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Trends concerning a common medical school interview question, revisited
S R Kelley1, M A Ray, B J Tsuei
1Good Samaritan Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA. srkell3@yahoo.com
Medical Teacher
|September 22, 2007
Summary
Interviews asking medical school applicants about their planned specialty may not yield truthful answers. Many students are uncertain or not fully forthcoming about their future practice field.
Area of Science:
- Medical education research
- Admissions processes
Background:
- Medical school admissions interviews aim to assess candidate suitability.
- Understanding applicants' intended specialty is a common interview topic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of responses regarding planned practice fields from medical school applicants.
- To compare current findings with a similar 2004 study.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous surveys administered to freshman medical students.
- Voluntary participation and immediate collection of surveys.
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval obtained.
Main Results:
- Out of 82 respondents, 32 (39%) were uncertain about their specialty.
- Among 50 certain respondents, 58% reported truthful disclosure during interviews.
- 34% admitted to not being completely forthcoming, and 8% were not asked.
Conclusions:
- Responses about planned medical specialties during interviews may lack validity.
- Findings align with a 2004 study, suggesting a consistent issue.
- Interview questions about future practice may not provide reliable data.
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