Gender differences in the self-assessment of surgical residents

Abstract

Background Despite equivalent performance as assessed by objective external measures, women tend to underestimate their abilities compared with their male counterparts. Methods The difference in ordinal values from faculty and resident self-evaluations was calculated for each general and plastic surgery resident. Objective external performance measures were compared for female and male residents. Results Male and female residents performed equivalently. All residents underestimated their abilities compared with faculty assessment; however, general surgery residents did so to a greater degree ( P < .05). Female residents demonstrated a greater degree of underestimation than did their male colleagues; however, this was not statistically significant. Conclusions Although female resident surgeons are generally confident in their abilities, this may be in contrast to the self-perception of many female medical students. Consideration of gender differences in self-perception may be important when providing feedback to female students and residents.