Medical educational culture: introducing patients to applicants as part of the medical school interview: feasibility and initial impact show and tell

Abstract

IntroductionThe College of Medicine at our institution underwent a major curricular revision in order to develop a patient-centered context for learning. The admission process was revised to reflect this change, adopting a holistic review process, with the hope of attracting students who were particularly well suited to a patient-centered curriculum and learning culture.MethodsPatients from a single practitioner, who were accustomed to working with medical students, were asked if they would like to select the next generation of physicians. The patient's experience included a brief didactic presentation related to the patient's diagnosis and treatment. This was followed by an informal session with the applicants and the physician, where they shared their story in a small group setting. They were encouraged to share their experiences with the healthcare system, both positive and negative. The goal was to allow applicants to glean the importance of the human aspects of disease in our institutional culture of learning.ResultsThe response and experience were overwhelmingly positive for the patients who donated their time to participate and for our applicants. Follow-up surveys indicated that our applicants found the experience to be unique and positive. Many of the students who chose to attend our university cited the interview experience and learning culture as factors that influenced their choice of medical schools. In addition, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education cited the favorability of the admission process in their recent site visit.DiscussionNow in its fifth year, we can say that the inclusion of patients as part of the interview day is feasible as part of our admission process. We continue to make changes and monitor our progress, and we have added several other faculty members and specialties in order to ensure the program is sustainable.

A qualitative study of patients’ and caregivers’ perspectives on educating healthcare providers

“…1,35,36 Further, studies have highlighted that patients' participation in the admission interview process can help identify candidates who exemplify the core components of patient-centred care. 9,37,38 Unfortunately, however, faculties and educators have greatly underutilized patients' involvement in such roles. 6,37,38, Thus, we hope that individuals responsible for curricula development and admissions committees, especially within Canada, will use this study to stimulate, among other things, discussions and ideas on how to initiate and sustain patient involvement in curricula development and admissions committees.…”

Holistic Admissions Review in Nursing Education: A Concept Analysis Using Rodgers’ Evolutionary Method

“…Personal essays (Katsufrakis et al, 2016), recommendation letters (Ballejos et al, 2018), letters of evaluation (Love et al, 2016), or purpose/personal statements (Ballejos et al, 2018; Witzburg & Sondheimer, 2013) were also utilized to highlight applicant life experiences, overcoming hardship, communication skills, and the student’s ability to successfully complete academic programs. Sims and Lynch (2016) described a unique approach in which applicants met with patients so that faculty could observe interpersonal communication styles.…”

“…Medical schools consistently described legal guidelines or rulings regarding holistic review implementation (Grabowski, 2018; Thomas & Dockter, 2019). Numerous sources described concerns regarding problematic bias, reliability, or validity of subjective human decision-making during holistic review processes (Kreiter et al, 2018; Sims & Lynch, 2016; Wilson et al, 2019), and some described the importance of standardizing assessment data to enhance reliability or validity (Love et al, 2016; Marshall et al, 2020). Wilson et al (2019) noted that faculty may experience preferences related to personal or social similarities with applicants and feel legitimized by their expert experiences as objective judges, even when evidence shows some degree of bias.…”

Patient Engagement in Medical Trainee Selection: A Scoping Review

“…35,36 In contrast, direct patient engagement in early continuum selection practices may have engendered a negative reaction toward medicine for some applicants. 22,37,39 However, if direct patient interactions in early selection activities kept some people out of the profession who were ill suited to it, this outcome should be deemed beneficial.…”