Does Emotional Intelligence at medical school admission predict future licensing examination performance?

BACKGROUND: Medical school admissions committees are seeking alternatives to traditional academic measures when selecting students; one potential measure being emotional intelligence (EI). If EI is to be used as an admissions criterion, it should predict future performance. The purpose of this study is to determine if EI scores at admissions predicts performance on a medical licensure examination. METHODS: All medical school applicants to the University of Ottawa in 2006 and 2007 were invited to complete the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT v2.0) after their interview. Students were tracked through medical school into licensure and EI scores were correlated to their scores on the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) attempted between 2010 and 2014. RESULTS: The correlation between the MSCEIT and the MCCQE Part I was r (200) = .01 p =. 90 The covariates of age and gender accounted for a significant amount of variance in MCCQE Part I scores (R 2 = .10, p<.001, n=202) but the addition of the MSCEIT scores was not statistically significant (R 2 change = .002, p=.56). The correlation between the MSCEIT and the MCCQE Part II was r(197) = .06, p = .41. The covariates of age and gender accounted for some variance in MCCQE Part II scores (R 2 = .05, p = .007, n=199) but the addition of the MSCEIT did not (R 2 change = .002 p =.55). CONCLUSION: The low correlations between EI and licensure scores replicates other studies that have found weak correlations between EI scores and tests administered at admissions and during medical school. These results suggest caution if one were to use EI as part of their admissions process.

CONTEXTE: Les comités d'admission des facultés de médecine sont à la recherche d'alternatives aux mesures académiques traditionnelles lors de la sélection des étudiants; une mesure potentielle étant l'intelligence émotionnelle (IÉ). Si l'IÉ doit être utilisée comme critère d'admission, elle devrait pouvoir prédire la performance future. L'objectif de cette étude est de déterminer si les résultats de l'IÉ lors des admissions prédisent la performancelors d'un examen de certification. MÉTHODES: Tous les candidats à la faculté de médecine de l'Université d'Ottawa en 2006 et en 2007 ont été invités à remplir le test d'intelligence émotionnelle Mayer-Salovey-Caruso (MSCEIT v2.0) après leur entrevue. Les étudiants ont été suivis tout au long de leurs études en médecine jusqu'à leur début de pratique et les résultats de l'IÉ ont été corrélés à leurs résultats lors de l'examen d'aptitude du Conseil médical du Canada (EACMC) tentéentre 2010 et 2014. RÉSULTATS: La corrélation entre le MSCEIT et la partie I de l'EACMC était de r (200) = 0,01 p = 0,90. Les covariables de l'âge et du genre comptaient pour une partie importante de la variance dans les résultats de la partie I de l'EACMC (R 2 = 0,10, p < 0,001, n = 202), mais l'ajout des résultats du MSCEIT n'était pas statistiquement significatif (changement de R 2 = 0,002, p = 0,56). La corrélation entre le MSCEIT et la partie II de l'EACMC était de r (197) = 0,06 p = 0,41. Les covariables de l'âge et du genre comptaient pour une certaine variance dans les résultats de la partie II de l'EACMC (R 2 = 0,05, p = 0,007, n = 199), mais l'ajout des résultats du MSCEIT ne comptait pas (changement de R 2 = 0,002, p = 0,55). CONCLUSION: Les faibles corrélations relevées entre les résultats de l'IÉ et la certificationconfirment les conclusionsd'autres études qui ont obtenu de faibles corrélations entre les résultats de l'IÉ et les tests donnés aux admissions et à la faculté de médecine. Ces résultats appellent à la prudence si quelqu'un devait utiliser l'IÉ dans son processus d'admission.

Designing faculty development to support the evaluation of resident competency in the intrinsic CanMEDS roles: practical outcomes of an assessment of program director needs.

BACKGROUND: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada mandate that faculty members demonstrate they are evaluating residents on all CanMEDS (Canadian Medical Education Directions for Specialists) roles as part of the accreditation process. Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Ottawa initiated a 5-year project to develop and implement a comprehensive system to assess the full spectrum of CanMEDS roles. This paper presents the findings from a needs assessment with Program Directors, in order to determine how postgraduate medical faculty can be motivated and supported to evaluate residents on the intrinsic CanMEDS roles. METHODS: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 60 Postgraduate Program Directors in the Faculty of Medicine. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative analysis. Once the researchers were satisfied the identified themes reflected the views of the participants, the data was assigned to categories to provide rich, detailed, and comprehensive information that would indicate what faculty need in order to effectively evaluate their residents on the intrinsic roles. RESULTS: Findings indicated faculty members need faculty development and shared point of care resources to support them with how to not only evaluate, but also teach, the intrinsic roles. Program Directors expressed the need to collaborate and share resources across departments and national specialty programs. Based on our findings, we designed and delivered workshops with companion eBooks to teach and evaluate residents at the point of care (Developing the Professional, Health Advocate and Scholar). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying stakeholder needs is essential for designing effective faculty development. By sharing resources, faculties can prevent 'reinventing the wheel' and collaborate to meet the Colleges' accreditation requirements more efficiently.

