Intersecting gender, evaluations, and examinations: Averting gender bias in an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship in the United States Education for Health Jacques L, Kaljo K, Treat R, Davis J, Farez R, Lund M. Intersecting gender, evaluations, and examinations: Averting gender bias in an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship in the United States. Educ Health 2016;29:25-9.
Date
03/18/2016Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether gender bias was present in the final third‑year medical student
obstetrics/gynecology clerkship performance evaluation completed by faculty and resident physicians. Methods: This was a retrospective
cohort study of third‑year medical students over the course of ten years (2004 – 2014) at a private medical school in the northern
US state of Wisconsin. Each student’s performance during their required 6‑week obstetrics/gynecology clerkship was assessed by a
combination of the student’s scores on a clinical performance evaluation and on a standardized national subject examination. The
clinical performance evaluations are comprised of 10 domains, each using a 9‑point Likert scale and completed by faculty and resident
physicians. All clerkships at our institution use the same evaluation form, which was designed and validated by the medical education
statistics department. Final obstetrics/gynecology clerkship average clinical evaluation scores (Scale 1‑9) and obstetrics/gynecology
standardized national subject examination scores (Percentile 1‑99) were compared to see if a gender based difference between subject
examination and performance evaluation scores existed. Results: 1,976 student records were analyzed. Mean standardized national
subject exam scores were significantly higher for females [74.4 (8.1)] than males [72.9 (8.2)] (Possible range 1‑99) with Cohen’s
d = 0.2 (P = 0.001). The average female score on the clinical evaluation was mean (SD) = 7.4 (0.9), compared to an average clinical
evaluation score of 7.2 (1.0) for males (P = 0.001) (range 1‑9). Performance on the standardized national subject exam was significantly
correlated (r = 0.3, P = 0.001) with clinical evaluation scores, and when split by gender the strength of the correlation remained.
Discussion: Medical student performance on the standardized national subject exam correlated with clinical evaluations independent
of gender. Women had higher scores on both the subject examination and the clinical performance evaluations. There was no evidence
of gender bias in the students’ clinical evaluation scores.
Author List
Jacques L, Kaljo K, Treat R, Davis J, Farez R, Lund MAuthor
Robert W. Treat PhD Associate Professor in the Academic Affairs department at Medical College of WisconsinView Online
