Ian Wilson | University of Wollongong (original) (raw)
Papers by Ian Wilson
Medical teacher, 2013
While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection an... more While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection and performance there has not been an investigation of the personality of students at different schools. Demographic data and responses to the NEO measure of personality traits were collected from medical students in the first two weeks of their enrolment (2011) in seven medical schools in Australia. Personality traits were analysed by school features, gender and age using logistic regression. Differences were detected between schools in the personality traits of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Higher Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were associated with attending an Undergraduate school (OR = 1.07 and 1.03, respectively) and a rural or community focussed school (1.06 and 1.03). Students attending a school that used interviews for selection had higher levels of Agreeableness (1.04) and lower levels of Neuroticism (0.96). This is the first study to demonstrate that personality trait...
(Medical Journal of Australia) Medical schools can cooperate: a new joint venture to provide medi... more (Medical Journal of Australia) Medical schools can cooperate: a new joint venture to provide medical education in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
"Title: Portfolio in a program of selection for a rurally focussed medical school Author(s):... more "Title: Portfolio in a program of selection for a rurally focussed medical school Author(s): Ian Wilson, University of Wollongong; Lyndal Parker-Newlyn, University of Wollongong Background: Very little has been written concerning the use of portfolios in the selection of medical students. Those papers that have been written have not demonstrated the psychometrics of the process. This presentation will describe the development of and psychometric analysis of the data generated. Summary of Work: The University of Wollongong commenced taking medical students in 2007. The focus of the program was to be regional, rural and remote medical practice. Selection was based on GPA, GAMSAT, MMI and portfolio. The portfolio is computer based and was designed to measure personal characteristics and rural background. Students completed the portfolio on line and submitted it with their application. Portfolio assessors were trained and each portfolio scored using a structured template. Two scores result, one relating to personal attributes and the other to rural background. Summary of Results: The psychometrics of the portfolio section were good. The personal attributes section had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.648 which rose to 0.685 when a poorly performing section was removed. The rural section was even better with an alpha of 0.877 rising to 0.914 with a poorly performing section removed. The portfolio scores correlated negatively with the GAMSAT and GPA, while poorly with the MMI. Preliminary predictive data will also be presented. Conclusions: A selection portfolio can provide additional information to that obtained by more standard methods."
Introduction: We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature to ident... more Introduction: We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature to identify how professionalism is defined in the medical education literature. Methods: Eligible studies included any articles published between 1999 and 2009 inclusive presenting viewpoints, opinions, or empirical research on defining medical professionalism. Results: We identified 195 papers on the topic of definition of professionalism in medicine. Of these, we rated 26 as high quality and included these in the narrative synthesis. Conclusion: As yet there is no overarching conceptual context of medical professionalism that is universally agreed upon. The continually shifting nature of the organizational and social milieu in which medicine operates creates a dynamic situation where no definition has yet taken hold as definitive.
Health & Social Care in the Community
What is known about this topic • Children have higher levels of wellbeing in countries where chil... more What is known about this topic • Children have higher levels of wellbeing in countries where child health is supported by access to a universal child health service.
