%0 Journal Article %A Borges, N.J. %A Backes, K.A. %A Binder, B. %A Roman, B. %T First-year medical student objective structured clinical exam performance and specialty choice %J Int J Med Educ %D 2013 %P 38-40 %V 4 %P 38-40 %R 10.5116/ijme.5103.b037 %U http://www.ijme.net/archive/4/objective-structured-clinical-exam-and-specialty-choice/ %G eng %7 February 21, 2013 %K medical student %K osce %K specialty choice %X Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if first-year physical exam and interview Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores differ for medical students entering person or technique-oriented specialties. Methods: Objective Structured Clinical Examination physical exam and interview scores from 2004 to 2007 for first-year medical students (n=280) at one United States medical school were compared using t-tests based on specialty choice from this cohort of students. Results: T-test results (p<0.05) showed a significant difference in the mean physical exam (mean=92.85, sd=3.94) versus interview (mean=90.77, sd=6.76) scores for students entering person-oriented specialties (n=157, p<0.001). There was also a significant difference (p<0.05) in the mean physical exam (mean=93.46, sd=3.92) versus interview (mean=91.40, sd=5.75) scores for students entering technique-oriented specialties (n=123, p<0.001). Results indicate that physical exam scores are significantly higher than interview scores for students regardless of whether they enter person or technique-oriented specialties, except for psychiatry where interview scores were significantly higher than physical exam scores. Conclusion: Subsequent studies are needed to better understand the relationship of Objective Structured Clinical Examination performance and specialty choice by medical students.