Does emotional intelligence at medical school admission predict future academic performance?

PURPOSE: Medical school admissions committees are increasingly considering noncognitive measures like emotional intelligence (EI) in evaluating potential applicants. This study explored whether scores on an EI abilities test at admissions predicted future academic performance in medical school to determine whether EI could be used in making admissions decisions. METHOD: The authors invited all University of Ottawa medical school applicants offered an interview in 2006 and 2007 to complete the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso EI Test (MSCEIT) at the time of their interview (105 and 101, respectively), then again at matriculation (120 and 106, respectively). To determine predictive validity, they correlated MSCEIT scores to scores on written examinations and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) administered during the four-year program. They also correlated MSCEIT scores to the number of nominations for excellence in clinical performance and failures recorded over the four years. RESULTS: The authors found no significant correlations between MSCEIT scores and written examination scores or number of failures. The correlations between MSCEIT scores and total OSCE scores ranged from 0.01 to 0.35; only MSCEIT scores at matriculation and OSCE year 4 scores for the 2007 cohort were significantly correlated. Correlations between MSCEIT scores and clinical nominations were low (range 0.12-0.28); only the correlation between MSCEIT scores at matriculation and number of clinical nominations for the 2007 cohort were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: EI, as measured by an abilities test at admissions, does not appear to reliably predict future academic performance. Future studies should define the role of EI in admissions decisions.

Managing and mitigating fatigue in the era of changing resident duty hours.

The medical establishment is grappling with the complex issue of duty hour regulations - an issue that is a natural consequence of the numerous changes in medical culture and practice that have occurred over the course of decades. Sleep deprivation resulting from long duty hours has a recognized impact on resident health and wellness. This paper will briefly outline the evolution of the concept of well-being in residency, review the specific theme of fatigue management within that context, and describe strategies that may be used to mitigate and manage fatigue, as well as approaches that may be taken to adapt to new scheduling models such as night float. Finally, the paper will call for a change in the culture in our workplaces and among our residents and faculty to one that promotes good health and ensures that we maintain a fit and sustainable medical workforce.

Building positive relationships in healthcare: evaluation of the Teams of Interprofessional Staff interprofessional education program.

The Teams of Interprofessional Staff (TIPS) project consisted of five healthcare teams from across Ontario, participating in three, two-day face-to-face interprofessional educational (IPE) sessions over an 8-month period. The purpose of TIPS was to explore whether interprofessional team development for practicing healthcare professionals, makes a difference in team functioning, team member satisfaction, ability to work effectively both individually and as a team, and improved patient well-being. A comprehensive formative and summative evaluation revealed that all teams perceived they benefitted from and engaged in successful team development. Success meant different things to each team reflecting the continuum of team development from building a safe, trusted group to becoming leaders of team development for other interprofessional teams. Effective teamwork is crucial to nurses who often take on the role of coordinator of care on a day-to-day basis, or are in managerial roles in interprofessional clinics or clinical program teams.

Does an emotional intelligence test correlate with traditional measures used to determine medical school admission?

BACKGROUND: As medical school admission committees are giving increased consideration to noncognitive measures, this study sought to determine how emotional intelligence (EI) scores relate to other traditional measures used in the admissions process. METHOD: EI was measured using an ability-based test (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, or MSCEIT) in two consecutive cohorts of medical school applicants (2006 and 2007) qualifying for the admission interview. Pearson correlations between EI scores and traditional measures (i.e., weighted grade point average [wGPA], autobiographical sketch scores, and interview scores) were calculated. RESULTS: Of 659 applicants, 68% participated. MSCEIT scores did not correlate with traditional measures (r = -0.06 to 0.09, P > .05), with the exception of a small correlation with wGPA in the 2007 cohort (r = -0.13, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The lack of substantial relationships between EI scores and traditional medical school admission measures suggests that EI evaluates a construct fundamentally different from traits captured in our admission process.

Staying human in the medical family: the unique role of doctor-parents.

Issues confronting doctor-parents include the impact of parenting on career choice, special challenges faced by women doctor-parents, leave entitlements, and the unique strengths and challenges of two-doctor families. Experience from one Canadian doctors' health program suggests that unique themes include communication within doctor-families, insight into doctor-parent dynamics, the relationship between doctor-parents and their child's doctor, and potential boundary crossings and violations within the doctor-family. The relationships between medical workforce sustainability, medical human resources, and issues related to doctor-parents need further consideration and analysis.