Residency performance of graduates from a problem-based and a conventional curriculum

Performance of 130 graduates in residency from a community-oriented, problem-based medical curriculum, and from a parallel, conventional track, were compared on eight dimensions: knowledge, communication with patients, independent learning ability, teamwork, patient education, critical thinking ability, attention to health care costs, and self-assessment. Ratings were obtained from three evaluators: a doctor-supervisor, a nurse and the resident him/herself. The study was undertaken to identify differences between graduates from the two curricular tracks. Differences were observed in the areas of health care costs (supervisors) and communication with patients (residents), and a trend was observed in patient education (supervisors) and knowledge (nurses), The outcomes of the study are discussed in light of the literature on residency performance, and in terms of the educational experiences that characterize the two medical curricula.