Interview Techniques2013 Admissions Workshop
AACP Annual Meeting
July 12, 2013
ParticipantsSamford University
Jon Parker, MS, EdS [email protected]
•Assistant Director of Pharmacy Admissions
University of Kentucky
Stephanie Wurth [email protected]
•Director of Admissions & Student Diversity
University of Illinois at Chicago
Thomas TenHoeve, PhD [email protected]
•Associate Dean
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Schwanda Flowers, PharmD [email protected]
•Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Professional Development
Session Overview
• Overview of interviewing techniques
• Innovations to ensure accurate interview assessment and student selection
• Lessons learned/Challenges
• Panel discussion
Jon ParkerAssistant Director of Admission
Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy
Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy
Rolling Admission (Oct – April)
Approximately 200 Interviews
30 Min Interview/30 Min Essay
Two Interviewers/One Interviewee
Interview Day
• 10 – 20 Applicants in Two Sessions • Meet and Greet with Student Ambassadors• Overview of the Day – Schedule and Intro of
Interviewers• ½ Start Interview – ½ Start On-Site Essay• Information Session – Welcome from Dean,
Overview of Curriculum, Student Groups• Q&A With Ambassadors/Facility Tour
Interview Details• Experience Based: Focusing on 7 Areas• Half-Blinded: Committee
Member/General Faculty or Alumni• Paperless
Essay Details• Handwritten
• Non-Controversial Topics
Stephanie WurthDirector of Admissions & Student Diversity
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
UK College of Pharmacy Characteristics
• Applicant Pool = 800
• 260 interviews
• 135 seats
• Early Decision and Rolling Admissions– October through March
• PharmCAS and Supplemental Application are also required
Current Interview ProcessCurrent•Behavioral Based•1 individual/1 group
• 2 moderators per candidate• Blinded• 20-25 minutes/each
• Ice Breaker/Tour/Meeting with Dean/Info Session also included
•Improved rubric– Characteristics of scores– Tightened scale (1-4)
Challenges: Current Process• Canned responses
• Assessment challenges for Committee
• Limited number of interviewers– Quality/Quantity
• Interviewer – Biases (Expectations/Perspectives)
– Variability (Inconsistency/Scoring/Narrative Comments)
• Lack of soft skill assessment
Soft Skills or Emotional Intelligence
Ethical and Moral Judgment
Professionalism Interpersonal Skills Management Abilities
Critical Thinking
Decision Making Problem solving Time Management
Collaboration Negotiation Communication Cooperation
Future Interview Process: Fall 2013
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)•Developed by McMaster University
•Application of objective standardized clinical examination (OSCE)-like principles to the interview process
•5-10 small or “mini” interviews/stations– Scenario based (Discussions/Critical thinking)
– Simulations (Role playing)
– Collaborative
•6-10 minutes each (typically <8 minutes)
Process for Implementation• Shadowing• Faculty Presentations
– Evidence based
– Reliability/Predictability
– Positive Feedback
– Lessened time commitment
• ProFIT HR (McMaster)– Software
– Scenarios/Theories
– Web-based interviewing scoring product
Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC) School of Medicine and Research Institute MMI Interview Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZc-rItyRw
UK COP MMI• Faculty survey to select soft skills
• 7 stations/7 minutes
• 3 circuits
• Approx. 40 students/day
WISH US LUCK!!
The Move to the Multiple Mini Interview
Thomas TenHoeve, PhD
Associate Dean
UIC College of Pharmacy Characteristics
• Two Campuses– Chicago has160 per class– Rockford has 50 per class
• Typical Applicant Pool - 1500• Number of Applicants Interviewed - 500• Admissions are done on a rolling basis starting in
October and running through April• Use PharmCAS application, supplemental
application, and interview to score applicants• All components have a scoring rubric (to ensure a
consistent, objective review)
Interview Type Transition
Traditional Interviews
Behavior Based Interviews
Multiple Mini Interviews
Pros and Cons
• Traditional – easy to set up interviews (lots of faculty involvement), no real training necessary, no specific space requirements, no set scoring rubric, very subjective, blind, one interviewer
• Behavior-Based – training necessary, need to develop prompts, harder to get faculty involved, scoring rubric possible, no specific space requirements, blind, one interviewer, lack of consistent scoring between interviewers
Pros and Cons (cont’d)
• MMI – very resource intensive (time, people, $$$), need to develop stations for circuit, general training necessary, station specific training necessary, need space for circuit(s), scoring rubric must be developed, more “eyes” on each applicant, much more consistent evaluation of applicants
The UIC MMI Experience• Work with ProfitHR – company that formed out of
McMaster University, the home of MMI.
• 6 stations - Ethics, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Teamwork (giving and receiving), Time Management
• Each station has a scenario score and a communication score
• 7 minutes per station with 3 minutes transition for a total of an hour
• 3 hours of interviews per interview day (18 applicants)
The UIC MMI Experience (cont’d)
• Interviewers “specialize” in their scenario
• 5 interview teams (30 interviewers)
• Interviewers - faculty, P4 students, and alumni
• Interview day consists of an MMI intro for applicants, a tour of the college, Q/A with current students, lunch
• Writing assessment (asking them to write about their interview experience)
Feedback
• Applicants love it!
• Interviewers love it!
Schwanda Flowers, PharmDAssociate Dean for Student Affairs and
Professional Development
UAMS College of Pharmacy
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy
Mission:To improve health of culturally diverse populations by, educating pharmacy leaders to address community health needs, advancing scientific discovery to produce innovations in healthcare, and fostering progressive pharmacy practice through service to the profession
•Students:Total – 481
In-State – 470
Male – 179
Female - 302
UAMS COP Application Process• Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) is required
– Minimum composite percentile of 30 is required for consideration of application
• Overall college GPA of 2.50 or above • Minimum of 8 hours of General Chemistry I and 4 hours of Organic
Chemistry I with a grade of “C” or better by the application deadline• Only applicants that are US citizens or hold a valid Permanent
Resident/Resident Alien (green) card are considered• Supplemental application required
– All applicants with a completed PharmCAS application and selected for interview will be provided the information about supplemental application materials. There is a $100.00 supplemental fee
• Letters of Reference– All applicants must present three references – two must be from college
professors who have taught the applicant in class and one reference may be of the student’s choice.
Interview Day• Welcome
• Campus tour
• NW Campus
• Curriculum Overview
• “More Choices” presentation
• White Coat prep
• MMI
Multiple Mini Interview
• Implementation Spring 2008• Clinical Skills Center• 4 station MMI
– Ethics/professionalism, empathy/rapport, knowledge of profession, career choice/suitability for profession
• Actors, faculty, and students– NOT members of the admissions committee
• 8 minutes cases
UAMS Center for Clinical Skills
• Fall 2013 Admissions cycle– 537 applicants– 228 interviews– 8 interview dates
• 24-48 applicants per date• Approx. $6,000• 24 Faculty/students/actors per date
Multiple Mini Interview
MMI Score sheetScoring
Scale: 1 Unsatisfactory 3 Borderline 5 Satisfactory 7 Outstanding 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Communication skills
Strength of argument/discussion content
Suitability for pharmacy
Overall performance YES NO
The candidate appears confident that he/she can become an active participant in the provision of direct patient care services. (Yes=0 & No=1)
At the conclusion of this interview is there anything that ‘worries/concerns’ you about the candidate. (Yes=1 & No=0)
MMI Results
• Admissions data 2008-2011
• N=476
• Median MMI score of 5.7
• MMI scores <4.3 were 3x as likely to experience difficulty (p=0.0396)
Questions?