THE EVALUATION OF A COURSE IN INTERVIEWING FOR FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS

Abstract

A 26‐hour course in interviewing was designed for first year medical students which incorporated recommendations of previously reported studies and the GPEP report. The course was pilot‐tested as an elective offered to students in the third semester of first year. A quasi‐experimental pretest/post‐test control group study demonstrated significant increases in gain scores of the experimental group on measures of confidence in interviewing, familiarity with interviewing, knowledge of interviewing and skills in interviewing. There was no difference in scores on anxiety when interviewing. These findings indicate that a planned course can significantly improve students’ communication skills.