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Dr Smith describes changes to the SpR interview whicha re being
piloted across Wales; we implemented similar changes four years ago in
O&G within the Oxford Deanery. Candidates currently pass through three
stations, one being an old fashiond formal interview, one being a role
play in a clinical situtation comensurate with the experience expected
for entry (Y1 or Y4), and the last being a clinical scenario where the
candidate discusses his or her proposed mangement. We did, in the early
stages, include a presentation, but this failed to discriminate the weaker
candidates. As Dr Smith says, there is a perception that the individual
candidate has had a greater opportunity to demonstrate their ability for
the post, and although our analysis showed that each station discriminated
as well as the others, we are yet to be convinced that the process is
necessarily superior to the traditional method.
Unlike Dr Smith, we have not found the process to be more time
consuming, nor more expensive as all members of the Training Committee
took part in the interview process before the change, as well as after.
The issue of training the interviewers may be important, but many college
tutors will have been trained in assessment, appraisal and communication
beforehand, and so costs should not be huge.
We've changed
Dr Smith describes changes to the SpR interview whicha re being piloted across Wales; we implemented similar changes four years ago in O&G within the Oxford Deanery. Candidates currently pass through three stations, one being an old fashiond formal interview, one being a role play in a clinical situtation comensurate with the experience expected for entry (Y1 or Y4), and the last being a clinical scenario where the candidate discusses his or her proposed mangement. We did, in the early stages, include a presentation, but this failed to discriminate the weaker candidates. As Dr Smith says, there is a perception that the individual candidate has had a greater opportunity to demonstrate their ability for the post, and although our analysis showed that each station discriminated as well as the others, we are yet to be convinced that the process is necessarily superior to the traditional method.
Unlike Dr Smith, we have not found the process to be more time consuming, nor more expensive as all members of the Training Committee took part in the interview process before the change, as well as after. The issue of training the interviewers may be important, but many college tutors will have been trained in assessment, appraisal and communication beforehand, and so costs should not be huge.
.
Competing interests: None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests