title: Influence of gender and selection procedures on the academic performance of undergraduate medical students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of gender on success of students studying Medicine in Belgium from the first year (MED1) to the sixth year (MED6) of training, in the context (or not) of a selection process after three years at university.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were evaluated from two cohorts of medical students: students of the first group (n=88) were not submitted to a selection process and students of the second group (n=76) were submitted to a selection process after MED3. Students were enrolled in Brussels Medical School. The variables studied were the grades obtained after the first session of exams, and the student's gender. Variables were put into perspective in relation to the cohort/study year. STATA software was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear regression showed the significant predictability of the grade obtained in MED2 for the grade obtained in MED6 for males and females only in the context of selection (r=0.51; p<0.001). The impact of grades after three years on those after six years was negative in the first group of students (r=-0.17; p=0.005) and positive in the second group (r=0.54; p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show a moderate link between success in MED1 and success in MED6, as long as the students undergo selection. A selection system after MED1, based on medical courses, inter alia, could speed up the maturation of students. Further studies with a higher number of candidates are necessary to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phonetics, Research Institute for Language sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; Laboratory of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium; CIUM ASBL, Comite Inter Universitaire des étudiants en Médecine, Mons, Belgium. Jerome.Lechien@umons.ac.be.
authors.forename: Jérôme R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lechien
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Erasme Hospital, ULB Medical School, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kempenaers
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Department, ULB Medical School, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dramaix
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Erasme Hospital, ULB Medical School, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Linkowski
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Gender; Medical School; Selection; Undergraduate academic success