JMIR Research Protocols, 2015
Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors ... more Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors and medical students/registrars in accessing specialist services. Telehealth is the use of enhanced broadband technology to provide telemedicine and education over distance. It provides accessible support to rural primary care providers and medical educators. A telehealth consultation is where a patient at a general practice, with the assistance of the general practitioner or practice nurse, undertakes a consultation by videoconference with a specialist located elsewhere. Multiple benefits of telehealth consulting have been reported, particularly those relevant to rural patients and health care providers. However there is a paucity of research on the benefits of telehealth to medical education and learning. Objective: This protocol explains in depth the process that will be undertaken by a collaborative group of universities and training providers in this unique project. Methods: Training sessions in telehealth consulting will be provided for participating practices and students. The trial will then use telehealth consulting as a real-patient learning experience for students, general practitioner trainees, general practitioner preceptors, and trainees. Results: Results will be available when the trial has been completed in 2015. Conclusions: The protocol has been written to reflect the overarching premise that, by building virtual communities of practice with users of telehealth in medical education, a more sustainable and rigorous model can be developed. The Telehealth Skills Training and Implementation Project will implement and evaluate a theoretically driven model of Internet-facilitated medical education for vertically integrated, community-based learning environments
Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2013
Recent efforts to redress the deficit of rural medical practitioners have considered the problem ... more Recent efforts to redress the deficit of rural medical practitioners have considered the problem of recruitment and retention of rural doctors as one of influencing individuals' career choices. Exposure to rural medical environments during basic medical training is one long-standing example of an initiative aimed in this direction and there is some evidence that it is effective. This study sought to determine whether or not various domains of personality are related to medical students' attitude to practising as rural doctors after graduation. The sample comprised 914 students commencing medical studies in Australian universities. They were recruited as part of the Medical Schools Outcomes Database project and indicated intended location of future medical practice. Seven Australian basic medical training programs. All students completed the NEO five-factor index (NEO-FFI) and Adjective Checklist (ACL) personality instruments. A preference for a rural practice location was associated with a combination of six domains of personality. The probability of rural preference was greater with higher scores on openness to experience, agreeableness and self-confidence but lower with higher scores on extraversion, autonomy and intraception. Taken together these six domains of personality provide useful although imperfect discrimination between students with a rural versus urban location preference. After controlling for student age the associations with extraversion and agreeableness failed to reach statistical significance. While personality does not fully explain medical…
The Medical Journal of Australia, 2015
To report the level of participation of medical schools in the Australian Medical Schools Assessm... more To report the level of participation of medical schools in the Australian Medical Schools Assessment Collaboration (AMSAC); and to measure differences in student performance related to medical school characteristics and implementation methods. Retrospective analysis of data using the Rasch statistical model to correct for missing data and variability in item difficulty. Linear model analysis of variance was used to assess differences in student performance. 6401 preclinical students from 13 medical schools that participated in AMSAC from 2011 to 2013. Rasch estimates of preclinical basic and clinical science knowledge. Representation of Australian medical schools and students in AMSAC more than doubled between 2009 and 2013. In 2013 it included 12 of 19 medical schools and 68% of medical students. Graduate-entry students scored higher than students entering straight from school. Students at large schools scored higher than students at small schools. Although the significance level was high (P < 0.001), the main effect sizes were small (4.5% and 2.3%, respectively). The time allowed per multiple choice question was not significantly associated with student performance. The effect on performance of multiple assessments compared with the test items as part of a single end-of-year examination was negligible. The variables investigated explain only 12% of the total variation in student performance. An increasing number of medical schools are participating in AMSAC to monitor student performance in preclinical sciences against an external benchmark. Medical school characteristics account for only a small part of overall variation in student performance. Student performance was not affected by the different methods of administering test items.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2013
Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to... more Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to be as critical to medical education as the acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to patient care. This article examines contemporary literature on the development of professional identity within medicine. Relevant theories of identity construction are explored and their application to medical education and pedagogical approaches to enhancing students' professional identity are proposed. The influence of communities of practice, role models, and narrative reflection within curricula are examined. Medical education needs to be responsive to changes in professional identity being generated from factors within medical student experiences and within contemporary society.
Nurse Education Today, 2013
Researchers have yet to fully explore and adequately measure Professional Identity (PI) in nursin... more Researchers have yet to fully explore and adequately measure Professional Identity (PI) in nursing. This paper aims to examine the psychometrics of five measures of PI and compare these results in first and third year nursing students. As a consequence of utilising multiple self-assessed survey tools this study also examines common methods bias. The study utilised an on-line survey to gather responses from nursing students. The pilot study examined the validity and reliability of the five measures while investigating the potential for common methods bias. All five measures tested demonstrated poorer psychometric properties or model fits for this sample than those reported by their original authors. One measure demonstrated a small mean score increase from first to third year, while all others revealed a fall from first to third year, although these were not significant. Harman's tests performed on all scales were negative for common methods bias. A psychometrically strong measure of PI was not determined however, this may relate to the sample size in this pilot study. The fall of PI from first to third year and the factors that influence such change may have implications for the recruitment and retention of nurses.
