Medical specialty counseling

Abstract

A comprehensive, objective evaluation process has been implemented to assess the clinical performance of junior medical students rotating through a university surgical service. The importance of 10 clinical performance variables was rated by the surgery faculty. Weights were then assigned to each variable. Appropriate weights were also assigned to four oral examination variables and to each of the evaluation methods: clinical performance (50 percent), multiple-choice examination (25 percent), psychomotor skills (15 percent), and oral examinations (10 percent). Every student is rated by at least one faculty member, resident, and intern on each of the 10 performance variables. Data from these raters and from the other three methods are recorded on machine-readable score sheets. An author-designed computer program groups the data, applies the appropriate variable and method weights, calculates an inter-rater reliability coefficient, and prints out a student profile by variable. Advantages include valid, clinical performance feedback to students and opportunities for faculty to isolate teaching areas which need improvement. Further, since the computer program is flexible, the process is adaptable to other clinical departments. An analysis of rater reliability shows a coefficient of 0.92, with residents tending to give higher ratings than faculty members.