Selection of medical students: the Beer-Sheva perspective

In many Western medical schools with a low attrition rate the selection of medical students represents the key hurdle for admission to the practice of medicine. The process therefore deserves careful attention. Described herein are impressions and conclusions from almost two decades' experience in selecting medical students at the Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel. Emphasis is placed on personal qualities as determined by an interview process of those students who pass a relatively lenient academic threshold. Interviewing is carried out by teams of two, one of whom is a doctor, and each candidate who is accepted is interviewed by four members of the admission committee. Emphasis is placed on clear goals for the interview process, carefully selected and trained interviewers and continual review of the process. In spite of the inherent limitations of a subjective interview process we feel that it offers considerable advantage over other approaches in student selection.