Evidence on gender gaps in surgical examination pass rates is mixed, with lower female MRCS pass rates in some UK studies but no differences in several other examinations¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Two UK studies reported significantly lower MRCS pass rates for female trainees, while other studies found no significant gender differences in ABSCE, FRCS, OITE/ABOS scores or MRCS. → Jones Rebecca L. 2024

Evidence¶

Jones Rebecca L. 2024¶

Jones Rebecca L., Prusmetikul Suwimol, Whitehorn Sarah. (2024). Differential attainment in assessment of postgraduate surgical trainees: a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05580-2

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review's synthesis of academic-achievement studies: two UK studies found lower MRCS pass rates for female trainees, but Robinson et al. found no significant gender differences in MRCS, and no significant disparities were reported for ABSCE, FRCS or OITE/ABOS scores. The review reports these as second-hand findings.

"In the UK, two studies reported significantly lower Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) pass rates for female trainees compared to males [4, 14]. However, Robinson et al. [15] presented no significant gender differences in MRCS success rates."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Published research on differential attainment in postgraduate surgical assessment is dominated by quantitative, gender-focused studies from the USA and UK — related
• Gender differences appear in progression outcomes and workplace-based assessments, including ARCP outcomes, milestone ratings, feedback language and granted autonomy, with direction varying by specialty and rater — related
• Technical skill assessments show mixed gender effects, with initial task differences disappearing after training and no evidence that stereotype threat impairs female performance — related
• Female trainees report fewer operative cases and less operative experience than male trainees in several surgical specialties — related
• Improvement in Orthopaedic In-Training Examination scores showed no significant correlation with OSCE scores — related
• Lower socioeconomic background, older age, graduate-entry and non-professional parental background are associated with lower MRCS pass rates and more non-satisfactory ARCP outcomes — related