Interview Day
Description of the Interview Day
Following the submission of a complete application through PharmCAS, selected applicants will receive an e-mail interview invitation outlining directions to Regis University, parking and instructions for the interview day. Adult family members are also invited to the interview day where they will enjoy separate programming from the applicant.
The day will start with registration, instructions and a light breakfast. School of Pharmacy faculty will be present to welcome you.
The day will consist of a series of activities including a series of short interviews, a written essay, tour of campus, lunch, and a fun team-based learning activity.
Multiple Mini Interviews
Multiple mini interviews (MMIs) are a series of short, structured conversations each involving a specific topic. This interview method was developed at McMaster University and has been adopted as the interview method for a growing number of international and U.S. medical, dental and physical therapy schools. The Regis School of Pharmacy has adopted this method because it provides a more reliable assessment of the applicant characteristics and eliminates the possibility of misrepresentation due to a poor applicant performance in a one time - one interviewer event.
This method of interviewing increases the opportunity for applicants to interact with a variety of people over a number of topics. Topics include ethics, leadership, communication, creative thinking, cultural awareness, stress management, compassion, empathy and cognitive moral development. Knowledge of pharmacy is not required for these interviews.
During the MMI applicants will be assigned to a private and confidential interview room. Interviewers will move between applicant rooms. Each applicant will meet with eight interviewers. At the start of each session, the interviewer will enter the room, introduce themselves and provide the applicant with the question or scenario. The applicant will be given two minutes to read the question or a scenario and prepare for the interview. The interviewer will reenter the room and begin a conversation about what the applicant has read. The interview will last for six minutes and then the interviewer will proceed to the next station.
The interviewers have undergone training in the interview and assessment process. They have been recruited from the School of Pharmacy faculty, Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions faculty and pharmacist preceptors. The School of Pharmacy is dedicated to quality assurance and will perform an annual review of the MMIs to assure reliability of the process. To help us in this process we ask that applicants and interviewers complete a short survey at the end of the interview day.
Acknowledgements: McMaster University, University of Saskatchewan, and University of Calgary.
For additional information about MMIs
http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/interviews.html
http://www.medicine.usask.ca/pt/admission/school-of-physical-therapy-multiple-mini-interview-method
Essay
This exercise is modeled after the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) writing sample. Applicants will be asked to review several topic statements and then select one for which they will formulate a reply. The reply is in the form of a coherent essay that addresses the topic through three specific writing tasks.
For additional information about the MCAT writing sample
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/
Tour
Applicants will receive a tour of campus and have an opportunity to ask questions.
Lunch
The evaluation portion of the day is all over. It is time to relax. Applicants, faculty and preceptors will share lunch and conversation. Dr. Tom Reynolds will share the history and mission of Regis University followed by Dean Lane Brunner addressing applicants in order to share his vision for the new Regis University School of Pharmacy. This will be followed by a question and answer session with the Dean.
Team Based Learning Activity
Team-based learning will be used as the preferred instructional strategy throughout the curriculum. We have designed a fun and light-hearted team-based learning activity that will give applicants a better feel for the learning environment.
Wrap-up
The Regis University School of Pharmacy places a high priority on continuous improvement. At the end of the day we will ask the applicants to complete an exit survey because we know your feedback is valuable. The faculty, preceptors and the Office of Admission and Student Operations will also be available at this time to answer your questions.