title: Medical student self-efficacy, knowledge and communication in adolescent medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate student self-efficacy, knowledge and communication with teen issues and learning activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected during the 8-week pediatric rotation for third-year medical students at a local children's hospital. Students completed a self-efficacy instrument at the beginning and end of the rotation; knowledge and communication skills were evaluated during standardized patient cases as part of the objective structured clinical examination. Self-efficacy, knowledge and communication frequencies were described with descriptive statistics; differences between groups were also evaluated utilizing two-sample t-tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-efficacy levels of both groups increased by the end of the pediatric rotation, but students in the two-lecture group displayed significantly higher self-efficacy in confidentiality with adolescents (t(35)=-2.543, p=0.02); interviewing adolescents, assessing risk, sexually transmitted infection risk and prevention counseling, contraception counseling were higher with marginal significance. No significant differences were found between groups for communication; assessing sexually transmitted infection risk was marginally significant for knowledge application during the clinical exam.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical student self-efficacy appears to change over time with effects from different learning methods; this higher self-efficacy may increase future comfort and willingness to work with this high-risk, high-needs group throughout a medical career.
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Counseling, Marywood University in Scranton, USA.
authors.forename: Tracie L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Pasold
authors.affiliation: Office of Education, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
authors.forename: Beatrice A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Boateng
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Devon J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hense
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000295:Adolescent Medicine / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Medical student; adolescent medicin; knowledge and communication in adolescent medicine; medical student self-efficacy; standardized patients