The development and psychometric properties of a measure to assess the written submission of an admissions application

Introduction

Health care programs evaluate prospective applicants using cognitive and non-cognitive criteria. The aim of this research was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure to evaluate the non-cognitive criteria of admissions applications.

Method

A Masters of Occupational Therapy Written Submission Measure (MOTWSM) was developed and evaluated over 3 phases, using applicants’ written statements, resumes, and reference letters. Participants included 50 students who completed an occupational therapy program for determination of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Additionally, 195 written submissions selected from the applicants who were admitted, waitlisted, and not admitted to the program were evaluated to determine inter-rater reliability using a two-way ANOVA. Analysis of 195 submissions using a one-way ANOVA determined the measure’s discriminative validity.

Findings

Results indicated test-retest reliability of 0.95 and internal consistency reliability of 0.76. Inter-rater reliability reported a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86 using a horizontal scoring method. Good discriminative validity was established.

Conclusion

The MOTWSM is a reliable and valid measure that can be used to evaluate the non-cognitive criteria of admissions applications in health profession programs. Use of this measure can facilitate selection of the highest caliber of students.

Predictive validity of multiple mini interview scores for future academic and clinical placement performance in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy programmes

Background/aims

Limited research exists on the predictive validity of multiple mini interviews when used during the selection process for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy programmes. Traditional interviews were replaced by multiple mini interviews in the selection process for these three undergraduate programmes in one UK university. The purpose of secondary data analysis was to determine whether multiple mini interviews can predict academic and clinical placement performance during the first and second year of study.

Methods

Secondary data analysis was performed using the admissions data from 169 students. Data analysed comprised predictors (entry tariff, age and multiple mini interview scores) and outcomes (academic and placement achievement in years 1 and 2 over a period of 2 years from 2014 to 2016).

Results

Multiple standard regression analyses revealed that, overall, multiple mini interview score was not a significant predictor of academic achievement or clinical placement performance in years 1 and 2 for any of the three professions. Pearson's correlations indicated that age and entry tariff were frequently and significantly correlated with academic achievements for all cohorts.

Conclusions

Performance in the multiple mini interview is not a predictor of academic achievement or clinical placement performance in this specific cohort of students. Entry tariff showed a significant correlation with academic achievement. Additional studies with larger cohorts are recommended.

Recruiting the next generation: applying a values-based approach to recruitment

The qualified district nurse (DN) role demands high levels of leadership. Attracting the right candidates to apply for the Specialist Practice Qualification District Nursing (SPQDN) education programme is essential to ensure fitness to practice on qualification. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the traditional panel interview discouraged candidates from applying and a need to improve the quality of the overall interview process was identified by the authors. The University of Central Lancashire in partnership with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust adopted the National Values Based Recruitment (VBR) Framework to select candidates to gain entry onto the SPQDN course. This involved using 'selection centres' of varying activities including a multiple mini interview, written exercise, group discussion, and portfolio review with scores attached to each centre. The ultimate aim of utilising VBR was to align personal and profession values to both the nursing profession and the Trust whilst allowing a fairer assessment process. An evaluation of the VBR recruitment process demonstrated 100% pass rate for the course and 100% satisfaction with the interview process reported by all 16 candidates over three academic years. Interviewer feedback showed deeper insight into the candidates' skills and values aligned with the core values and skills required by future District Nurse leaders within the Trust.