Birgitta Wallstedt

Factors associated with dropout in medical education: a literature review

Medical Education 2011: 45: 440–454

Medical school dropout - testing at admission versus selection by highest grades as predictors

Medical Education 2011: 45: 1111–1120

Admission criteria and diversity in medical school.

The under‐representation in medical education of students from lower socio‐economic backgrounds is an important social issue. There is currently little evidence about whether changes in admission strategies might increase the diversity of the medical student population. Denmark introduced an ‘attribute‐based’ admission track to make it easier for students who may not be eligible for admission on the ‘grade‐based’ track to be admitted on the basis of attributes other than academic performance. The aim of this research was to examine whether there were significant differences in the social composition of student cohorts admitted via each of the two tracks during the years 2002–2007.

Generalisability of a composite student selection programme

Objectivesu2002 The reliability of individual non‐cognitive admission criteria in medical education is controversial. Nonetheless, non‐cognitive admission criteria appear to be widely used in selection to medicine to supplement the grades of qualifying examinations. However, very few studies have examined the overall test generalisability of composites of non‐cognitive admission variables in medical education. We examined the generalisability of a composite process for selection to medicine, consisting of four variables: qualifications (application form information); written motivation (in essay format); general knowledge (multiple‐choice test), and a semi‐structured admission interview. The aim of this study was to estimate the generalisability of a composite selection.

Generalizability of a composite student selection procedure at a university-based chiropractic program.

PURPOSEnNon-cognitive admission criteria are typically used in chiropractic student selection to supplement grades. The reliability of non-cognitive student admission criteria in chiropractic education has not previously been examined. In addition, very few studies have examined the overall test generalizability of composites of non-cognitive admission variables in admission to health science programs. The aim of this study was to estimate the generalizability of a composite selection to a chiropractic program, consisting of: application form information, a written motivational essay, a common knowledge test, and an admission interview.nnnMETHODSnData from 105 Chiropractic applicants from the 2007 admission at the University of Southern Denmark were available for analysis. Each admission parameter was double scored using two random, blinded, and independent raters. Variance components for applicant, rater and residual effects were estimated for a mixed model with the restricted maximum likelihood method. The reliability of obtained applicant ranks (generalizability coefficients) was calculated for the individual admission criteria and for the composite admission procedure.nnnRESULTSnVery good generalizability was found for the common knowledge test (G=1.00) and the admission interview (G=0.88). Good generalizability was found for application form information (G=0.75) and moderate generalizability (G=0.50) for the written motivation essay. The generalizability of the final composite admission procedure, which was a weighted composite of all 4 admission variables was good (G(c) = 0.80).nnnCONCLUSIONnGood generalizability for a composite admission to a chiropractic program was found. Optimal weighting and adequate sampling are important for obtaining optimal generalizability. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Teaching acid/base physiology in the laboratory

Acid/base homeostasis is one of the most difficult subdisciplines of physiology for medical students to master. A different approach, where theory and practice are linked, might help students develop a deeper understanding of acid/base homeostasis. We therefore set out to develop a laboratory exercise in acid/base physiology that would provide students with unambiguous and reproducible data that clearly would illustrate the theory in practice. The laboratory exercise was developed to include both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. Data were collected from 56 groups of medical students that had participated in this laboratory exercise. The acquired data showed very consistent and solid findings after the development of both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. All results were consistent with the appropriate diagnosis of the acid/base disorder. Not one single group failed to obtain data that were compatible with the diagnosis; it was only the degree of acidosis/alkalosis and compensation that varied.