Development and implementation of a group interviews and evaluation process for pharmacy admissions at a large urban institution
Keywords:
Admissions, Interviews, Group, Pharmacy, EducationAbstract
Introduction: The Admissions Committee at Long Island University College of Pharmacy (LIU Pharmacy) developed and implemented a group interview format for the 2015-2016 admissions cycle. The new process, which included a group interview, a critical thinking exercise and a campus tour, allowed for 300 pharmacy school candidates to be interviewed in four full-day sessions. This article reports the experience of developing and implementing group interviews at LIU Pharmacy.
Methods: Four full-day sessions were scheduled to interview pharmacy school candidates during the spring of 2016. Seventy-five candidates were divided into three groups of 25 for each session and rotated through three sections: 1) group interview; 2) critical thinking exercise; and 3) campus tour. The Office of Admissions at LIU Pharmacy organised the interview schedule and a total of 48 faculty, alumni and staff evaluators were trained.
Results: Group interviews were conducted to interview 300 candidates in four full-day sessions at LIU Pharmacy. Total evaluator interviewing hours were reduced by 20% when compared to the previous year. Feedback surveys from candidates and evaluators showed acceptable levels of satisfaction and comfortability with the new interview process.
Discussion: The development and implementation of group interviewing at LIU Pharmacy allowed for 300 pharmacy school candidates to be interviewed in four full-day sessions during the 2015-2016 admission cycle.
References
ACPE [Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education]. (2016a). Accreditation standards (online). Available at: https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016FINAL. pdf. Accessed 15th July, 2016
ACPE [Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education]. (2016b) Guidance for Standards (online). Available at: https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/GuidanceforStandards 2016FINAL.pdf. Accessed 15th July, 2016
Bloom, B.S., Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H. & Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay
Cameron, A.J. & MacKeigan, L.D. (2012). Development and pilot testing of a multiple mini-interview for admission to a pharmacy degree program. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 76(1). Art.10
Glazer, G., Startsman, L.F., Bankston, Michaels, J., Danek, J.C. & Fair, M. (2016). How many schools adopt interviews during the student admission process across the health professions in the United States of America? Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 27(13), 12
Kelsch, M.P. & Friesner, D.L. (2014). The health sciences reasoning test in the pharmacy admissions process. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 78(1), Art.9
Latif, D.A. (2005). Including the assessment of nontraditional factors in pharmacy school admissions. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 39, 721-6
Shaw, J., Kennedy, J., Jensen, M. & Sheridan, J.(2015). An international perspective on pharmacy student selection policies and processes. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 79(8), Art.115
Shriwalker, A. (2015). Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in pharmacy education - a trend. Pharmacy Practice, 13(4), 627
Trice, L.B. & Foster, P.H. (2008). Improving nursing school diversity through use of group admission interview. AORN Journal, 87, 522-32
Wall, A.L., Aljets, A., Ellis, S.C., Hansen, D.J., Moore, W.M., Petrelli, H.M.W., Speedie, M.K., TenHoeve, T., Watchmaker, C., Winnike, J.S. & Wurth, S.D. (2015). White paper on pharmacy admissions: Developing a diverse work force to meet the health-care needs of an increasingly diverse society. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 79(7), Art.S7