Dr Graeme Horton

© 2020 AMPCo Pty Ltd Objectives: To assess whether the change from the Undergraduate Medical and Health Sciences Admissions Test (UMAT; 1991¿2019) to the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) for the 2020 New South Wales undergraduate medical degree intake was associated with changes in the impact of sex, socio-economic status and remoteness of residence, and professional coaching upon selection for interview. Design, setting, participants: Cross-sectional study of applicants for the three NSW undergraduate medical programs for entry in 2019 (4114 applicants) or 2020 (4270); 703 people applied for both intakes. Applicants selected for interview were surveyed about whether they had received professional coaching for the selection test. Main outcome measures: Scores on the three sections of the UMAT (2019 entry cohort) and the five subtests of the UCAT (2020 entry); total UMAT and UCAT scores. Results: Mean scores for UMAT 1 and 3 and for all four UCAT cognitive subtests were higher for men than women; the differences were statistically significant after adjusting for age, socio-economic status, and remoteness. The effect size for sex was 0.24 (95% CI, 0.18¿0.30) for UMAT total score, 0.38 (95% CI, 0.32¿0.44) for UCAT total score. For the 2020 intake, 2303 of 4270 applicants (53.9%) and 476 of 1074 interviewees (44.3%) were women. The effect size for socio-economic status was 0.47 (95% CI, 0.39¿0.54) for UMAT, 0.43 (95% CI, 0.35¿0.50) for UCAT total score; the effect size for remoteness was 0.54 (95% CI, 0.45¿0.63) for UMAT, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.39¿0.58) for UCAT total score. The impact of professional coaching on UCAT performance was not statistically significant among those accepted for interview. Conclusions: Women and people from areas outside major cities or of lower socio-economic status perform less well on the UCAT than other applicants. Reviewing the test and applicant quotas may be needed to achieve selection equity.

© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Global Environmental Changes are dynamic and complex, crossing disciplines, sectors, regions, and populations and shaping the health of current and future generations. GECs present an unprecedented challenge demanding a response of equal scale and complexity involving unfettered collaboration beyond disciplines with implications for global health. At this critical point, health professions¿ education should have moved on from building consensus about the relevance of education for sustainable healthcare (ESH) to active implementation. In this commentary, we discuss why transdisciplinary problem-solving and interprofessional education should be considered in education for sustainable healthcare. We review types of collaborative educational practices, outline opportunities, challenges, and resources to enable implementation.

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: The development of professional identity is a fundamental element of medical education. There is evidence that in Germany, students¿ perceptions of the ideal and real doctor differ, and that of themselves as physicians falls between these constructs. We sought to compare students¿ perceptions of themselves, the ideal doctor, and the ¿real¿ doctor and investigate differences from first to final year in the relationships between these constructs, as well as differences between Australian and German cohorts. Method: Students in the first and final years of their medical program at one Australian and one German university were invited to complete the Osgood and Hofstatter polarity profile, involving the description of their mental image of the ideal and real doctor, and the doctor they hope to become, with adjectives provided. Results: One hundred sixty-seven students completed the survey in Australia (121 year 1, 46 year 5) and 188 in Germany (164 year 1, 24 year 6). The perception of the ideal doctor was consistent across all respondents, but that of the real doctor and self-image differed between country and year. Differences existed between country cohorts in perceptions of ¿confidence¿, ¿strength¿, ¿capability¿ and ¿security¿. Conclusions: The pattern previously reported among German students was maintained, but a different pattern emerged among Australian students. Differences between countries could reflect cultural differences or variations in the overt and hidden curricula of medical schools. Some of the constructs within the profiles are amenable to educational interventions to improve students¿ confidence and sense of capability.