Gender differences in how medical students learn to rate psychopathology

The aim of this study was to examine factors influencing medical students' learning of psychopathology assessments during the psychiatric clerkship. The subjects included 122 third-year medical students participating in a 6-week psychiatric clerkship. They completed Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ratings on short, focused interviews in a balanced design before and at the end of the clerkship. Deviation of their ratings from standard ratings by experienced psychiatrists constituted the dependent variables. Female medical students showed a clear significant improvement during the clerkship, whereas male students tended to experience a significant reduction in their accuracy. We conclude that there may be gender-related differences in these medical students' ability to assimilate and cope with the clinical experience of the psychiatric clerkship. The implications of these findings for psychiatry training are discussed.