Cross-institutional progress testing: feasibility and value to a new medical school.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to examine the feasibility of using a progress test to compare the rate of knowledge acquisition among students at a new medical school with that of students at a comparable but long-established school.


METHODS
As part of an ongoing strategy, we administered the McMaster Personal Progress Index (PPI) on four occasions to the first two cohorts of students enrolled in the graduate-entry medical programme at the University of Limerick. We compared mean PPI scores for students at comparable stages in their courses at both schools.


RESULTS
To date, the rate of knowledge acquisition is similar in students at both schools.


CONCLUSIONS
Inter-institutional and international collaboration in progress testing is feasible and provides a useful quality assurance tool which can be used by new schools to reassure students, faculty members and accrediting bodies.
Finucane
Paul
P
Graduate-Entry Medical School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. paul.finucane@ul.ie
Flannery
Denise
D
Keane
David
D
Norman
Geoff
G
D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D004522:Educational Status; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland