Prediction of performance of psychiatric residents: A three-year follow-up study

The authors compared supervisors' global and specific item ratings of psychiatric residents' performance in each of three years of training with ratings of these applicants prior to their admission to the program. Although preadmission ratings had almost no predictive power, there were certain items that consistently discriminated between residents rated high and those rated low by supervisors in each year of training. The authors conclude that initial interviews of those selected cannot predict their subsequent performance. They therefore recommend that a major portion of these interviews be devoted to an exchange of information between the applicant and the department.