Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is used by many medical schools as a style of teaching. However, even more universities use PBL-inspired stations within their Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI).
These stations have become even more popular than the teaching style itself, with most UK medical schools implementing some form of PBL station within their MMIs.
In this guide, we will learn why PBL stations are used in so many medical school MMIs ad how you can perform well at any PBL stations you encounter.
Why Are PBL Stations Used in MMIs?
If you don’t already know, Problem-Based Learning is a method of teaching which favours group-based practical learning using patient cases over lectures. This style of teaching has been proven to have many benefits, especially for students who are more independent learners.
It is sometimes used exclusively; sometimes it’s used alongside other teaching methods such as an integrated course. PBL offers benefits which work with some students’ learning styles as it is generally student-centred. Students learn in the context of realistic problems and situations, along with working in teams.
Although some medical schools are exclusively PBL, any medical school with an MMI-style interview has the potential for a PBL station. In these PBL stations, you may be put into a team/group and be given a scenario to work through and create learning objectives.
For PBL medical schools, the reasoning for using these types of stations is clear; it gives the applicants a taster of what studying at the university is like and it lets the admissions tutors see how well each applicant works in a PBL learning environment.
But why would non-PBL medical schools use this in their MMIs? Firstly, many medical schools use integrated learning, which acts as a middle-ground between PBL and more traditional learning methods. This means that a PBL station would still represent the course well.
Medical Schools with traditional learning styles may also use PBL stations in their MMIs. This is mostly because PBL is far more practical and requires engagement. This makes it far easier to implement into an interview than traditional teaching, even if it’s not the most representative of how students are taught.
Overall, PBL stations are just a really good way for admissions tutors to see applicants in action. These stations require them to demonstrate important skills including cooperation and problem-solving, making them a popular choice for medical schools.
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Tips for PBL MMI Stations
Here are some tips for how you can approach the PBL stations at your MMIs to help you stand out and impress the interviewers.
Inspect The Information Provided Carefully
At university, you would ordinarily go away and research the scenario, set learning objectives and then come back together as a group to discuss your findings. In an interview format, you don’t have the benefit of time for research but you should engage with the scenario with all the residual information you have at hand.
Be sure to ask questions about anything you don’t understand, either to the interviewer or the your fellow applicants; it’s better to get help than make assumptions and make a mistake.
Don’t Speak Over Anyone
One of the main reasons to have a PBL station at an MMI interview is to see how candidates work in a group setting. You need to highlight your teamwork abilities and listening skills. Once there’s a break in conversation you should make your argument/point in context with what has already been said.
Really Think About The Scenario/Case
The scenario will have been carefully selected to evaluate the candidates. Think in-depth about; what the scenario represents, what problems it brings to light and why it was chosen. Considering all angles of the scenario will help you better formulate a learning point or solution. Again, listen to what your group has to say and understand their perspective of the scenario.
Use All Of Your Available Knowledge
The scenarios offered will often touch on multiple disciplines and areas of knowledge. If there’s something you happen to have extra knowledge on, make use of that knowledge and share it with your group! A key element of PBL learning is sharing information with your peers. This will be looked upon favourably by interviewers as you’d be a valuable member of that group.
Encourage Others To Speak
Ordinarily, PBL scenarios begin by setting a chairman and a scribe who takes notes of the session. This may not be formally done in an interview setting, so everyone can take up the role of chair if they feel up to the task.
As the goal of a PBL scenario is to consolidate everyone’s information, it’s important that everyone has their say. If you can politely encourage someone to speak and share their knowledge, the entire group benefits from this. This also demonstrates good leadership qualities to the interviewers.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
We’ve already said this, but asking questions is extremely important to succeeding in a PBL station. It’s unlikely that you’ll know the ins and outs of everything regarding the scenario, so ask the questions that are on your mind! It’s likely that other people are having the same thought and would benefit from the question being answered. If no one knows the answer, then it’s another learning objective to take from the PBL scenario.
Above all, the most important tip we can give you is just to engage. If you deep-dive into the scenario and work through it from all possible angles, you are guaranteed to come out having learnt something new and, hopefully, showcased some of your skills as a potential candidate.
That concludes our guide to PBL stations at medical school MMIs. We hope that this guide has given you a better insight into what to expect from these kinds of MMI stations so that you can go in with confidence. We have plenty more guides about MMIs and other forms of medical school interviews, so be sure to explore our free resources page to learn more.
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