How competent do general practice residents feel and why?

Background General practice residency aims to produce competent general practitioners (GPs) who will practice independently, i.e. who demonstrate adequate levels of actual and self-perceived competence. Purposes To measure self-perceived competence in GP residents at our institution and explore potential determinants. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of our GP residents. Self-perceived competence was measured in four domains. Independent variables included gender, postgraduate year, patient contacts, on-call duties, practice of specific tasks, self-assessed effort and knowledge. Results Between 1.6 and 37.8% of GP residents assessed their competence as less than average. Self-perceived competence was not consistently linked to any of the hypothesised factors. Conclusions A significant proportion of residents reported less than satisfactory levels of self-perceived competence. Longitudinal studies should be conducted as well as qualitative studies focusing on the role of other factors in the development of high levels of self-perceived competence during general practice training.