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Veterinary school admission interviews, part 1: literature overview
G H Turnwald1, M M Spafford, J C Edwards
1Office of Academic Affairs, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. turnwald@vt.edu
Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
|November 27, 2001
Summary
Health professions schools widely use interviews for admissions, assessing motivation and skills. However, most interviews lack structure, impacting reliability and validity. Recommendations include structured questions and enhanced interviewer training for better candidate selection.
Area of Science:
- Health professions education
- Admissions processes
- Selection criteria
Background:
- Admission interviews are a critical component in selecting candidates for health professions programs.
- Understanding current interview practices is essential for improving the effectiveness of admissions processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the current use, purpose, content, format, and interviewer characteristics of admission interviews in veterinary medicine, allopathic medicine, optometry, and dentistry.
- To identify limitations in current interview practices and provide recommendations for enhancing reliability and validity in the selection process.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of admission interview practices across four health professions.
- Examination of interview use rates, candidate selection determinants, interview weighting, stated purposes, assessed skills, interview formats, durations, question types, and interviewer qualifications.
- Assessment of interview structure against established criteria for validity and reliability.
Main Results:
- Over 80% of health professions schools conduct interviews, with a strong academic profile being the primary factor for receiving an interview offer.
- Interviews primarily aim to gather information, make decisions, verify application data, recruit, and for public relations, focusing on motivation, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Most interviews are unstructured, lacking the demonstrated validity and reliability of structured formats, and interviewers receive limited training.
Conclusions:
- Current admission interviews in health professions often lack structure and standardized training, potentially compromising their effectiveness in candidate selection.
- Clear articulation of interview purpose, increased interview structure (e.g., using job-analysis-based questions), enhanced interviewer training, and panel interviews are recommended to improve reliability and validity.
- Determining the interview's weight in the overall selection process is crucial for maximizing its utility.