Ratings of performance of graduates from traditional and non-traditional medical schools

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 scores. At the beginning of the intern year, Newcastle graduates had higher total scores than graduates from the two other medical schools. By the end of the intern year, there was no difference in total scores for the three universities. The results of this study suggest that age, sex, and curriculum background are factors influencing aspects of performance at entry to the internship year and also the professional development of interns throughout that year.