sBMJ | Time for UK to change selection process?

Time for UK to change selection process?

Editor-Richard Hwang's article about becoming a doctor in the United States was interesting, and there are some interesting points that we in United Kingdom need to consider.¹

Traditionally, all UK exams are qualifying exams, and sometimes it is difficult for the selection panel to choose the right person from the bundles of applications that they receive. Keeping in mind the clinical workload that the consultants have, it is difficult for them to allocate sufficient time to go through all the applications to make a correct choice. At some time, every medical graduate in training feels a necessity for some sort of grading system so that the selection process is more straightforward and less susceptible to bias. Throughout the world, countries are taking different measures to choose the best candidates for their best posts. Many countries are adapting to the grading methods of their doctors. The most common method of grading is by multiple choice questions and then by clinical examinations or interviews.

Unfortunately, we do not have a standardised method of choosing, and most of the time we are relying on traditional methods, for which there is always a scope for personal bias. Clinical governance emphasises the importance of creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish,² but to achieve this there must be systems to avoid bias in selecting the best candidates for the post. We should ollow some of the US selection methods, such as grading exams and a centralised selection process.

R R Gollapenne, senior house officer, orthopaedics

S Gella, senior house officer, orthopaedics, Pinderfields General Hospital, Wakefield
Email: mrgella@hotmail.co.uk

studentBMJ 2005;13:265-308 July ISSN 0966-6494

Hwang R. studentBMJ 2005;13:239-40. (June.)
Scally G, Donaldson LJ. Clinical governance and the drive for quality improvement in the new NHS in England. BMJ 1998;317:61-5.

Responses published this month

Articles	Responses
LETTERS Time for UK to change selection process? R R Gollapenne, S Gella, (July 2005)	Taiyyab Mehmood (August 23rd, 2005) Read this response

	LETTERS Time for UK to change selection process? R R Gollapenne, S Gella, (July 2005)
	Taiyyab Mehmood (August 23rd, 2005) Medical Student/Medicine/3rd year, England/Latvia mrt1066@yahoo.com
	I concur. Medical schools are very conservative still in schoosing who to take. Only in recent yers they are taking he occasionaly low social class student to appease the critism that they msotly draw private school students who make a small percentage of the applicants. The whole system today is in shamble. I prefer the continental euroepan system wher it has an open policy of taking any student but to get through each semester is very tough so the number of students falls after each semster. Thos who fail can redo that semster. But most see the realisation of how hard medicine is and use their existing credits to go to another course. In UK it is the other way round wher it is very hard to get in for the average no-private schol student but easy to cruise through and thats why our level of junior doctors knowsledge is below standard to our continental peers. And the idea to teach medicine in 4 years who really will be good enough only to become GPs or clincal scientists is pathetic. I agree we need a score system examination like they do in usa with mcat and then all students from all medical schools do USMLE also so one can see how good one studnet is from antoher. nto jut pass and faila s we ahve in england..its total nonsical and baised in england. Peace to all ! :))