Ratings of performance of graduates from traditional and nontraditional medical schools

Abstract

We compared clinical supervisors’ ratings of intern competence in Newcastle University graduates (whose medical school emphasizes community relevance and interpersonal skills) and in medical graduates of the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales, which have more traditional curricula. A 12‐item anchored supervisor rating scale was used to assess the professional competence of 428 interns on five occasions throughout the intern year. Data analysis was performed using two factors of clinical competence and personal characteristics, as well as an average annual total score, linear regression analysis was employed to estimate the adjusted effects of age, sex, and graduating university on the three scores. All three scores were higher for interns who graduated at younger than 25 years, irrespective of university of graduation or sex. Women scored higher on average than men, and Newcastle graduates were rated significantly better on average than Sydney University graduates for the personal characteristics ...