Multiple Mini-Interview for Postgraduate Year Residency Recruitment: First Experience in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: We investigated the effectiveness of the first hospital-held multiple mini-interview for recruitment into a postgraduate residency program in Taiwan. Methods: We conducted a multiple mini-interview to recruit 37 trainees into the postgraduate general medicine residency in January 2017 of the 37 postgraduate year candidates, 28 had interned at our hospital. Between-group correlations among subgroup analyses using multiple comparisons, Chi square test, and the generalized linear model were conducted to test the validity and discrimination of the multiple mini-interview questions. Correlations between multiple mini-interview scores, objective structured clinical examination scores, and clinical practice examinations were conducted and available for 19 applicants who interned at this hospital to test the effectiveness of the multiple mini-interview as a recruiting tool. Results: The multiple mini-interview process exhibited high test discrimination (P<0.001). Whether an intern studied at our hospital or at a different hospital did not affect the performance of the multiple mini-interview. Significant correlations were observed among performance in the multiple mini-interview, all three objective structured clinical examinations, and in four of six clinical practice departments among the 19 candidates who interned at our hospital (P<0.05). Conclusions: The significant correlation of the multiple mini-interviews with clinical performance scores provides powerful support for multiple mini-interview assessment in recruiting residents suitable for clinical work. Continuing to collect data to study the multiple mini-interview program would improve our understanding of it and provide better support for the postgraduate year recruitment program.