Assessing the Interpersonal Skills of Medical Students

Abstract

Medical students are now more frequently experiencing courses designed to improve their skills in communication and interpersonal relations, but there is a lack of procedures to evaluate such courses and assess student progress. A test is described which attempts to rate responses to simulated medical interviews portrayed in short films. The test was used with first‐year medical students who had taken a course in communication skills, and a control group of first‐year physics students. The medical students’ scores increased significantly from pre‐to post‐test while those of the physics students did not. Analysis of the results indicated that the test was sensitive to changes in level of skill which could not be attributed to age and maturation effects. Uses of the test materials for teaching and selection purposes are discussed.