Self-report personality tests and medical school selection

Background: There has been a growing interest on the assessment of personality when selecting medical students. However, how faking may affect its usefulness has been poorly addressed. Therefore, we aimed to assess the faking effect on self-report personality tests in the selection process of graduates to a medical school. Methods: Sixty-seven graduates admitted as medical students completed the 60-item NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability short-form scale at the stage of applying (baseline assessment) and after they had already been admitted (follow-up assessment). Reliability was assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient and means of the personality traits compared by two paired sample t tests. Results: At baseline assessment, the participants showed higher scores on the conscientiousness and lower scores on the neuroticism traits, respectively, 40.3 vs. 38.5 (p= 0.026) and 17.0 vs. 18.5 (p= 0.089). Also, at the follow-up assessment, the participants with low social desirability scored higher on the traits of openness to experience (−1.63 vs. 1.12, p= 0.036), conscientiousness (−3.09 vs. 0.03, p= 0.022), and neuroticism (3.88 vs. −0.69, p= 0.012). Conclusions: Our study does not suggest the use of self-report personality assessment in medical student's selection as it can be faked particularly among applicants with low social desirability. Research is required to evaluate the faking effect on indirect personality assessment, namely through the tools that aim to select non-academic characteristics. (AU)

Differentiation Strategy of Graduate Entry Programme / 한양의대학술지

Graduate medical students have been expected to have different characteristics and backgrounds. If it is true, our strategy to educate them should be differentiated. However, basic medical education for graduate entrants in Korea now is not much different from those for non-graduate entrants. Therefore, I investigated the differences between graduate entry and schoolleaver students. Herein, I reviewed their demographics, academic backgrounds, career choice motivation, moral reasoning ability, learning styles and strategy, academic achievement, quality of school life, and outcome after graduation. Also I tried to suggest the differentiated strategy for effective education according to curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, student support system, and admission selection policy.

How do students of the graduate entry program evaluate themselves and their will to contribute to medicine? / 医学教育

1) We found that students of the Graduate Entry Program (GEP) had the will to realize the aim of the recruitment but did not think highly of the GEP and were not highly motivated to contribute to medicine, the school, or the region. These findings reflect their low self-evaluation and their lack of real activities. <br>2) The GEP students had various proposals about the recruitment and examination methods of the GEP. Most proposals request clarification of how the program fits into the university's future goals.<br>3) Many GEP students foresaw that 5 to 10 years would be needed to distinguish themselves to from non-GEP students. At that time, more extensive research on GEP should be conducted.

Trends of graduate-entry programmes in the United Kingdom / 医学教育

1) We reported recent movement to graduate entry program (GEP) of medical education curriculum in the UK by both interviewing faculty members who are in charge of GEP and doing literature review.<BR>2) In GEP, we may be able to make better doctors in short term.However, as long term outcome is not known so far, further discussion is necessary.<BR>3) Many contents can be improved by just curriculum change, not by introducing GEP.Besides it can be said that GEP can make diverse doctors.

Medical education and graduate-entry program in Australia / 医学教育

1) We visited four universities in Australia where both graduate-entry and undergraduate-entry programs are adopted.<BR>2) Although there is not clear difference in the outcome between the two programs, preference for graduate-entry program was recognized.

Graduate-entry programmes in Ireland / 医学教育

1) We report here the introduction of graduate entry programmes (GEP) of medical education curriculum in Ireland. Shortness of the doctors stimulated the introduction of GEP in Ireland.Two of the five medical schools introduced GEP and one is planning to introduce, while the other two do not have any idea to introduce it at present.<BR>2) GEP can grow doctors of diverse abilities and is evaluated by Irish medical educators

Comparison of Students' Characteristics and Perceptions Before and After Introduction Into Graduate Medical School System / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study was performed to compare the characteristics and perceptions of medical school students and professional graduate medical school students. METHODS: Study subjects were 131 medical students from a national university and 113 applicants of a professional graduate medical school. We developed a self-reported questionnaire asking about socio-demographic characteristics; the level of satisfaction of educational environment; perception of missions of medical education and career plan and student activities during school. RESULTS: Students from the professional graduate medical school were significantly different from medical students in socio-demographic characteristics. They also showed higher satisfaction with their education, were more supportive of student union activities and were more anxious about economic and health problems than medical students. However, there was no difference between the two groups regarding perception of missions of medical education and career plan after graduation. CONCLUSION: Based on the above results, it is necessary to consider the characteristics and perceptions of professional graduate medical students when developing educational policies for these older students. The limitation of this study includes a restricted sample, and generalization of results should be done carefully. Thus, more extensive, wide-ranging studies would be useful.

Comparison of Career Choice Motivation and Moral Reasoning Ability between Students in Baccalaureate and Graduate-entry Programs / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the differences in career choice motives and moral reasoning ability between students in baccalaureate and graduate-entry medical programs. METHODS: Forty-five students from a baccalaureate program and thirty-eight students from a graduate-entry program participated in this study. The students were required to fill out both the Career Choice Motivation Inventory and Defining Issues Test(DIT). The Career Choice Motivation Inventory is a 20-item questionnaire, which investigates five dimensions: effect of others, job security, interest in science, service and working with people, and working condition. Independent t-test was performed to compare the two groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to investigate the relationship among variables. RESULTS: There were significant differences in career choice motivations between the two groups. Students in the graduate-entry program were more likely to be motivated by scientific interest and opportunities to care for people. Status and job security were stronger factors in the baccalaureate students. For the students in this program, there were positive associations among their motives- interest in medical science, serving people, and working condition. There was no significant difference in moral reasoning ability between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Students in the graduate-entry medical program seem to have more professional and altruistic motivations for entering medicine. Although there is nostatistical significance, graduate students have numerically higher moral reasoning abilities compared to their counterparts. These results validate that a graduate-entry program provides an important alternative for student selection.

Summary of a 30-year-old System of Graduate Entry at Osaka University Medical School / 医学教育

To evaluate a 30-year-old system of graduate entry at Osaka University Medical School, we analyzed the personal profiles and career choices of entrants already holding university degrees. At total of 405 such students have been admitted. Although the number of applicants with degrees decreased during the “bubble period” of asset-inflated economic expansion, it increased after the collapse of the bubble. Ninety-eight percent of graduate entrants were male, and at the time of entrance 82% of entrants were younger than 30 years, with a peak age distribution between 24 and 26 years. Ninety-six percent of entrants were graduates of a national university. Academic degrees held by the graduate entrants were bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees in 57%, 36%, and 7%, respectively. Eighty-four percent of entrants had taken science courses before being admitted to our school. After graduation, research in basic medical science was more likely to be chosen as a career by students entering with university degrees than by students entering directly from high school. Although many graduates now hold supervisory positions, such as professor and hospital director, graduate entrants were more likely to enter family medicine than were students entering directly from high school. More than 20 years after graduation, 14% of graduate entrants were working at a university and 44% at a hospital. Furthermore, 9.6% of graduate entrants were professors, 7% were hospital directors, and 27% were family practitioners. These results indicate that our graduate entry system has admitted talented people with a clear purpose in life who received advanced scientific education and has produced a large number of graduates who have assumed leadership positions.