61 - The Role of Age and Gender in Medical Education

Poster Board Number: 61
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : The goal of this study was to investigate differences in exam scores accounting for the age and gender of medical students. The UMKC School of Medicine’s class of 2026 consists of three institutional groups including high school graduates on the six-year course, M.D. only graduate students, and students on the St. Joseph’s campus. There is a large variation in students’ ages ranging from 19 to 28. The developmental differences in maturity and behaviors among various ages can create a gap in learning and performance. The role of gender in education can be influenced by a variety of factors including social disparities and cognitive differences. Age and gender are not direct predictors of success but evaluating for a correlation between the age and gender of students and test results could indicate an underlying issue putting certain students at a disadvantage. A longitudinal design with data collected from this sample group was done to assess exam performance among different ages and genders. An optional survey was given on medical neuroscience exams. Eight questions inquired about students’ confidence in their abilities as future doctors and their study habits. Additional demographic questions included the students’ age and gender to look at as independent variables. Informed consent from all students was obtained prior to being given the survey. The Institutional Review Board was consulted, and this project complies with the recommendations. A total of 115 students participated in taking the survey. The mean exam scores were plotted against age and gender. The data collected revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in exam scores between genders. Males scored the highest with a mean score of 90.60% over the course of three exams. Non-binary scored significantly lower (p=0.05). However, there was no statistically significant correlation in exam scores across different age groups (p=0.69). The enrollment status of the students regarding the three institutional groups was also not statistically significant (p=0.32). These results were collected over the course of four neuroscience exams, not including the fifth which will be the final. At the end of the semester, further analysis of pass-fail rates between different ages and genders may more clearly show a difference in performance. In conclusion, this study showed that female and non-binary students performed less well than their male peers. A cumulative effect of multiple factors such as differences in learning styles, social influences, or teaching biases could have contributed to this gap in performance. Additional studies are needed to further investigate these factors and the possibility of gender disparity in medical school education. This research would need to be more qualitative to gain insight on the students’ social environments, learning preferences, and interactions with professors. Identifying the potential underlying issues influencing these results is the first step in finding solutions to overcome them.