Students' personality and ratings of clinical competence in medical school clerkships: a longitudinal study

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the associations between students' personality and assessments of their clinical competence in medical school. A set of questionnaires was completed by 1710 medical students to measure their self-esteem, sociability, loneliness, general anxiety, test anxiety, neuroticism (emotionality), perceptions of early relationships with parents, and general health. Students were divided into three groups of the low, moderate, and high competent based on the number of ‘Honours’ ratings they received in core clinical clerkships during the third year of medical school. Multivariate statistical analyses showed that the low competent students scored significantly lower on the self-esteem and sociability, but higher on the loneliness scale. The low competent students also perceived their early relationships with their parents as less satisfactory. Findings suggest that medical students' clinical competence assessments are associated with some aspects of their personality and with perceptions of early relationships with their parents. Findings have implications for the development of educational remedies and counseling strategies.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dorissa Bolinski and Caryl Johnston for their editorial assistance.