Developing a robust tool: advancing the multiple mini interview in pre-registration student midwife selection in a UK setting

Background: Published research has shown the multiple mini interview (MMI) to be a reliable assessment instrument in medical and nursing student selection internationally. Objectives: To develop, pilot and examine the reliability of MMIs in pre-registration student midwife selection in one Higher Education Institution a UK setting. Design and setting: BSc (Hons) Midwifery Studies students at a Higher Education Institution in the UK volunteered to participate in ‘mock’ MMI circuits during the first week of their programme. DeVellis’s framework for questionnaire development underpinned the generation of interview scenarios. Participants’ responses to scenario questions were rated on a 7 point scale. Internal consistency was calculated for each station. Results: An eight station model was piloted. Communication skills were assessed at each station as a generic attribute. Station specific attributes assessed included compassion and empathy, respect for difference and diversity, honesty and integrity, intellectual curiosity and reflective nature, advocacy, respect for privacy and dignity, team working and initiative, the role of the midwife and motivation to become a midwife. Cronbach’s alpha scores for each station ranged from 0.91 – 0.97. Conclusion: The systematic development of the MMI model and scenarios resulted in ‘excellent’ reliability across all stations. These findings endorse the MMI technique as a reliable alternative to the personal interview in informing final decisions in pre-registration student midwife selection