Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Medical steudent, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of
2 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Ahvaz. Iran
3 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Exams are considered one of the tools for measuring academic success. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the grades of different academic levels of the general medical doctorate course at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, as well as to assess the extent to which the test score of each course predicts the student's success in the subsequent course and the validity of the prediction criteria.
Method: The research was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2022. The participants were included in the study by census. The data included the scores of the comprehensive tests of basic sciences, pre-internship, and clinical qualification of incoming medical students in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Pearson's correlation test was used to assess the correlation between course scores. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered.
Findings: In this study, the scores of 133 medical doctoral students were examined. The average scores for basic science, pre-internship, and clinical competence were 120.50, 116.16, and 16.72, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the score of the basic science test and the pre-internship of the doctoral course in the studied population.
Conclusion: The correlation between the average scores of each comprehensive test and the subsequent test has gradually decreased. The decrease in correlation between the average scores of each test and the next test may be attributed to changes in the nature of the test and the lack of accurate assessment of students.
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Introduction: Exams serve as one of the tools for measuring academic success, a crucial aspect in medical education. Academic success enables students to harness their internal and external resources to achieve the goals of higher education and attain the necessary conditions for a successful social life. Conversely, educational underachievement lays the groundwork for personal and societal issues, hindering the fulfillment of educational system objectives and potentially lowering the scientific proficiency of future doctors. Currently, various general medical education courses, such as basic science, physiopathology, internship, and clinical practice, are sequential, with each course building upon the previous one. The final grade of each course serves as a criterion for progression to the next. Additionally, as outlined in the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education's educational program, the comprehensive exams in basic sciences and pre-internship assess the scientific aptitude of medical students for advancing to subsequent stages. Hence, the importance of mastering basic medical courses, given their interconnectedness with later stages, cannot be overstated. Success in these foundational courses is essential for advancing to subsequent stages, contingent upon obtaining a passing grade in the comprehensive basic sciences exam. Similarly, progression to the internship phase, and ultimately entering the medical profession after successfully passing the clinical competency test, underscores the significance of internship training. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the correlation between the scores of three medical courses (basic sciences, pre-internship, and clinical competence) in the general medical doctorate program at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Method: The research was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2022. The target population comprised medical graduates who had completed all their educational stages. All individuals within the target population were included in the study through a census approach, and data were extracted and collected from the educational files of the students. The information encompassed the scores of comprehensive tests in basic sciences, pre-internship, and clinical competence of medical students admitted between 2011 and 2013. This research received approval from the Human Ethics Committee of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran (IR.AJUMS.REC.1401.005). The normality of data distribution was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and data analysis was conducted using the Pearson test. A significance level of p<0.05 was applied.
Discussion: In this study, the scores of 133 medical students were examined. Based on the results, the average score for basic science was 120.50, the average score for the pre-internship test was 116.16, and the average score for clinical competence was 16.72. The findings revealed a significant relationship between the basic science test score and the pre-internship test score among the doctoral course students in the studied population. Furthermore, the correlation between the basic science test score and the clinical competence of the general medical doctorate course was found to be 0.364, with a significance level of less than 0.05. Similarly, the correlation coefficient between the pre-internship test score and clinical competence was 0.308 (p<0.05). Notably, a significant difference was observed in the average scores of the pre-internship exam and clinical qualification among students entering the university in different years. Upon examining subsequent exams, it was found that students entering in 2012 had significantly higher scores than those entering in 2011 and 2013 (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between incoming students of 2011 and 2013. Additionally, according to the results, no significant difference was observed in the basic sciences scores among the three entry years studied. Conversely, a significant difference was noted between pre-internship scores and clinical qualification between 2013 and 2014. There was a significant relationship between the basic science exam score and the pre-internship score in all years (P < 0.05), while the relationship between basic science score and clinical competence became significant only in 2013.
Conclusion: This study examined the scores of 133 medical doctoral students. Based on the results, the average score for basic science was 120.50, the average score for the pre-internship test was 116.16, and the average score for clinical competence was 16.72. Overall, the study results suggest that the correlation between the average scores of each comprehensive test and the subsequent test has gradually decreased.
Highlights
Negar ghelichi (google scholar) (PUB MED)
Mahin Dianat(google scholar) (PUB MED)
Negin Amini (google scholar) (PUB MED)
Keywords
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