General practitioners' perspectives on revised entry and selection methods to medicine and the HPAT

Revised selection mechanisms to medicine now include an adjunct admission test known as the HPAT. Stakeholder acceptability is a key issue. General Practitioners (GPs) represent an important stakeholder group. A questionnaire was administered to a regional sample of GPs evaluating their knowledge of the new selection system, views on acceptability, performance on sample HPAT questions and perceptions of their relevance. 92 respondents (75.4%) reported they had little or no knowledge of the HPAT. GPs supported the use of aptitude tests (85 respondents 69.7%). However almost one third (39 respondents, 32%) either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the reforms introduced. The majority strongly supported the Leaving Certificate as a selection tool (118 respondents, 96.7%). GPs performed well in the sample questions. Items from Section 2, measuring interpersonal understanding, were judged to be the most relevant.