The selection of GP trainees in the West Midlands: audit of assessment centre scores by ethnicity and country of qualification

Use of the Interview in Resident Candidate Selection: A Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Although the resident candidate interview is costly and time-consuming for both applicants and programs, it is considered critically important for resident selection. Noncognitive attributes, including communication skills and professionalism, can be assessed by the personal interview.

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a review of the literature on the residency interview to identify the interview characteristics used for resident selection and to ascertain to what extent the interview yields information that predicts future performance.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and Scopus using the following search terms: residency, internship, interview, selection, and performance. We extracted information on characteristics of the interview process, including type of interview format, measures taken to minimize bias by interviewers, and testing of other clinical/surgical skills.

RESULTS

We identified 104 studies that pertained to the resident selection interview, with highly varied interview formats and assessment tools. A positive correlation was demonstrated between a medical school academic record and the interview, especially for unblinded interview formats. A total of 34 studies attempted to correlate interview score with performance in residency, with mixed results. We also identified a number of studies that included personality testing, clinical skills testing, or surgical skills testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review identified a wide variety of approaches to the selection interview and a range of factors that have been studied to assess its effectiveness. More research needs to be done not only to address and ascertain appropriate interview formats that predict positive performance in residency, but also to determine interview factors that can predict both residents' "success" and program attrition.

Ethnicity and academic performance in UK trained doctors and medical students: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the ethnicity of UK trained doctors and medical students is related to their academic performance.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Online databases PubMed, Scopus, and ERIC; Google and Google Scholar; personal knowledge; backwards and forwards citations; specific searches of medical education journals and medical education conference abstracts.

STUDY SELECTION

The included quantitative reports measured the performance of medical students or UK trained doctors from different ethnic groups in undergraduate or postgraduate assessments. Exclusions were non-UK assessments, only non-UK trained candidates, only self reported assessment data, only dropouts or another non-academic variable, obvious sampling bias, or insufficient details of ethnicity or outcomes. Results 23 reports comparing the academic performance of medical students and doctors from different ethnic groups were included. Meta-analyses of effects from 22 reports (n = 23,742) indicated candidates of "non-white" ethnicity underperformed compared with white candidates (Cohen's d = -0.42, 95% confidence interval -0.50 to -0.34; P<0.001). Effects in the same direction and of similar magnitude were found in meta-analyses of undergraduate assessments only, postgraduate assessments only, machine marked written assessments only, practical clinical assessments only, assessments with pass/fail outcomes only, assessments with continuous outcomes only, and in a meta-analysis of white v Asian candidates only. Heterogeneity was present in all meta-analyses.

CONCLUSION

Ethnic differences in academic performance are widespread across different medical schools, different types of exam, and in undergraduates and postgraduates. They have persisted for many years and cannot be dismissed as atypical or local problems. We need to recognise this as an issue that probably affects all of UK medical and higher education. More detailed information to track the problem as well as further research into its causes is required. Such actions are necessary to ensure a fair and just method of training and of assessing current and future doctors.

The selection of GP trainees in the West Midlands: second audit of assessment centre scores by ethnicity and country of qualification

The new regional GP trainee selection process in the West Midlands aims to be fair, open and efficient in selecting the most suitable candidates for training posts. This paper is a follow-up audit of the results of the first selection round that have previously been published in this journal (Brown et al., 2001). Here we provide an analysis of candidates' performance in the selection process by ethnic background and country of qualification for the first four selection rounds (n=753). Performance is assessed in terms of the percentage of candidates passing the shortlist stage and being offered a training post in the West Midlands, and by an analysis of shortlist and total scores. This audit finds that UK-trained candidates are most likely to be shortlisted; African- and Asian-trained candidates are the least likely to be shortlisted; and Asian-trained candidates have relatively low success in being placed in the West Midlands.