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The relationship between grades and clinical competence among first year osteopathic medical students
Author(s) -
MARKERT R. J.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1978.tb00351.x
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , medical education , grading (engineering) , internship , medical school , psychology , medicine , family medicine , social psychology , civil engineering , engineering
Summary Eighty‐seven Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine students, enrolled for a neuromuscular course for first year students, were the subjects of a study which examined the relationship between medical school grades and clinical competence. The research was unique in that the relationship between the two variables was examined while the students were in the classroom and laboratory portion of their medical training. Previous research utilized clinical competence data gathered after the classroom‐laboratory portion of medical school training had been completed. A correlation of 0.46 between (a) a weighted composite of eight grading devices in a neuromuscular course and (b) clinical competence in neurology (i.e. the ability to perform neurological history and physical examinations) was found. The correlation was significant at the 0.0001 level. This finding supports the ‘intervening experiences’ hypothesis. That is, it is possible that experiences such as internships, residencies and routine practice distort the relationship between medical school grades and clinical competence which actually exists during the classroom‐laboratory portion of medical school training. This study, the first to report clinical competence data during the classroom‐laboratory portion of medical training, proposes that ‘intervening experiences’ may be an important variable in accounting for the low correlation between grades in medical school and clinical competence found in previous research. If analogous research reveals additional support for the ‘intervening experiences’ hypothesis, the frequently heard criticism of medical school grading practices may need to be reassessed.