Table 2.
Ratings of difficulty, interest, knowledge, and confidence for seven medical specialties
| Specialty | Difficulty | Interest | Knowledge | Confidence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SE) | p value | Mean (SE) | p value | Mean (SE) | p value | Mean (SE) | p value | |
| Medical students (n = 218) | ||||||||
| Cardiology | 2.12 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.47 (0.06) | 0.96 | 2.98 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 2.60 (0.05) | < 0.0001 |
| Gastroenterology | 2.58 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.62 (0.06) | 0.09 | 3.22 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 2.78 (0.05) | < 0.0001 |
| Respiratory | 2.44 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.42 (0.06) | 0.54 | 3.02 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 2.67 (0.05) | < 0.0001 |
| Neurology | 1.70 (0.05) | n/a | 3.47 (0.07) | n/a | 2.63 (0.05) | n/a | 2.25 (0.05) | n/a |
| Endocrinology | 2.48(0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.47 (0.06) | 0.99 | 3.07 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 2.67 (0.06) | < 0.0001 |
| Rheumatology | 2.07 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.39 (0.06) | 0.34 | 2.91 (0.06) | 0.0003 | 2.54 (0.05) | 0.0001 |
| Nephrology | 2.34 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.01 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 2.83 (0.05) | 0.007 | 2.55 (0.05) | < 0.0001 |
| Resident trainees (n = 133) | ||||||||
| Cardiology | 2.35 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.67 (0.07) | 0.94 | 3.12 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.00 (0.06) | < 0.0001 |
| Gastroenterology | 2.68 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.44 (0.08) | 0.04 | 3.15 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.02 (0.06) | < 0.0001 |
| Respiratory | 2.56 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.63 (0.07) | 0.68 | 3.17 (0.05) | < 0.0001 | 3.02 (0.06) | < 0.0001 |
| Neurology | 1.68 (0.06) | n/a | 3.68 (0.08) | n/a | 2.63 (0.08) | n/a | 2.51 (0.08) | n/a |
| Endocrinology | 2.24(0.07) | < 0.0001 | 3.44 (0.08) | 0.04 | 2.84 (0.06) | 0.034 | 2.82 (0.07) | 0.003 |
| Rheumatology | 2.12 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.71 (0.08) | 0.79 | 3.05 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 2.93 (0.06) | < 0.0001 |
| Nephrology | 2.51 (0.06) | < 0.0001 | 3.22 (0.08) | < 0.0001 | 3.01 (0.06) | 0.0002 | 2.94 (0.07) | < 0.0001 |
Difficulty ratings: 1 = very difficult, 2 = difficult, 3 = moderate, 4 = easy, 5 = very easy
Interest ratings: 1 = none, 2 = little, 3 = moderate, 4 = some, 5 = great
Knowledge ratings: 1 = very limited, 2 = limited, 3 = moderate, 4 = good, 5 = very good
Confidence ratings: 1 = very uneasy, 2 = uneasy, 3 = moderately confident, 4 = confident, 5 = very confident
The significance threshold was adjusted for multiple comparisons using Bonferroni correction (p < 0.008 denotes significance). n/a, not applicable; SE, standard error