Influence of admission categories, programme, race and residence status on MBBCh and BHSc student performance:...

The Medical Physiology and Biochemistry (PHSL 2004A) course is a compulsory 2nd-year requirement for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCH) and Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) programmes. A significant decline in pass rates was observed among the 2020 cohort assessed in 2021.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of programme affiliation, residence status (on-campus or off-campus), admission category and race on PHSL 2004A pass rates in 2021.

The study was conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand, focusing on Faculty of Health Sciences students.

A quantitative approach was adopted, analysing data from 380 students (218 MBBCh; 162 BHSc). Independent samples t-tests, one-way between-groups ANOVA and chi-square tests were employed for analysis.

MBBCh students achieved higher average scores (M = 60.76) compared to BHSc students (M = 47.98), demonstrating better overall performance in the course. Students living off-campus showed slightly higher pass rates (72%) than those residing on-campus (65%), although this difference was statistically insignificant. Admission category played a significant role in performance, with students admitted under the Top 40 category achieving higher scores than those admitted under the top rural and top BC categories.

Programme affiliation and admission category significantly influenced PHSL 2004A performance, whereas residential status did not exhibit a notable effect.

This study highlights key predictors of academic performance in PHSL 2004A, offering insights that can inform targeted interventions to improve pass rates and support underperforming student groups.