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Veterinary school admission interviews, part 3: strategies for increasing interview validity.
Robert E Lewis1, Kimberly L van Walsum, Marlee M Spafford
1Personnel Decisions International, 45 South Seventh St., Minneapolis, MN 55402 USA. bob.lewis@personneldecisions.com
Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
|June 8, 2004
Summary
Improving veterinary school admissions interviews requires structured approaches. Key strategies include defining purposes, conducting job analyses, training interviewers, and analyzing data systematically for enhanced reliability and validity.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Education
- Admissions Processes
- Psychometrics
Background:
- The veterinary school admission interview is a common but debated selection tool.
- Concerns exist regarding its reliability, validity, and cost in admissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide actionable strategies for enhancing the validity and reliability of veterinary school admission interviews.
- To offer guidance on optimizing the interview process from preparation to post-interview analysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of interview reliability and validity studies.
- Identification of best practices for structured interviews and data analysis.
- Recommendations for pre-interview preparation, during-interview conduct, and post-interview evaluation.
Main Results:
- Veterinary schools often use panel interviews and assign fixed weights, which can improve validity.
- Key strategies include defining interview purposes, job analysis, structured interviews, interviewer training, and systematic data analysis.
- Structured steps during the interview (agenda, probing, candidate questions, evaluation) are crucial.
Conclusions:
- Implementing structured interview protocols and rigorous data analysis significantly enhances the validity and reliability of veterinary school admissions.
- Adopting these strategies can lead to more effective and equitable selection of candidates.