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What is the association between student well‐being and high‐stakes examination scores?
Author(s) -
Monrad Seetha U.,
Wolff Margaret,
Kurtz Joshua,
Deiorio Nicole M.,
Sabo Roy,
Stringer Jake K.,
Santen Sally A.
Publication year - 2021
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/medu.14460
Subject(s) - bivariate analysis , united states medical licensing examination , curriculum , distress , educational measurement , psychology , medicine , well being , medical school , clinical psychology , association (psychology) , medical education , family medicine , gerontology , pedagogy , statistics , mathematics , psychotherapist
Abstract Introduction As educators seek to improve medical student well‐being, it is essential to understand the interplay between distress and important outcomes. Performance on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination has played a significant role in selection for postgraduate residency positions in the United States and consequently has been a source of great stress for medical students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether student well‐being correlates with performance on a high stakes licensing examination. Methods Between 2014 and 2016, three sequential cohorts of medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School completed the Medical Student Well‐Being Index (MSWBI) at the end of their 2nd‐year curriculum, shortly before taking Step 1. Associations between well‐being and Step 1 scores were investigated while adjusting for MCAT scores and cumulative second‐year course scores. Results In total, 354 students were included in the analysis (68.1% of potential responders). On bivariate analysis, poor student well‐being (0 = low distress [high well‐being], 7 = high distress [poor well‐being]) was associated with lower Step 1 examination scores (slope = −2.10, P < .01), and well‐being accounted for 5% of overall Step 1 score variability ( R 2 = .05). However, after adjustment for MCAT scores and cumulative GPA (full model R 2 = .51), the relationship between well‐being and Step 1 score was no longer significant (slope = −0.70, P ‐value = .06). Conclusions When controlling for metrics of academic performance, student well‐being prior to taking Step 1 was not associated with how well students performed on Step 1 for the study sample.