Medical Teacher, 2013
While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection an... more While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection and performance there has not been an investigation of the personality of students at different schools. Demographic data and responses to the NEO measure of personality traits were collected from medical students in the first two weeks of their enrolment (2011) in seven medical schools in Australia. Personality traits were analysed by school features, gender and age using logistic regression. Differences were detected between schools in the personality traits of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Higher Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were associated with attending an Undergraduate school (OR = 1.07 and 1.03, respectively) and a rural or community focussed school (1.06 and 1.03). Students attending a school that used interviews for selection had higher levels of Agreeableness (1.04) and lower levels of Neuroticism (0.96). This is the first study to demonstrate that personality traits differ between students entering different medical schools. While there seems to be logic behind some differences, others are perplexing. Further research should expand on these findings and the implications to schools in regards to attracting students through selection processes, mission statements and their broader social focus.
Medical Teacher, 2013
We undertook a systematic review to identify the best evidence for how professionalism in medicin... more We undertook a systematic review to identify the best evidence for how professionalism in medicine should be taught. Eligible studies included any articles published between 1999 and 2009 inclusive. We reviewed papers presenting viewpoints and opinions as well as empirical research. We performed a comparative and thematic synthesis on all papers meeting inclusion criteria in order to capture the best available evidence on how to teach professionalism. We identified 217 papers on how to teach professionalism. Of these, we determined 43 to be best evidence. Few studies provided comprehensive evaluation or assessment data demonstrating success. As yet, there has not emerged a unifying theoretical or practical model to integrate the teaching of professionalism into the medical curriculum. Evident themes in the literature are that role modelling and personal reflections, ideally guided by faculty, are the important elements in current teaching programmes, and are widely held to be the most effective techniques for developing professionalism. While it is generally held that professionalism should be part of the whole of a medical curriculum, the specifics of sequence, depth, detail, and the nature of how to integrate professionalism with other curriculum elements remain matters of evolving theory.
Medical teacher, 2013
While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection an... more While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection and performance there has not been an investigation of the personality of students at different schools. Demographic data and responses to the NEO measure of personality traits were collected from medical students in the first two weeks of their enrolment (2011) in seven medical schools in Australia. Personality traits were analysed by school features, gender and age using logistic regression. Differences were detected between schools in the personality traits of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Higher Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were associated with attending an Undergraduate school (OR = 1.07 and 1.03, respectively) and a rural or community focussed school (1.06 and 1.03). Students attending a school that used interviews for selection had higher levels of Agreeableness (1.04) and lower levels of Neuroticism (0.96). This is the first study to demonstrate that personality trait...
(Medical Journal of Australia) Medical schools can cooperate: a new joint venture to provide medi... more (Medical Journal of Australia) Medical schools can cooperate: a new joint venture to provide medical education in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
"Title: Portfolio in a program of selection for a rurally focussed medical school Author(s):... more "Title: Portfolio in a program of selection for a rurally focussed medical school Author(s): Ian Wilson, University of Wollongong; Lyndal Parker-Newlyn, University of Wollongong Background: Very little has been written concerning the use of portfolios in the selection of medical students. Those papers that have been written have not demonstrated the psychometrics of the process. This presentation will describe the development of and psychometric analysis of the data generated. Summary of Work: The University of Wollongong commenced taking medical students in 2007. The focus of the program was to be regional, rural and remote medical practice. Selection was based on GPA, GAMSAT, MMI and portfolio. The portfolio is computer based and was designed to measure personal characteristics and rural background. Students completed the portfolio on line and submitted it with their application. Portfolio assessors were trained and each portfolio scored using a structured template. Two scores result, one relating to personal attributes and the other to rural background. Summary of Results: The psychometrics of the portfolio section were good. The personal attributes section had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.648 which rose to 0.685 when a poorly performing section was removed. The rural section was even better with an alpha of 0.877 rising to 0.914 with a poorly performing section removed. The portfolio scores correlated negatively with the GAMSAT and GPA, while poorly with the MMI. Preliminary predictive data will also be presented. Conclusions: A selection portfolio can provide additional information to that obtained by more standard methods."
