Selection Of Medical Students Research Articles

How attending and resident reactions influence medical student specialty selection

How attending and resident reactions influence medical student specialty selection

Impact of parental status on US medical student specialty selection.

Medical training occurs during peak childbearing years for most medical students. Many factors influence specialty selection. The aims of this study were (i) to determine whether being a parent is a major deciding factor when picking a specialty and (ii) whether parents are more drawn to family-friendly specialties than non-parents. The authors performed a multicenter web-based survey study of medical students enrolled in Oregon Health and Science University, Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, and University of Michigan Medical School. The 27-item instrument assessed parenthood status, specialty preference, specialty perceptions, and factors influencing specialty choice. A total of 537 out of 2236 (24.0%) students responded. Among respondents, 59 (10.9%) were current or expecting parents. The majority (359, 66.8%) were female and 24-35 years old (430, 80.1%). Of the students who were parents or expecting, 30 (50.9%) were female, and the majority (55, 93.2%) were partnered. Top specialties preferred by both parents and non-parents were family medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), internal medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics. Specialties rated most family-friendly included family medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, emergency medicine, and pathology. The specialties rated least family-friendly were surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and OB/GYN. These rankings were the same between groups. Passion for the field, culture of the specialty, and quality of life were the top three factors students considered when choosing a specialty. Being a parent or future parent ranked more highly for parents than non-parents, but was not in the top three factors for either group. US Medical School parents report that being a parent influenced their medical specialty choice "strongly" or "very strongly." However, being a parent was not weighed as heavily as passion for the field, culture of the specialty, and quality of life. These student-parents are entering perceived "non-family friendly" specialties at similar rates as their peers. US Medical school training and simultaneous parenting is daunting, yet student parents are putting their passion first when making a career choice. They must be supported.

Aptitude and Academic Performance Among Medical Students of Bangladesh

Background: aptitude is one of the major determinants of effectiveness of students’ learning’. Aims and Objectives: To find out the relationship between aptitude and academic performance among medical students of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the relationship between aptitude tests’ scores and academic performances of the medical students of Bangladesh. A total of 436 student respondents participated in this study from eight purposively selected of Bangladesh those are located at Dhaka. As well as outside Dhaka from January to December 2022 using a pretested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Results: This study Finding showed that very few medical students scored ≥60% in verbal reasoning (17.4%), abstract reasoning (21.8%), situational judgement tests (6.2%) and total aptitude tests (12.4%); but the numerical reasoning was good (60.1%). no significant association was found between deferent aptitude tests’ scores and academic performances of the medical students. Conclusion: It can be recommended that we can consider to introduce aptitude tests in our medical student selection process so that students with good aptitude tests scores can enrolled in the course. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.14(2) July 2023: 3-7

Multimodale Auswahl von Medizinstudierenden: Vorhersagekraft einzelner Verfahrensbestandteile im zweistufigen Auswahlverfahren an der Universität Witten/Herdecke (UW/H)

ObjectiveAccording to the legislator's ideas, the selection of medical students in Germany should no longer be based on the Abitur grade alone. This approach has already been implemented in the two-stage selection process at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) using several criteria. On the one hand, the present study aims to determine the prognostic value of the procedural components for the overall performance on the selection day. On the other hand, the different strategies of the applicants in processing the written task (phase 1) will be examined with regard to their application success. MethodologyData on applications for the summer semester 2020 (N = 819 phase 1; N = 233 phase 2) were available retrospectively. A stepwise regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive power of each procedural component. Using a summary content analysis, the four essays from the applicants' motivation letters were structured and categories were identified, and an extreme group comparison (Group 1: Not invited; Group 2: University acceptance; N = 60 essays) was conducted. ResultsAs the stepwise regression analysis shows, the individual biographical interview emerged as the strongest predictor in terms of overall performance, followed by lecture, group interview, and multiple mini interviews. Content analysis extracted content and scaling categories for the individual essays, as well as an additional meta-category (Impression Management, IM). Successful applicants demonstrated, among other things, better judgment skills, more sophisticated reasoning skills, and an internalized role model as a physician. In addition, they used defensive IM strategies, e.g., subjectification and self-deprecation, more frequently. ConclusionBiographical interview is considered the strongest predictor of overall performance. The dimensions of impression management, reasoning quality and judgment proved to be reliable predictors of successful performance in the selection process. In addition, role image as a physician and professional commitment had a favorable effect on the selection decision.

