The multiple mini-interview for emergency medicine resident selection

Abstract

Background: The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) uses multiple, short-structured contacts to evaluate communication and professionalism. It predicts medical school success better than the traditional interview and application. Its acceptability and utility in emergency medicine (EM) residency selection are unknown.

Objective: We theorized that participants would judge the MMI equal to a traditional unstructured interview and it would provide new information for candidate assessment.

Methods: Seventy-one interns from 3 programs in the first month of training completed an eight-station MMI focused on EM topics. Pre- and post-surveys assessed reactions. MMI scores were compared with application data.

Results: EM grades correlated with MMI performance (F[1, 66] = 4.18; p < 0.05) with honors students having higher scores. Higher third-year clerkship grades were associated with higher MMI performance, although this was not statistically significant. MMI performance did not correlate with match desirability and did not predict most other components of an application. There was a correlation between lower MMI scores and lower global ranking on the Standardized Letter of Recommendation. Participants preferred a traditional interview (mean difference = 1.36; p < 0.01). A mixed format (traditional interview and MMI) was preferred over a MMI alone (mean difference = 1.1; p < 0.01). MMI performance did not significantly correlate with preference for the MMI.

Conclusions: Although the MMI alone was viewed less favorably than a traditional interview, participants were receptive to a mixed-methods interview. The MMI does correlate with performance on the EM clerkship and therefore can measure important abilities for EM success. Future work will determine whether MMI performance predicts residency performance.

Keywords: Multiple Mini-Interview; communication; graduate medical education; professionalism; residency selection.