Selection in context: The importance of clarity, transparency and evidence in achieving widening participation goals

Rees, Eliot L; Woolf, Katherine

doi:10.1111/medu.14023

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…What was unclear at the time of the interviews was whether these concerns about repercussions were simply anxieties triggered by, perhaps, the lack of transparency in medical education selection (Rees & Woolf, 2020), versus fears grounded in reality and trainee experience. Fears over repercussions in medical education are certainly well-documented in the literature (Binder et al, 2018), especially "covert" retaliation a trainee might never be directly aware of due to lack of transparency/perceived subjectivity in many medical advancement processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Someone to Talk to”: A Qualitative Study of Oncology Trainees' Experience of Mentorship around Moral Distress

Preti

Wood

2023

Preprint

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Purpose Moral distress is an intrinsic part of healthcare, particularly prevalent in oncology practitioners. Previous studies have suggested mentorship may play a role in combatting moral distress; however, there is a lack of good evidence aimed at understanding trainees’ experience with either mentorship or moral distress, including the intersection between the two. Materials and Methods We conducted a single-centre study in the hermeneutic phenomenological approach at a Canadian academic cancer centre. Six semi-structured interviews with senior oncology trainees were conducted and analysed according to the interpretive profiles hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Results Key findings include the idea that trainees do find mentorship valuable and helpful in navigating moral distress, which is described as common and inevitable, with a number of triggers and factors identified. However, a mentorship relationship must involve mutual respect, understanding, and honesty in order to be valuable. Additionally, engaging in open, honest discussions with mentors, particularly more senior individuals, is seen as a risk-benefit balance by trainees; vertical mentors bring more wisdom and experience, but may also have a greater impact on a trainee’s future. Conclusions This thought-provoking study highlights mentorship as a potential method to combat the troubling phenomenon of moral distress in oncology trainees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Someone to Talk to”: A Qualitative Study of Oncology Trainees' Experience of Mentorship around Moral Distress

Preti

Wood

2023

Preprint

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“…We have defined ‘Non-traditional background’ as applicants who attended state-funded secondary schools, who were First in Family to attend higher education, and who were from areas of low higher education participation and/or areas of high deprivation. These factors were chosen as they are criteria frequently used to confer eligibility for contextual admissions to medical schools in the UK [ 1 , 18 ]. Participants were categorised on an ordinal scale from non-traditional to traditional depending on how many traditional attributes they possessed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Widening participation in medicine has become a priority in many countries over recent years. The aims of widening participation are to ensure the full talent pool of applicants is utilised, produce a diverse and representative workforce, improve social mobility, redress inequalities, promote social mobility, and ensure social justice[ 1 ]. The specific goals of widening participation vary by national context, depending on which groups experience inequality of access [ 1 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aims of widening participation are to ensure the full talent pool of applicants is utilised, produce a diverse and representative workforce, improve social mobility, redress inequalities, promote social mobility, and ensure social justice[ 1 ]. The specific goals of widening participation vary by national context, depending on which groups experience inequality of access [ 1 ]. Countries such as Canada and Australia focus on increasing participation amongst indigenous peoples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘I’d have to fight for my life there’: a multicentre qualitative interview study of how socioeconomic background influences medical school choice

Rees

Mattick

Harrison

et al. 2022

Medical Education Online

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Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds who were educated in state funded schools are underrepresented in medicine in the UK. Widening access to medical students from these backgrounds has become a key political and research priority. It is known that medical schools vary in the number of applicants attracted and accepted from non-traditional backgrounds but the reasons for this are poorly understood. This study aims to explore what applicants value when choosing medical schools to apply to and how this relates to their socioeconomic background. We conducted a multicentre qualitative interview study, purposively sampling applicants and recent entrants based on socioeconomic background, stage of application and medical school of application. We recruited participants from eight UK medical schools. Participants attended semi-structured interviews. We performed a framework analysis, identifying codes inductively from the data. Sixty-six individuals participated: 35 applicants and 31 first year medical students. Seven main themes were identified; course style, proximity to home, prestige, medical school culture, geographical area, university resources, and fitting in. These were prioritised differently depending on participants’ background. Participants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds described proximity to home as a higher priority. This was typically as they intended to be living at home for at least part of the course. Those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more concerned with the perceived prestige of medical schools. Since medicine is a highly selective course, only offered at a minority of UK higher education institutions, these differences in priorities may help explain observed differential patterns of medical school applications and success rates by applicant social background.

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“…Educational research points to the influence of many external factors on student academic performance, such as quality of teachers and/or schools, parental background, and socioeconomic status (SES) (Perry & McConney, 2010; Thomson, 2018). One of the outcomes of such research is a growing interest in and commitment to the notion of “widening participation” in tertiary education, with a focus on how applicants from underrepresented and/or minoritized groups can be better supported in the selection process (Cleland et al, 2018; Fyfe et al, 2022; Rees & Woolf, 2020; Younger et al, 2019). The argument that a broader basis for selection, including assessment of reasoning ability beyond school‐based academic performance, should enable a more diverse range of applicants to compete for tertiary places is one of the main justifications for the use of cognitive ability tests in the medical school selection process (Kelly et al, 2018; McDonald et al, 2000; Nicholson, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should we extend the currency of cognitive ability test scores? Considerations from construct, equity, and psychometric perspectives in medical selection

Chiavaroli,

Le,

Parker‐Newlyn

et al. 2023

Int J Selection Assessment

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Scores on cognitive ability tests used in tertiary admissions contexts generally have very limited currency. This can have significant implications for prospective applicants to high‐demand courses which use cognitive tests as part of the selection process. In this paper we present both psychometric and non‐psychometric considerations regarding the score currency of ability tests, using GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test) as an example. We found that GAMSAT scores showed sufficient stability at the cohort level for institutions to be reasonably confident that a test score would continue to provide a valid representation of cognitive ability for up to a 5‐year period. However, candidates’ pre‐test preparation will influence whether it is in their interest to re‐sit a test even within an extended currency period.

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Selection in context: The importance of clarity, transparency and evidence in achieving widening participation goals

Abstract: The authors use the example of ‘contextual admissions’ in the UK to demonstrate the importance of clarity, transparency and evidence for overcoming myths that surround fair and equitable selection.

Cited by 10 publications

References 10 publications

“Someone to Talk to”: A Qualitative Study of Oncology Trainees' Experience of Mentorship around Moral Distress

“Someone to Talk to”: A Qualitative Study of Oncology Trainees' Experience of Mentorship around Moral Distress

‘I’d have to fight for my life there’: a multicentre qualitative interview study of how socioeconomic background influences medical school choice

Should we extend the currency of cognitive ability test scores? Considerations from construct, equity, and psychometric perspectives in medical selection

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