Does examining job market awareness among medical students provide insight into the specialty selection process?

Background The future composition of a country’s physician workforce depends on medical students’ choices of specialties. Students’ familiarity with the job market (the healthcare system) they are about to enter and the influence job market conditions have on their choices has not been well explored. This study focuses on whether and how the healthcare system’s employment landscape is taken into consideration by medical students and whether this facet adds information about the specialty selection process. Methods Fifth-year medical students completed a questionnaire querying their knowledge and perceptions of the national healthcare system, selection criteria for choosing a specialty and a post-residency work position. Data were analyzed with two-tailed Student’s t-tests and multivariable regression analysis. Results The questionnaire was completed by 242 students (49% women). Forty per cent were interested in a specialty where it is ‘easy to find work’ and 64% in a specialty that ‘provides job security’. Only 12% were attracted to specialties with empty positions due to a workforce shortage. A high salary was considered an important selection criterion by 45% of students, who were also not deterred by specialties with surplus workforce, especially, if accompanied by high salaries or controllable lifestyles. Only 17% thought it would be easy to find a residency in any hospital in the specialty they chose, reflecting the low rate (3%) of positive responses to the statement that ‘there are sufficient residency positions in all specialties’. Conclusions This study demonstrated the utility of querying medical students about their market awareness when investigating the specialty selection process. Students’ poor rating of selection criteria, such as specialties with ease in finding jobs because they are suffering workforce shortages and have empty positions, provide insights and concerns for healthcare leaders. It should aid them in approaching the challenge of attracting students to specialties with workforce shortfalls. KEY MESSAGES This study demonstrated the feasibility and potential value of adding queries about market awareness when investigating the medical student specialty selection process. Medical students were more interested in a specialty that provides job security than one where it is easy to find work. It could be useful for the healthcare leadership and medical educators in all countries to learn what medical students know about their national healthcare system and whether they need to add more healthcare delivery and system subjects to their curricula.

Assess the Relationship between the Emirates Medical Residency Entry Examination, Grade Point Average, and Multiple Mini Interview Scores and the Resident’s End-of-Year-One Performance in the UAE

Background: Emirates Medical Residency Entry Examination (EMREE), grade point average (GPA), and multiple mini interviews (MMIs) offer a framework for using independent tests to choose medical students for interviewing and employment, finding people who would do well as residents and become good physicians. However, no one indicator can be used to properly predict performance in residency. Purpose: The primary goal of this study was to measure the relationship between the EMREE score, GPA, and MMI and the performance of residents in year 1. Methods: During the months of September 2021 and July 2022, a quantitative, descriptive, and correlational investigation was conducted in the UAE. Convenience sampling of applicants who met the inclusion criteria was used for the purposes of the current study. Results: There were 106 participants in the current study. EMREE and end-of-year-one evaluation had a moderate positive relationship that was significant statistically (r = 0.599**, n = 106, p < 0.05), according to a Pearson correlation. Similar to this, there was a significant relationship (r = 0.665**, p < 0.05) between GPA and the end-of-year-one performance. Likewise, there was a statistically significant (r = 0.996**, p < 0.05) positive association between MMI the end-of-year-one performance. Conclusion: The present study discovered a significant relationship between resident performance and the EMREE at the conclusion of year one. Additionally, the MMI is indeed a helpful tool to help in the selection of medical students and predict future performance. Additionally, the performance of medical students during their first year of residency can be predicted using their GPA, which has a substantial correlation.

Medical student selection process enhanced by improving selection algorithms and changing the focus of interviews in Australia: a descriptive study

The study investigates the efficacy of new features introduced to the selection process for medical school at the University of New South Wales, Australia: (1) considering the relative ranks rather than scores of the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank; (2) structured interview focusing on interpersonal interaction and concerns should the applicants become students; and (3) embracing interviewers’ diverse perspectives. Data from 5 cohorts of students were analyzed, comparing outcomes of the second year in the medicine program of 4 cohorts of the old selection process and 1 of the new process. The main analysis comprised multiple linear regression models for predicting academic, clinical, and professional outcomes, by section tools and demographic variables. Selection interview marks from the new interview (512 applicants, 2 interviewers each) were analyzed for inter-rater reliability, which identified a high level of agreement (kappa=0.639). No such analysis was possible for the old interview since it required interviewers to reach a consensus. Multivariate linear regression models utilizing outcomes for 5 cohorts (N=905) revealed that the new selection process was much more effective in predicting academic and clinical achievement in the program (R2=9.4%–17.8% vs. R2=1.5%–8.4%). The results suggest that the medical student selection process can be significantly enhanced by employing a non-compensatory selection algorithm; and using a structured interview focusing on interpersonal interaction and concerns should the applicants become students; as well as embracing interviewers’ diverse perspectives.

