Ponce LCME, Ortiz MA, Morán AC

Language: Spanish
References: 12
Page: 185-189
PDF size: 49.68 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Eight hundred and seventy two students admitted to the School of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) answered a diagnostic test (DT) consisting of 165 questions about the following topics: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, and Spanish. This group’s performance was monitored two years, during the two basic cycles but only those students who were promoted were selected. Three hundred and sixty six satisfied these criteria and were selected for the study group. This was a transversal, analytical, and retrospective study, in which the student’s grade average for the two previous years was associated with the score for each topic in the diagnostic test; and the general grade average for those two years was associated with the results obtained in each of the topics of the diagnostic test and to the test’s general average. Simple frequencies were estimated in this analysis, and a strength of association OR analysis, chi square, and an adjusted risk analysis using a forward stepwise logistic regression (Wald) as well as a sensitivity and specificity of predictive values analysis were carried out. Results showed a strong association (OR = 5.34) between the two years’ average and the math test grades; the highest positive predictive value and sensitivity were also found for Math, but Physics had the highest specificity value. The model produced by logistic regression incorporated the general average at the diagnostic exam, spanish and chemistry. This demonstrates that a high performance in math and the general average for the DT are predictive of a good performance at the end of the second year in medical school.

REFERENCES

1. Hojat M, Gonnella JS, Veloski JJ, Erdmann JB. Is the glass half full or half empty? a reexamination of the associations between assessment measures during medical school and clinical competence after graduation. Acad Med 1993; 68(2): 569-576.

2. Markert RJ. The relationship of academic measures in medical school to performance after graduation. Acad Med 1993; 68(2): 531-534.

3. Taylor CW, Albo D. Measuring and predicting the performances of practicing physicians: An overview of two decades of research at the University of Utah. Acad Med 1993; 68(2): 565-567.

4. Smith RS. Correlations between graduates’ performances as first-year residents and their performances as medical students. Acad Med. 1993; 68(8): 633-634.

5. Vu NV, Distlehorst LH, Verhulst SJ, Colliver JA. Clinical performance-based test sensitivity and specificity in predicting first-year residency performance. Acad Med 1993; 68(2): 541-545.

6. Silver B, Hodgson CS. Evaluating GPAs and MCAT scores as predictors of NBME I and clerkship performances based on students’ data from one undergraduate institution. Acad Med 1997; 72(5): 394-396.

7. Höschl C, Kozený J. Predicting academic performance of medical students: the first three years. Am J of Psy 1997; 154(6): 87-92.

8. Richardson PH, Winder B, Briggs K, Tydeman C. Grade predictions for school-leaving examinations: do they predict anything? Med Ed 1998; 32: 294-297.

9. Lavin B, Pangaro L. Internship ratings as a validity outcome measure for an evaluation system to identify inadequate clerkship performance. Acad Med 1998; 73(9): 998-1002.

10. Powers DE. Long-term predictive and construct validity of two traditional predictors of law school performance. J of Ed Psy 1982; 74(4): 568-576.

11. Yang JC, Noble J. The validity of ACT-PEP test scores for predicting academic performance of registered nurses in BSN programs. J Prof Nurs 1990; 6(6): 334-340.

12. Zentella M, Piña B, Martínez A. Relación entre el promedio de la enseñanza media superior y el rendimiento obtenido en el curso de bioquímica en medicina. Rev Fac Med UNAM 1999; 42(4): 143-147.