The ability of a medical school admission process to predict clinical performance and patients' satisfaction.
Basco WT Jr, Gilbert GE, Chessman AW, Blue AV.
Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
[email protected]
PURPOSE: The authors evaluated the ability of a two-step admission process to predict clinical performance and patients' satisfaction on a third-year objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). METHOD: Subjects were three matriculating classes (1993, 1994, 1995) at one medical school. Data for the classes were analyzed separately. Independent variables were the Academic Profile (AP), an initial ranking of applicants based on grade-point ratio and MCAT scores, and the Selection Profile (SeP), an average of three interview scores. Interviews were offered based on AP rank, and admission was offered based on SeP rank. Dependent variables were total score on the faculty-graded portion of the OSCE and patients' satisfaction scores completed by the OSCE standardized patients. The authors evaluated the correlations between AP and OSCE performance and between SeP and OSCE performance. The authors also compared the OSCE performances of students whose ranks changed after interviews (SeP rank < AP rank or SeP rank > AP rank). The level of significance was adjusted for the number of comparisons (Bonferroni method). RESULTS: Complete data were available for 91% of eligible students (n = 222). No class showed a significant correlation between either AP or SeP rankings and OSCE performance (p > .01). Likewise, there was no difference in OSCE performance for students whose ranks changed after the interview. CONCLUSIONS:
The admission ranking and interview process at this medical school did not predict clinical performance or patients' satisfaction on this OSCE.
PMID: 10926028 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2000 Mar;100(3):153-61.
Relationship of preadmission variables and first- and second-year course performance to performance on the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners' COMLEX-USA Level 1 examination.
Baker HH, Cope MK, Fisk R, Gorby JN, Foster RW.
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg 24901, USA.
[email protected]
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of performance on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 licensing examination to (1) academic performance during the first 2 years of the curriculum, and (2) preadmission grade point averages (GPAs) and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores for one osteopathic medical school with the unique mission of providing osteopathic family physicians for West Virginia and rural Appalachia. Simple correlations were calculated for the 63 students at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine who completed all requirements of the first 2 years of the curriculum in May 1998 and were first eligible for board exams in June 1998. These included 26 (41.3%) female students and 5 (7.9%) minority students. Students who had failed a year and/or a course but subsequently successfully completed the first 2 years of the curriculum in May 1998 were included in this study. Every student who qualified to take the June 1998 administration of COMLEX-USA Level 1 did so at that time. For the 55 academic or preadmissions variables of interest, correlation coefficients with COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores and significance levels were calculated using SPSS Base 9.0. The correlation of COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance with GPA for Phase I was 0.64; with GPA for Phase II, 0.67; and total GPA for the first 2 years, 0.70. Grades in most individual courses also correlated significantly with COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance. Given the special focus of this curriculum on the needs of the Appalachian region and use of clinical performance measures or participation measures in calculating academic GPAs, these correlations show a remarkable degree of agreement between these two sets of performance measures. Further research is needed to see if similar relationships exist for osteopathic medical schools with other missions and with other curriculum structures.
Preadmissions GPAs and MCATs did not significantly relate to performance on COMLEX-USA Level 1.
PMID: 10763309 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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There are many abstracts pro and contra in regards to the MCAT being a preditor of subsequent performance in medical school.
I am no statistician, so I cannot comment on the validity or rigorousness of any of these studies, but the one thing that is clear is that there is no final word on the utility of the MCAT that can be drawn from them.
The one thing I do take heart in is that the majority of the people posting are supportive - that's the kind of people *I* want to be in school with. Med skool is hard enough - not being in a supportive environment just makes it that much more miserable.
- Tae