The impact of volunteering with a student-run free clinic on medical student specialty selection

BackgroundThe shortage of primary care physicians in the United States is expected to grow to 17,800–48,000 physicians by 2034. Student Run Free Clinics are an increasingly popular component of medical schools and may provide an avenue for increasing medical student interest in primary care specialties. However, there is limited research on the impact of Student Run Free Clinics on medical student specialty choice. This investigation sought to determine whether volunteering with the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), the Student Run Free Clinic associated with Chicago Medical School, was associated with an increased likelihood of matching into primary care specialties. Secondarily, the authors investigated associations between volunteering and matching into family practice. Finally, the authors explored associations between volunteering and the competitiveness of specialty choice.MethodsThis retrospective review utilized data on medical school graduates from 2015 – 2021 including their matched specialties, the number of ICC shifts they volunteered for, and whether they held an ICC leadership position (executive officers). Primary care specialties were defined as internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, or combined internal medicine/pediatrics. Residency fill rate was used as a proxy for competitiveness.ResultsThis analysis included 506 medical students (254 ICC volunteers and 252 non-volunteers). Among ICC volunteers, 47.2% matched into a primary care specialty compared to 36.5% of non-volunteers (RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05–1.59). Each additional shift worked at the ICC was correlated with increased odds of matching into family practice by a factor of 1.042 (95% CI 1.005–1.079).ConclusionsMedical students who volunteered with the ICC were more likely to match into primary care residencies. Students who volunteered more frequently were more likely to match into family practice. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether these associations are causative and could thus be leveraged to encourage medical students to pursue primary care careers.

Inducting undergraduate medical students via WhatsApp-based multiple mini interviews during COVID-19 pandemic.

Selection of medical students requires both cognitive and soft skills assessment. Shalamar Medical and Dental College (SMDC) has been using on-campus multiple mini interviews to assess the latter but due to Covid-19 pandemic it became imperative that an alternative be found. The aim of this communication is to share the process SMDC went through to plan, design, and ultimately conduct WhatsApp-based multiple mini interviews (wMMI) in a low risk method as an entry criteria for undergraduate medical students. The process involved designing scenarios appropriate for online interviews, training the faculty members regarding conducting MMI as well as the use of technology, and designing an online webpage for enrolling, scheduling and assessing candidates. We were able to successfully complete wMMI process for 522 candidates within one week in a low risk setting using WhatsApp as communication medium with strong IT and administrative support.

Gender Discrimination, Career Aspirations, and Access to Mentorship Among Medical Students in Brazil

IntroductionGender-based discrimination (GBD) creates a hostile environment that can affect medical students. Mentorship has been recognized as a mitigating factor for GBD. We aimed to investigate the impacts of GBD on career selection and well-being of medical students in Brazil and to explore access to mentorship among these students. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed using an anonymous survey in Portuguese. The survey was distributed in June 2021 to students enrolled in Brazilian medical schools. It contained 24 questions, including demographics, episodes of GBD experienced by responders and their impact on professional and personal life, and mentorship access. ResultsOf 953 respondents, 748 (78%) were cisgender women, 194 (20%) cisgender men, and 11 nonbinary (1%). Sixty-six percent (625/953) of students reported experiencing GBD, with cisgender women and nonbinary being more likely to experience it than cisgender men (P < 0.001). Responders who experiences GBD report moderate to severe impact on career satisfaction (40%, 250/624), safety (68%, 427/624), self-confidence (68%, 426/624), well-being (57%, 357/625), and burnout (62%, 389/625). Cisgender women were more likely to report these effects than men counterparts (P < 0.01). Only 21% of respondents (201/953) had mentors in their medical schools. ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that GBD is widespread among Brazilian medical students affecting their personal and professional lives, and most of them do not have access to a mentor. There is an urgent need to increase access to mentors who could mitigate the adverse effects of GBD and help develop a diverse and inclusive medical workforce.

Institutional Characteristics Influencing Medical Student Selection of Primary Care Careers: A Narrative Review and Synthesis.

