Thomas Gale, Martin Roberts, Paul Lambe, Plymouth University, UK
Workshop description
There have been many recent advances in practice related to methods of selecting aspiring healthcare professionals into training posts. Contemporary methods are commonly based on assessment blueprints that incorporate both technical and nontechnical skills, attributes and professional values. Multiple mini-interviews, selection centres, portfolio-based assessments and situational judgement tests are examples of these methods, which have been implemented and evaluated in various contexts to transform the way in which healthcare professionals are selected. Furthermore, nationally standardised selection methods and the integration of longitudinal data sets containing both sociodemographic and educational performance measures, have provided opportunities to investigate factors influencing career choice and subsequent success in training programmes.
This workshop will highlight some examples of current practice in selecting healthcare professionals through a series of case studies, but also question the evidence surrounding the validity of these methods and identify opportunities for research based on major longitudinal national datasets such as the UKMED project. Round table group discussions will explore current issues and challenges in recruitment and selection, and attempt to define areas for future research.
Objectives of the workshop
- Increase familiarity with a range of selection methods and the evidence supporting their use in healthcare selection.
- Improve skills in designing and evaluating evidence based selection methods for healthcare recruitment.
- Improve knowledge and understanding of the potential benefits to selection research gained by linking large longitudinal data sets.
- Improve skills in designing research questions pertinent to healthcare recruitment.