A randomised controlled trial of extended immersion in multi-method continuing simulation to prepare senior medical students for practice as junior doctors

Table 2 Effectiveness of randomisation: comparison of baseline characteristics of intervention and control arm participants

Characteristic	Intervention (n = 45)	Control (n = 39)	P value for difference
Gender: number (%) male	19 (42%)	20 (51%)	NS*
Age at beginning of study: mean (in years)	26.7	26.4	NS**
Higher degree on entry^†: number (%)	6 (13%)	6 (15%)	NS*
Prior healthcare worker^††: number (%)	10 (22%)	5 (13%)	NS*
GAMSAT^‡ score on entry: mean	61.1	60.1	NS**
GPA^‡‡ on entry: mean	6.53	6.33	NS**
Ever failed a year^¶: number (%)	1 (2%)	2 (5%)	NS*
Year 1 overall summative score: mean (out of 1000)	732	724	NS**
Year 1 clinical skills summative score: mean (out of 250)	185	182	NS**
Year 2 overall summative score: mean (out of 1000)	692	690	NS**
Year 2 clinical skills summative score: mean (out of 250)	159	160	NS**

Notes: * = by Fisher’s Exact Test; ** = by t-test, † = students who entered the graduate medical program with a prior honours, masters or doctoral degree; †† = students who had practiced in another health profession (pharmacy, physiotherapy or nursing) prior to entry into medicine; ‡ = Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test overall score, ‡‡ = Grade Point Average for student’s previous degree on a 7 point scale, ¶ = students who had failed any year in the medical program prior to the study.

ISSN: 1472-6920