Introduction: We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature to ident... more Introduction: We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature to identify how professionalism is defined in the medical education literature. Methods: Eligible studies included any articles published between 1999 and 2009 inclusive presenting viewpoints, opinions, or empirical research on defining medical professionalism. Results: We identified 195 papers on the topic of definition of professionalism in medicine. Of these, we rated 26 as high quality and included these in the narrative synthesis. Conclusion: As yet there is no overarching conceptual context of medical professionalism that is universally agreed upon. The continually shifting nature of the organizational and social milieu in which medicine operates creates a dynamic situation where no definition has yet taken hold as definitive.
Health & Social Care in the Community
What is known about this topic • Children have higher levels of wellbeing in countries where chil... more What is known about this topic • Children have higher levels of wellbeing in countries where child health is supported by access to a universal child health service.
JMIR Research Protocols, 2015
Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors ... more Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors and medical students/registrars in accessing specialist services. Telehealth is the use of enhanced broadband technology to provide telemedicine and education over distance. It provides accessible support to rural primary care providers and medical educators. A telehealth consultation is where a patient at a general practice, with the assistance of the general practitioner or practice nurse, undertakes a consultation by videoconference with a specialist located elsewhere. Multiple benefits of telehealth consulting have been reported, particularly those relevant to rural patients and health care providers. However there is a paucity of research on the benefits of telehealth to medical education and learning. Objective: This protocol explains in depth the process that will be undertaken by a collaborative group of universities and training providers in this unique project. Methods: Training sessions in telehealth consulting will be provided for participating practices and students. The trial will then use telehealth consulting as a real-patient learning experience for students, general practitioner trainees, general practitioner preceptors, and trainees. Results: Results will be available when the trial has been completed in 2015. Conclusions: The protocol has been written to reflect the overarching premise that, by building virtual communities of practice with users of telehealth in medical education, a more sustainable and rigorous model can be developed. The Telehealth Skills Training and Implementation Project will implement and evaluate a theoretically driven model of Internet-facilitated medical education for vertically integrated, community-based learning environments
Australian Journal of Rural Health, 2013
Recent efforts to redress the deficit of rural medical practitioners have considered the problem ... more Recent efforts to redress the deficit of rural medical practitioners have considered the problem of recruitment and retention of rural doctors as one of influencing individuals' career choices. Exposure to rural medical environments during basic medical training is one long-standing example of an initiative aimed in this direction and there is some evidence that it is effective. This study sought to determine whether or not various domains of personality are related to medical students' attitude to practising as rural doctors after graduation. The sample comprised 914 students commencing medical studies in Australian universities. They were recruited as part of the Medical Schools Outcomes Database project and indicated intended location of future medical practice. Seven Australian basic medical training programs. All students completed the NEO five-factor index (NEO-FFI) and Adjective Checklist (ACL) personality instruments. A preference for a rural practice location was associated with a combination of six domains of personality. The probability of rural preference was greater with higher scores on openness to experience, agreeableness and self-confidence but lower with higher scores on extraversion, autonomy and intraception. Taken together these six domains of personality provide useful although imperfect discrimination between students with a rural versus urban location preference. After controlling for student age the associations with extraversion and agreeableness failed to reach statistical significance. While personality does not fully explain medical…
The Medical Journal of Australia, 2015
To report the level of participation of medical schools in the Australian Medical Schools Assessm... more To report the level of participation of medical schools in the Australian Medical Schools Assessment Collaboration (AMSAC); and to measure differences in student performance related to medical school characteristics and implementation methods. Retrospective analysis of data using the Rasch statistical model to correct for missing data and variability in item difficulty. Linear model analysis of variance was used to assess differences in student performance. 6401 preclinical students from 13 medical schools that participated in AMSAC from 2011 to 2013. Rasch estimates of preclinical basic and clinical science knowledge. Representation of Australian medical schools and students in AMSAC more than doubled between 2009 and 2013. In 2013 it included 12 of 19 medical schools and 68% of medical students. Graduate-entry students scored higher than students entering straight from school. Students at large schools scored higher than students at small schools. Although the significance level was high (P < 0.001), the main effect sizes were small (4.5% and 2.3%, respectively). The time allowed per multiple choice question was not significantly associated with student performance. The effect on performance of multiple assessments compared with the test items as part of a single end-of-year examination was negligible. The variables investigated explain only 12% of the total variation in student performance. An increasing number of medical schools are participating in AMSAC to monitor student performance in preclinical sciences against an external benchmark. Medical school characteristics account for only a small part of overall variation in student performance. Student performance was not affected by the different methods of administering test items.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2013
Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to... more Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to be as critical to medical education as the acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to patient care. This article examines contemporary literature on the development of professional identity within medicine. Relevant theories of identity construction are explored and their application to medical education and pedagogical approaches to enhancing students' professional identity are proposed. The influence of communities of practice, role models, and narrative reflection within curricula are examined. Medical education needs to be responsive to changes in professional identity being generated from factors within medical student experiences and within contemporary society.
