Letters
Volume 196 - Issue 11

Only the best: medical student selection in Australia

Author:  Jeffrey V Rosenfeld

Med J Aust 2012; 196 (11): 683-683. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10549
Published online: 18 June 2012
To the Editor: The article by Wilson and colleagues concludes with the words: “... to ensure that only those applicants most likely to succeed are selected for medical training”.1 What does the word “succeed” really mean? Success is not only measured by the award of the MB BS (or MD). Academic brilliance and commitment to lifelong learning are not sufficient either. Compassion, kindness, respect for ...
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To the Editor: The article by Wilson and colleagues concludes with the words: “... to ensure that only those applicants most likely to succeed are selected for medical training”.1 What does the word “succeed” really mean? Success is not only measured by the award of the MB BS (or MD). Academic brilliance and commitment to lifelong learning are not sufficient either. Compassion, kindness, respect for others and the ability to work cooperatively in teams are also hallmarks of success in medicine.

I wish we could select our medical students so that those with major character flaws are unsuccessful in their applications for entry into medical courses. There is no strong evidence that any of the tests listed by Wilson et al, including interviews, personality tests and personal references, can meet this challenge. So many problems we encounter in medicine would be averted if these qualities were assured. We are sorely in need of a greater evidence base.

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