There is an ongoing shortage of primary care physicians in the United States. Medical schools are under pressure to address this threat to the nation's health by producing more primary care graduates, including family physicians. Our objective was to identify institutional characteristics associated with more medical students choosing primary care. We conducted a systematic literature review with narrative synthesis to identify medical school characteristics associated with increased numbers or proportions of primary care graduates. We included peer-reviewed, published research from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The existing literature on characteristics, including institutional geography, funding and governance, mission, and research emphasis, was analyzed and synthesized into summary statements. Ensuring a strong standing of the specialty of family medicine and creating an atmosphere of acceptance of the pursuit of primary care as a career are likely to increase an institution's percentage of medical students entering primary care. Training on regional campuses or providing primary care experiences in rural settings also correlates with a larger percentage of graduates entering primary care. A research-intensive culture is inversely correlated with primary care physician production among private, but not public, institutions. The literature on institutional financial incentives is not of high enough quality to make a firm statement about influence on specialty choice. To produce more primary care providers, medical schools must create an environment where primary care is supported as a career choice. Medical schools should also consider educational models that incorporate regional campuses or rural educational settings.

Maintaining patient-centredness in Australian medical students: Culture, curriculum and selection criteria

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that patient-centredness may become eroded as students progress through medical training. The primary objective of this study was to explore the differences in patient-centred attitudes between first- and final-year students in the context of an Australian medical school. The secondary objective was to determine whether student factors such as age, gender, background (rural/urban), discipline of previous degree and specialty of interest were associated with patient-centred attitudes. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 214 first-year and 141 final-year Australian medical students in 2016 and 2017 (total n = 355). Score on the Patient–Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) was the main outcome measure. Results: Anonymous questionnaires were completed by 355 students (76.2%). Mean PPOS score was 4.51 (SD 0.46). Although there was no difference in mean PPOS between first-year and fourth-year students, female respondents were significantly more patient-centred than male respondents (4.58 vs 4.42, p = 0.002). Students with an interest in a surgical specialty had significantly lower patient-centredness than students with a non-surgical specialty of interest (4.36 vs 4.55, p = 0.002). Having general practice intentions was not associated with higher patient-centredness. Students with a previous humanities-based degree had higher patient-centredness than students with previous degrees in different areas (4.67 vs 4.49, p = 0.025). Conclusions: There appears to be no erosion of patient-centredness between first-year and fourth/final-year students. Medical student selection and university culture may have influenced this finding.

Evaluation of Situational Judgment Tests in student selection in Indonesia and the impact on diversity issues

BackgroundInternationally, medical selection relies heavily on prior academic attainment which has an adverse impact on the diversity of selected students. Since non-academic attributes are also important, this study aims to evaluate the use of a Situational Judgment Test (SJT) for selection and the impact on student diversity relating to gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Previous SJT research has almost entirely originated from a Western context and this study focuses on new evidence in a South East Asian context with a different demographic profile.MethodsThirty faculty members developed 112 SJT scenarios assessing professionalism, communication and self-awareness domains. The scenarios underwent a concordance stage where stakeholder input was sought on the content appropriateness, to define the item scoring key, followed by an initial psychometric evaluation with first and second year medical students (N = 436). Based on these results, 30 scenarios, consisting of 128 nested items, were selected for pilot testing and evaluation regarding diversity issues with two cohorts of applicants in 2017 (N = 446) and 2018 (N = 508).ResultsThe SJT demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.80 and 0.81 respectively). There were significant differences in SJT scores based on gender in both years, where females consistently outperformed males (p = .0001). However, no significant differences were found based on high school origin, parental educational background or ethnicity.ConclusionsThis is the first study to evaluate the use of an SJT in Indonesia, which has a unique diversity profile compared to Western countries. Largely, the preliminary results replicate previous studies of the potential diversity benefits of using an SJT as a tool for medical student selection and has the potential to level the playing field regarding socio-economic status and ethnicity. Further studies exploring more variables representing diversity are warranted to confirm the early results in this study.

Non-cognitive testing in medical student selection: the development and evaluation of a novel MMI station.

Multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) are a well-established method of assessing non-cognitive skills in medical student selection in the United Kingdom; however, there are concerns that as MMIs become more predictable, candidates can be coached through the process. An innovative station was introduced at a new medical school to assess less commonly evaluated non-cognitive skills in the context of a skills task. Our study aimed to evaluate candidate scores on the novel station and explore how they compared with scores on a traditional questions-based station and to the overall interview score. Using a laparoscopic skills trainer, candidates were asked to pass a string through as many hoops as possible, only viewing the image on a screen. All candidates were assessed on decision making, managing stressful situations and creativity using several psychological parameters. Scores were then compared with scores on a traditional values-based question and the overall interview score. Two hundred eighty-seven candidates completed the station. The average score on the novel station was significantly higher than the average scores on the other stations (paired Student's t-test, p < 0.05). There was no correlation between scores on the novel station and the traditional values-based question, suggesting different skills were being assessed in each station. This station showed it is possible to test less commonly tested non-cognitive skills, in a realistic way. Unlike traditional stations, there is no reliance on candidate recall to award marks, therefore making it more difficult to coach. However, further work is required to refine and improve the testing environment.

Considerations for Selecting Applicants to Rural Medicine Programs

The selection of medical students destined for rural practice is important in order to help provide access to care for the 20% of the US population who live in rural America. Knowing which medical school applicants will go into rural practice is an inexact science, although the objective predictive characteristics of future rural doctors are well known and evident in the literature. The role of rural program directors is to identify which applicants will likely choose a FM residency, done primarily by identifying which rural predictive characteristics the applicants possess. Admissions committee members are not expected to determine the likely practice locations of rural applicants, and need only have the responsibility of determining which applicants should become physicians.

Multiple Mini-interviews for Medical Students’ Admissions: Students and Faculty Perceptions on Acceptability and Feasibility

Aim: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the multiple mini interviews for selecting medical students for admission in a medical institution. Methods: The current cross-sectional descriptive study is a 12-item questionnaire-based survey with a four-point Likert scale to record the anonymous responses of the candidate students’ and the interviewer faculty perceptions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data quantitatively with IBM SPSS Version 25. The study evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of the utility of multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) as an assessment tool for the medical students’ selection in the admission process at Avicenna Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan. Results: A total of 438 candidate students and 42 interviewer/assessor faculty members participated in the study. Most of the candidate students (92.2%) of candidates and 97.6% of interviewer faculty regarded MMIs better than the traditional interviews for the selection of medical students. Further, 99.4% of candidate students and 97.6% of interviewer faculty were satisfied with the MMI process’s general arrangements. Finally, a hundred percent interviewer faculty and 96.8% of candidate students perceived MMIs as a feasible assessment tool for the admission process of the medical institutions. Conclusion: The overall positive responses of the candidate students and the interviewer faculty for the acceptability and feasibility of the MMI process as an assessment tool in the admission process to select medical students provide evidence for future research on the use of MMIs. In addition, other medical institutions can adapt or modify the MMI process per the available finances and resources within their local settings. Keywords: Multiple mini-interviews, Medical college admission process, acceptability, feasibility.

Rationales for a Lottery Among the Qualified to Select Medical Trainees: Decades of Dutch Experience

Rationales for a Lottery Among the Qualified to Select Medical Trainees: Decades of Dutch Experience

'Meritocracy' and 'fairness' in medical student selection: Comparing UK and Australia.

A few years ago, at an international conference paper session on student selection, I committed a fatal cross-cultural misunderstanding, which was only corrected some years later. The presenter, from the UK, was talking about widening access programs to medicine for "high-school leavers" versus "university graduates". I thought to myself how activist UK widening access policy must be, to be reaching out to high school dropouts. Of course, my vocabularic faux-pas led to a complete misunderstanding of the point of the paper - in the UK, "high school leavers" are students entering medicine directly from high school and are among the most socially privileged demographic groups in that country.

Medical student selection: the quest for the Grail.

Is striving to find the best predictive tools to select students, including professional behaviours, the best option? Or should efforts rather be put into the conditions and quality of medical education and training, by offering feedback and assessment, using portfolios with mentoring, guiding career choices to reflect society’s needs, taking into account local sociocultural issues, and training faculty members?

Examining the Surgical Life

Debriefing after a major event is a key component in ongoing improvement in performance. Likewise, reflecting on one's career at the time of leaving the operating room environment is an opportunity to transmit the lessons learned from decades of surgical practice. The authors, recently retired from daily operating and leaders in American surgery, reflect on the impact of surgical life on surgeons and their personal lives. Observations regarding selection of medical students, surgical trainees and practice models are presented from this perspective.