An Analysis of Orthotics and Prosthetics First-attempt Board Exam Performance Across Exam-taker Demographics

Background: As demographics among the medical field continue to diversify, many professions have conducted studies to determine disparities in board exam performance. Trends of score differences based upon demographics may indicate a need to revisit exam or preparation practices. Although the orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) field requires passing scores for five board exams and has seen significant increases in diversity of exam applicants, no studies have investigated group differences across all five board exam scores. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate potential group differences in O&P board exam scores based on gender, race, and ethnicity. This retrospective study was approved by the Baylor College of Medicine Institutional Review Board. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Methods: Data were gathered from a total of 61 program graduates over three cohorts. Data were evaluated for differences in percentage over passing (%OP) scores between genders, races, and ethnicities. Results: Significant group differences were observed for the Clinical Patient Management and Simulation examinations. Females scored statistically significantly higher than males for Orthotics Clinical Patient Management ( P = 0.003) and Prosthetics Clinical Patient Management ( P = 0.027). White students scored statistically significantly higher than racial minority students for the Orthotics Clinical Patient Management ( P = 0.031) and Prosthetics Clinical Patient Management ( P = 0.018). Conclusions: Understanding board exam performance across demographic groups is important to guide exam and preparation practices. Broader-scale analysis is necessary to reach greater application of results. Current data reveal that white, female test-takers earn higher scores on first attempts at some O&P board exams. Clinical Relevance Statement: As educational programs seek to evaluate graduate outcomes and work to improve representation in the profession, an analysis of board exam performance provides a critical piece of information for programs and the profession. Additionally, methods may be valuable for assessing exam practices for examination institutions.