Abstract
Background
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.
Objective
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.
Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Participants
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.
Intervention
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.
Measures
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.
Results
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).
Conclusion
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.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the American Board of Internal Medicine for the use of the Maintenance of Certification program Self Evaluation Program modules in the construction of our board review testing program. Funding for this study was provided by a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine medical education research grant.
Conflict of Interest
Dr. Eric Holmboe is employed by the ABIM.
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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1941-0
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Mathis, B.R., Warm, E.J., Schauer, D.P. et al. A Multiple Choice Testing Program Coupled with a Year-long Elective Experience is Associated with Improved Performance on the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination. J GEN INTERN MED 26, 1253–1257 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1696-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1696-7