Predicting performance in health professions education programs from admissions information – Comparisons of other health professions with pharmacy

Predicting the Success of International Pharmacists in a Distance-Based US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program: Results from a 5-Year Cohort

“…Establishing effective admission criteria is essential to the success and function of a pharmacy program. Prior pharmacy school admissions studies have shown that traditional cognitive measures (e.g., achievement tests, prior GPA) had strength of correlation of less than 0.30 with didactic performance [ 7 , 12 , 13 ]. Admissions variables in the cognitive domain are even less predictive for performance in healthcare experiential programs, suggesting the need to bolster measures of non-cognitive criteria such as communication, empathy, citizenship, ethical behavior, commitment to leadership, and diversity [ 7 ].…”

“…Prior pharmacy school admissions studies have shown that traditional cognitive measures (e.g., achievement tests, prior GPA) had strength of correlation of less than 0.30 with didactic performance [ 7 , 12 , 13 ]. Admissions variables in the cognitive domain are even less predictive for performance in healthcare experiential programs, suggesting the need to bolster measures of non-cognitive criteria such as communication, empathy, citizenship, ethical behavior, commitment to leadership, and diversity [ 7 ]. Creation of the multiple mini-interview process has advantages in that it increases the validity of interview scoring in a multicultural context, which overlaps with many aspects of our institution’s interview processes.…”

“…In accordance with the 2016 ACPE accreditation standard 17 appendix 3, PharmD programs should conduct correlations between admission variables and academic performance [ 6 ]. In addition, prior studies have suggested that admissions processes should be tailored to predict academic performance in both the didactic and the experiential settings [ 7 ]. Given the design of the ITPD program, and the global backgrounds of its students, the purpose of this study is to establish predictors of academic performance and student success in the ITPD program by examining the relationship between admission criteria and performance in both didactic and experiential training.…”

Admission academic metrics and later success in an accelerated master’s entry program

“…Specific to nursing graduate schools, both the GRE and the Miller Analogy Test (MAT) have been accepted criteria used for predicting success in the graduate school admission process [17] and studies in the 1980-1990's provide undeniable evidence that UGPA is predictive in many professional health care programs. [18][19][20][21][22][23] But studies determining whether UGPA and/or the GRE successfully measure academic success in graduate health professional schools are widely varied and controversial [24,25] and while the UGPA may predict student success in one health professional program, it does not necessarily predict success in others. [24] Criticism related to standardized testing points to its inability to measure a student's creativity or practical capability [26] and whether students who obtain higher scores on standardized examinations, are simply better test takers, not necessarily guaranteeing academic success.…”

“…[18][19][20][21][22][23] But studies determining whether UGPA and/or the GRE successfully measure academic success in graduate health professional schools are widely varied and controversial [24,25] and while the UGPA may predict student success in one health professional program, it does not necessarily predict success in others. [24] Criticism related to standardized testing points to its inability to measure a student's creativity or practical capability [26] and whether students who obtain higher scores on standardized examinations, are simply better test takers, not necessarily guaranteeing academic success. [26] Gibson, Leavitt, Lombard & Morris [27] found that those students who had no standardized testing data in their admission files had somewhat higher graduate school UGPA's than those who did take standardized tests.…”