title: Changes in self-perceived abilities among male and female medical students after the first year of clinical training.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, USA. stephen_lurie@urmc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lurie
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nofziger
authors.forename: Lelan F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Sillin
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: 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