Current practices in admission interviews at U.S. medical schools

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Admissions Processes
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• The interview is a common component of U.S. medical school admissions.
• Current interview practices and their effectiveness as an admissions tool are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current interview practices in U.S. medical school admissions.
• To assess the perceived utility and structure of interviews in selecting applicants.

Main Methods:

• A 46-item questionnaire was developed to gather data on interview practices.
• The questionnaire was distributed in 1989 to admission officials at all 127 LCME-accredited medical schools in the U.S.
• A 72% response rate was achieved from the surveyed institutions.

Main Results:

• Respondents identified two primary purposes for interviews: assessing noncognitive skills and public relations.
• Most medical school interview processes were found to be loosely to moderately structured.
• Interviewers reported receiving minimal formal training for their roles.

Conclusions:

• The interview's role in medical school admissions is largely subjective.
• While interviews influence admission decisions, their impact is imprecise.
• Standardization of interview structure and interviewer training may enhance its utility.