Should Efforts in Favor of Medical Student Diversity Be Focused During Admissions or Farther Upstream?

Abstract

MMI could not neutralize the diversity-limiting properties of academic scores as selection criteria to interview. Using academic scores in this way causes range restriction, counteracting attempts to enhance diversity using downstream admissions selection measures such as MMI. Diversity efforts should instead be focused upstream. These results lend further support for the development of pipeline programs.

Gender Might Be Factor for Student Admission in Two Brazilian Medical Schools

“…Thus, gender was not a determining factor in the selection process in the U.S., which could be in part attributed to its non-cognitive stage. Reiter et al, demonstrated this hypothesis by showing no relationship between gender and scores on the MMI, GPA, or MCAT non-cognitive tests 20 .…”

Medical University admission test: a confirmatory factor analysis of the results

“…Among other things, construction, adaptation, and weighting of individual components of various admission processes as well as predictive validity (with regards to the future performance of the applicants) [1][2][3][4][5]; the necessity to test also interpersonal/personal skillsbesides cognitive abilities [6][7][8][9], what results are obtained by whom, and of course, fairness in its broader sense [10,11] are discussed. Depending on which countries the admission processes for medical college are performed in, this is, among other things, dominated by ethnicity 1 3 [12], gender equality [11,13] or, generally, the necessity to educate a student population that corresponds to the societal requirements, and that is as diverse as possible [14].…”

Widening participation in medicine: what, why and how?

“…Research into the relationship between MMIs and WP is limited, however the evidence that does exist demonstrates no association between SES and MMI scores, although there are some issues relating to use among candidates with poorer English language proficiency (Cleland et al, 2014;Kelly et al, 2014;Reiter et al, 2012). Larger scale studies are therefore needed before MMIs can be endorsed as being useful for WP, however these encouraging early results, combined with the ability to standardise questions and increase the candidate to interviewer ratio, make MMIs an attractive option for medical schools evaluating WP in their selection processes (Rosenfeld et al, 2008).…”

“…Initiatives aimed at WP may be 'too late' when aimed at application processes, however ensuring WP applicants who do apply for medicine are not disadvantaged by the process is essential (Brown & Garlick, 2006;O'Neill et al, 2013;Reiter et al, 2012). Determining selection tools which widen participation is also necessary if there is success in increasing the number of disadvantaged applicants to medical school (Tiffin et al, 2012).…”