in quartiles of self-assessed WH or IA. At the end of the third year, however, women were more likely to be in the lower quartiles of self-assessed WH (X(2) = 6.77; p = 0.03), as well as the highest quartiles of self-assessed IA (X(2) = 11.36; p = 0.003). In both years, women rated their own WH skills significantly lower than they rated their peers, while men rated themselves similarly to peers. There were no sex differences in self-assessed IA.


CONCLUSIONS
Although second-year male and female medical students appear similar to one another in terms of self-assessed WH and IA, by the end of the third year women rate themselves relatively lower in WH, while men rate themselves relatively lower in IA.
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010379:Peer Group; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D011287:Prejudice; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D017406:Sexual Harassment; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States