Emotional skills in medical residency selection interviews
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i12.50372Keywords:
Medical residency, Soft skills, Emotional intelligence, Selection process, Interview, Brazil.Abstract
The selection process for medical residency programs in Brazil has increasingly incorporated, in addition to the assessment of technical competencies, the recognition of the importance of emotional skills such as empathy, resilience, and emotional intelligence. This study aimed to analyze the presence, characteristics, and evaluation criteria of the interview stage in Brazilian medical residency selection processes, identifying which competencies are valued, the degree of standardization among public calls, and how these elements reflect contemporary demands in medical training, particularly with regard to the assessment of soft skills. The variables were analyzed through descriptive statistics and qualitative categorization based on Bardin’s content analysis. It was observed that 52% of the calls included an interview as an evaluative component, although 7.7% of them did not specify the criteria used. The score assigned to the interview ranged from 2 to 50 points, with a predominance of weight between 10% and 20% of the final grade. The most valued socioemotional competencies included empathy, ethics, emotional intelligence, leadership, and teamwork. Despite the growing emphasis on soft skills, the lack of standardization in criteria and scoring reveals weaknesses in the process. It is concluded that the interview has become an important stage in the selection process; however, it still lacks clear guidelines to ensure fairness and effectiveness in evaluation. The study suggests the creation of standardized criteria and the strengthening of medical education in emotional competencies, aiming to select and train professionals better prepared for the human and technical challenges of medical practice.
References
Alencar de Castro, R. J., Leal, P. d. C., & Sakata, R. K. (2013). Tratamento da dor em queimados. Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, 63(1), 154–158. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0034-70942013000100013
Amato, M. J. A. L., & Kanner, R. (1966). O processo de seleção de pessoal. Revista de Administração de Empresas, 6(18), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-75901966000100003
Brummett, A. L., Kritek, P. A., Reed, D. A., et al. (2022). Predictive validity of residency application components: A scoping review. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), e2219506. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.19506
Campbell, C. M., McGaghie, W. C., & Steinberg, M. B. (2019). Medical school and residency admissions: Interviews and the multiple mini-interview (MMI). AMA Journal of Ethics, 21(1), E59–E67. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2019.59
Derksen, F., Bensing, J., & Lagro-Janssen, A. (2013). Effectiveness of empathy in general practice: A systematic review. British Journal of General Practice, 63(606), e76–e84. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp13X660814
de Resende, L. T., de Lima, L. B. A., & Bispo, L. (2024). Análise das habilidades avaliadas na entrevista das seleções nacionais de residência médica. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences, 6(2), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2024v6n2p115-125
Eva, K. W., Reiter, H. I., Rosenfeld, J., & Norman, G. R. (2004). The ability of the multiple mini-interview to predict preclerkship performance in medical school. Academic Medicine, 79(10), S40–S42. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200410001-00012
Ferreira, A. R., et al. (2023). Avaliação de habilidades emocionais em programas de residência médica: uma revisão crítica. Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica, 47(2), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-52712015v47n2e01382021
Garcia, F. A. (2020). O impacto das soft skills no processo seletivo de residência médica. Revista de Psicologia Aplicada, 28(3), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-4669.20200030
Gomes, D. S., & Pereira, J. R. (2019). Soft skills e seu impacto no desempenho dos médicos residentes. Revista de Ciências da Saúde, 31(4), 425–433. https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1679-082x.2019v31n4.40404
Hojat, M., et al. (2009). The devil is in the third year: A longitudinal study of erosion of empathy in medical school. Academic Medicine, 84(9), 1182–1191. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b17e55
Kelm, Z., Womer, J., Walter, J. K., & Feudtner, C. (2014). Interventions to cultivate physician empathy: A systematic review. BMC Medical Education, 14, 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-219
Linton, M., Keefer, L., & Marchetti, G. (2017). Emotional validation and patient–provider communication. Journal of Health Psychology, 22(10), 1268–1278. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316630292
Oliveira, A. P., & Lima, C. T. (2021). Inteligência emocional e resiliência na residência médica: desafios e estratégias. Journal of Medical Education, 44(3), 202–210. https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-4669.20210031
Patterson, F., et al. (2016). How effective are selection methods in medical education? A systematic review. Medical Education, 50(1), 36–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12817
Pereira, A. S. et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. [Free ebook]. Santa Maria. Editora da UFSM.
Santos, L. C. (2021). Empatia na prática médica: uma análise das competências emocionais em médicos residentes. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 37(6), e00225920. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00225920
Shitsuka, R. et al. (2014). Matemática fundamental para a tecnologia. (2ed). Editora Érica.
Silva, M. A., et al. (2020). Processo seletivo para residência médica: uma análise da concorrência e das provas. Revista de Administração Hospitalar, 25(2), 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-67842020000002003
Silva, R. F., et al. (2019). Sociabilidade e resolução de conflitos na formação médica: um estudo em ambientes hospitalares. Revista Brasileira de Psicologia Médica, 36(5), 280–286. https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-4669.20190051
Silva Jr., W. A. (2009). A importância dos estudos genéticos sobre câncer de pulmão. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 35(8), 721–722. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1806-37132009000800001
Zhou, Y., Wang, Y., & Wang, J. (2016). NF-κB-regulated microRNA-574-5p underlies synaptic and cognitive impairment in response to atmospheric PM2.5 aspiration. Scientific Reports, 6, 30373. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30373
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Luma Teles de Resende, Caio César Balthazar da Silveira Vidal, Isabelle Christine Melo Correia de Oliveira, Isadora Passos Vilela de Almeida, Larissa Petreca Bertulessi, Luys Antônyo Vasconcelos Caetano, Marcela Vasconcelos Montenegro, Marco Antonio Galvão Martins de Farias, Pedro Henrique Costa França, Thiago Vaz de Andrade, Luana Teles de Resende

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
