Grades from the 6-mo Foundations of Clinical Medicine
(FCM) course at the end of the preclinical curriculum were
used to examine the students’ self-assessment bias in relation
to general clinical knowledge entering the clerkship. FCM is a
systems-based course designed to integrate students’ preclinical
education before clerkship rotations. The grades of
Honors and Pass are based on 6 objective tests totaling approximately 900 items with alpha reliability in the 90s.
Students who achieved grades of Honors (90% correct) were
significantly more likely to overestimate their data gathering
skills in comparison with students who achieved a Pass (70%
correct). There was no significant association between the
bias index with respect to FCM grades when comparing self-assessments
of procedures and communications and/or
interpersonal skills. Additionally, there was no significant
difference in the bias index when examining surgery clerkship
grades across all three domains measured.