Academic and personal predictors of clinical success in medical school

Admissions interview data and college academic credentials of five classes of University of Missouri-Columbia medical students were evaluated as possible predictors of clinical success. Those students who were judged by admissions interviewers to have high levels of maturity, nonacademic achievement motivation or rapport were approximately two to three times as likely to receive outstanding internship recommendations as those without such personal characteristics. Under-graduate grade-point average had a smaller but nevertheless significant relationship with clinical success as measured by internship letters. These data suggest that additional emphasis during selection upon applicants' personal characteristics would have enhanced the clinical success of these students.