Current medical student interviewers add data to the evaluation of medical school applicants. 2010

Christina J Gutowski, and Nikhil G Thaker, and George Heinrich, and Barbara Fadem
New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07101-5292, USA.

BACKGROUND There is evidence that the addition of current medical student interviewers (CMSI) to faculty interviewers (FI) is valuable to the medical school admissions process. This study provides objective data about the contribution of CMSI to the admissions process. METHODS Thirty-six applicants to a 4-year medical school program were interviewed by both CMSI and FI, and the evaluations completed by the two groups of interviewers were compared. Both FI and CMSI assessed each applicant's motivation, medical experiences, personality, communication skills, and interests outside of the medical field, and provided a numerical score for each applicant on an evaluation form. Both objective and subjective data were then extracted from the evaluation forms, and paired t-test and rank order tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS When compared with FI, CMSI wrote two to three times more words on the applicants' motivation, personality, communication skills, interests, and overall evaluation sections (p<0.001) and provided about 60% more examples on the motivation section (p=0.0011) and communication skills section (p=0.0035). In contrast, FI and CMSI provided similar numbers of negative examples in these and in the personality section and equivalent overall numerical evaluation scores. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that when compared with FI, CMSI give equivalent overall evaluation scores to medical school candidates but provide additional potentially useful information particularly in the areas of motivation and communication skills to committees assigned the task of selecting students to be admitted to medical school.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007407 Interviews as Topic Works about conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes works about school admission or job interviews. Group Interviews,Interviewers,Interviews, Telephone,Oral History as Topic,Group Interview,Interview, Group,Interview, Telephone,Interviewer,Interviews, Group,Telephone Interview,Telephone Interviews
D009042 Motivation Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli. Incentives,Disincentives,Expectations,Disincentive,Expectation,Incentive,Motivations
D009515 New Jersey State bounded on the north by New York and Pennsylvania, on the east by New York and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Delaware Bay, and on the west by Pennsylvania.
D010551 Personality Behavior-response patterns that characterize the individual. Personalities
D011361 Professional Competence The capability to perform the duties of one's profession generally, or to perform a particular professional task, with skill of an acceptable quality. Competence, Professional,Generalization of Expertise,Technical Expertise,Expertise Generalization,Expertise, Technical
D003142 Communication The exchange or transmission of ideas, attitudes, or beliefs between individuals or groups. Miscommunication,Misinformation,Social Communication,Communication Programs,Communications Personnel,Personal Communication,Communication Program,Communication, Personal,Communication, Social,Communications, Social,Miscommunications,Misinformations,Personnel, Communications,Program, Communication,Programs, Communication,Social Communications
D005180 Faculty, Medical Teaching and administrative staff having academic rank in a medical school. Faculties, Medical,Medical Faculties,Medical Faculty
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012570 School Admission Criteria Requirements for the selection of students for admission to academic institutions. Student Selection,Admission Criteria, School,Criteria, School Admission,Selection, Student,Selections, Student,Student Selections
D012577 Schools, Medical Educational institutions for individuals specializing in the field of medicine. Medical Schools,Medical School,School, Medical

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