The Admission Interview in Medical Schools

Abstract

T his study is aimed to reflect non-cognitive traits that should be assessed in admissions interviews for medical school applicants, with the goal being to increase the reliability of the admissions interview. The admissions interview is valued for its ability to assess noncognitive and nonteachable attributes of good doctors, especially which cannot be evaluated with other admission assessment tools. Various characteristics of applicants including age, gender, exam scores, and nonverbal communication were found to have influenced the interview results. Bias from interviewers was a significant factor in the results of the interview. A Structured interview in multiple stations such as the Multiple Mini-Interview showed the highest reliability and validity. To make the interview fair, no information about the applicants was provided to the interviewers and interviewers were recruited from different backgrounds. There have been few research papers on admission interviews in Korea. Active research on the qualities of good doctors and effective and reliable admission interview methods should be encouraged. A strategy should be developed to overcome the philosophical obstacles that medical school professors want to admit academically excellent applicants.