Nurse Education Today, 2013
Researchers have yet to fully explore and adequately measure Professional Identity (PI) in nursin... more Researchers have yet to fully explore and adequately measure Professional Identity (PI) in nursing. This paper aims to examine the psychometrics of five measures of PI and compare these results in first and third year nursing students. As a consequence of utilising multiple self-assessed survey tools this study also examines common methods bias. The study utilised an on-line survey to gather responses from nursing students. The pilot study examined the validity and reliability of the five measures while investigating the potential for common methods bias. All five measures tested demonstrated poorer psychometric properties or model fits for this sample than those reported by their original authors. One measure demonstrated a small mean score increase from first to third year, while all others revealed a fall from first to third year, although these were not significant. Harman's tests performed on all scales were negative for common methods bias. A psychometrically strong measure of PI was not determined however, this may relate to the sample size in this pilot study. The fall of PI from first to third year and the factors that influence such change may have implications for the recruitment and retention of nurses.
Medical Teacher, 2013
While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection an... more While there have been studies exploring the impact of personality on medical student selection and performance there has not been an investigation of the personality of students at different schools. Demographic data and responses to the NEO measure of personality traits were collected from medical students in the first two weeks of their enrolment (2011) in seven medical schools in Australia. Personality traits were analysed by school features, gender and age using logistic regression. Differences were detected between schools in the personality traits of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Higher Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were associated with attending an Undergraduate school (OR = 1.07 and 1.03, respectively) and a rural or community focussed school (1.06 and 1.03). Students attending a school that used interviews for selection had higher levels of Agreeableness (1.04) and lower levels of Neuroticism (0.96). This is the first study to demonstrate that personality traits differ between students entering different medical schools. While there seems to be logic behind some differences, others are perplexing. Further research should expand on these findings and the implications to schools in regards to attracting students through selection processes, mission statements and their broader social focus.
Medical Teacher, 2013
We undertook a systematic review to identify the best evidence for how professionalism in medicin... more We undertook a systematic review to identify the best evidence for how professionalism in medicine should be taught. Eligible studies included any articles published between 1999 and 2009 inclusive. We reviewed papers presenting viewpoints and opinions as well as empirical research. We performed a comparative and thematic synthesis on all papers meeting inclusion criteria in order to capture the best available evidence on how to teach professionalism. We identified 217 papers on how to teach professionalism. Of these, we determined 43 to be best evidence. Few studies provided comprehensive evaluation or assessment data demonstrating success. As yet, there has not emerged a unifying theoretical or practical model to integrate the teaching of professionalism into the medical curriculum. Evident themes in the literature are that role modelling and personal reflections, ideally guided by faculty, are the important elements in current teaching programmes, and are widely held to be the most effective techniques for developing professionalism. While it is generally held that professionalism should be part of the whole of a medical curriculum, the specifics of sequence, depth, detail, and the nature of how to integrate professionalism with other curriculum elements remain matters of evolving theory.