The differences in self-efficacy in clinical performance between medical students and residents

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in self-efficacy in clinical performance (SECP) between medical students and residents. Methods: A total of 267 medical students and 110 residents participated in a survey on SECP with regard to seven factors: Knowledge acquisition and application, clinical reasoning, clinical skills, communication with patients, relationships with other health professionals, medical ethics, and self-development. The data were examined by multivariate analysis of variance. Results: Residents had higher scores for clinical skills than students (F[1, 372]=8.919, p<0.01), whereas students scored significantly higher for communication with patients (F[1, 372]=26.779, p<0.001), relationships with other health professionals (F[1, 372]=12.807, p<0.001), medical ethics (F[1, 372]=40.136, p<0.001), and self-development (F[1, 372]=32.380, p<0.001). There were no differences between genders or specialties of residents. Conclusion: There are differences in SECP between students and residents. These results can guide the design of self-efficacy improvement programs.