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- Title
A multiple choice testing program coupled with a year-long elective experience is associated with improved performance on the internal medicine in-training examination.
- Authors
Mathis, Bradley; Warm, Eric; Schauer, Daniel; Holmboe, Eric; Rouan, Gregory; Mathis, Bradley R; Warm, Eric J; Schauer, Daniel P; Rouan, Gregory W
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>The Internal Medicine In-Training Exam (IM-ITE) assesses the content knowledge of internal medicine trainees. Many programs use the IM-ITE to counsel residents, to create individual remediation plans, and to make fundamental programmatic and curricular modifications.<bold>Objective: </bold>To assess the association between a multiple-choice testing program administered during 12 consecutive months of ambulatory and inpatient elective experience and IM-ITE percentile scores in third post-graduate year (PGY-3) categorical residents.<bold>Design: </bold>Retrospective cohort study.<bold>Participants: </bold>One hundred and four categorical internal medicine residents. Forty-five residents in the 2008 and 2009 classes participated in the study group, and the 59 residents in the three classes that preceded the use of the testing program, 2005-2007, served as controls.<bold>Intervention: </bold>A comprehensive, elective rotation specific, multiple-choice testing program and a separate board review program, both administered during a continuous long-block elective experience during the twelve months between the second post-graduate year (PGY-2) and PGY-3 in-training examinations.<bold>Measures: </bold>We analyzed the change in median individual percent correct and percentile scores between the PGY-1 and PGY-2 IM-ITE and between the PGY-2 and PGY-3 IM-ITE in both control and study cohorts. For our main outcome measure, we compared the change in median individual percentile rank between the control and study cohorts between the PGY-2 and the PGY-3 IM-ITE testing opportunities.<bold>Results: </bold>After experiencing the educational intervention, the study group demonstrated a significant increase in median individual IM-ITE percentile score between PGY-2 and PGY-3 examinations of 8.5 percentile points (p < 0.01). This is significantly better than the increase of 1.0 percentile point seen in the control group between its PGY-2 and PGY-3 examination (p < 0.01).<bold>Conclusion: </bold>A comprehensive multiple-choice testing program aimed at PGY-2 residents during a 12-month continuous long-block elective experience is associated with improved PGY-3 IM-ITE performance.
- Subjects
UNITED States; OHIO; INTERNAL medicine; RESIDENTS (Medicine); EDUCATIONAL intervention; MULTIPLE choice examinations; MEDICAL quality control; STATISTICS; RESEARCH; SELF-evaluation; TIME; RESEARCH methodology; RETROSPECTIVE studies; MEDICAL cooperation; EVALUATION research; INTERNSHIP programs; COMPARATIVE studies; CLINICAL competence; HEALTH attitudes
- Publication
JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2011, Vol 26, Issue 11, p1253
- ISSN
0884-8734
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1007/s11606-011-1696-7