gms | German Medical Science

Research in Medical Education – Chances and Challenges International Conference

20.05. - 22.05.2009, Heidelberg

Student selection: Identifying a good doctor. First experiences at Hannover Medical School (MHH)

Meeting Abstract

  • presenting/speaker Agnieszka Dudzinska - Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Hannover, Germany
  • author Volkhard Fischer - Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Hannover, Germany
  • corresponding author Volker Paulmann - Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Hannover, Germany
  • author Hermann Haller - Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Hannover, Germany

Research in Medical Education - Chances and Challenges 2009. Heidelberg, 20.-22.05.2009. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2009. Doc09rmeG5

doi: 10.3205/09rme41, urn:nbn:de:0183-09rme415

Veröffentlicht: 5. Mai 2009

© 2009 Dudzinska et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open Access-Artikel und steht unter den Creative Commons Lizenzbedingungen (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.de). Er darf vervielfältigt, verbreitet und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht werden, vorausgesetzt dass Autor und Quelle genannt werden.


Gliederung

Poster

Although it is difficult to validate what makes a good doctor, it is common sense that the Abitur (German secondary school diploma) - representing the best predictor for a successful graduation of the medical curriculum - is not a sufficient criterion. As a result, universities in Germany are allowed to assess applicants by additional criteria. In 2006, the so-called Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen – AdH was also applied at Hannover Medical School (MHH). The background was the introduction of a new model curriculum (HannibaL, http://www.mh-hannover.de/10097.html) that puts the accent on a patient-related education that encompasses practice and research work alike. Potential students are evaluated in terms of their appropriateness to become a good doctor. This process aims to incorporate students with a high motivation and distinct soft skills. Thus, in addition to the Abitur grade, applicants receive another grade from the selection procedure. Based on both grades, a weighed mean is formed that allocates a rank for each applicant and eventually regulates the access for the bulk of the students.

Next to this application form, other ways to enter academic education exist. In the evaluation of the selection method all the groups are incorporated to receive a complete picture of the of the students’ performance. We differ between the following groups:

1.
Students who got their place in at MHH due to their Abitur grade (ZVS-Verfahren)
2.
Students who succeeded in the selection process but who would have been eligible to study at MHH if the Abitur grade was the only criteria
3.
Students who succeeded in the selection process and who would have been refused to study if the Abitur grade was the only criteria
4.
Students who got a place due to waiting time
5.
Students who got a place a member of a special contingent (military, foreign students…)

For there are no studies on alumni yet, the measurement of academic success is still based on several dependant variables:

  • The number of passed exams within a defined period of time
  • The average grade in each exam
  • The number of terms that are necessary to pass a certain number of exams.

Students who receive their place in the selection process are supposed to be more successful than students from the waiting time list and not worse than the students from the second group. The presentation depicts the selection modus at Hannover Medical School and discusses the results with respect to the model curriculum.