Piloting Virtual Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) on Undergraduate Medical Students: A Multisource Feedback Analysis

Bidyadhar Sa,1 Pradeep Kumar Sahu,1 Curt Bodkyn,2 Farid Youssef,3 Averell Bethelmy,3 Rohan Maharaj,4 Md Anwarul Azim Majumder5 1Centre for Medical Sciences Education, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago; 2Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago; 3Department of Pre-Clinical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago; 4Department of Paraclinical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago; 5Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Bridgetown, BarbadosCorrespondence: Bidyadhar Sa, Centre for Medical Sciences Education, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, Tel +18687812256, Email [email protected]: The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is a structured interview format that involves a series of station-based assessment, commonly used for medical admissions. With the COVID-19 pandemic, MMIs transitioned to an online format to ensure continuity. However, the effectiveness and reception of online MMIs remain unexplored. This study aims to assess the experiences and feedback of interviewees, interviewers and technical facilitators regarding a pilot implementation of online MMIs for newly accepted medical students.Methods: This descriptive survey at the School of Medicine, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, involved year 1 medical students, interviewers, and technical facilitators who participated in the virtual MMI. We developed three self-directed questionnaires for interviewees (19 items), interviewers (14 items), and technical staff (09 items) based on literature. We administered the web-based questionnaires to the participants from the 2021 and 2022 mmIs. Data analysis used SPSS version 29, applying descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Open-ended responses were analysed thematically.Results: The majority of interviewees (85.2% in 2021 and 91.1% in 2022 with median = 3, IQR = 1) agreed that MMI helped to assess their non-academic personal attributes, interests, and motivation to study medicine which are vital to the success of health care providers. Interviewers also believed that (80% with median = 3 and IQR = 0 in 2021 and 90.6% with median = 3 and IQR = 1 in 2022) MMI is a good measure to assess the non-cognitive ability of projection medical students. The MMI technical facilitators believed that the MMI process was well organized, and they were happy with the time management.Conclusion: The study highlights the feasibility and benefits of the virtual MMIs, with interviewees, interviewers, and technical facilitators expressing predominantly positive perspective on the piloted approach. Utilizing technology for conducting virtual MMI is a welcomed innovation, even in the post-pandemic era. However, to optimize their effectiveness, the admission staff should refine the selection of cases, enhance the scoring system, improve time management strategies, and strengthen infrastructure and technical support.Keywords: multiple mini-interviews (MMI), feedback, online interviews, non-academic attributes, medical training