Clinical assessment change
Colleagues,
As the MD Program curriculum is renewed and moves to an entirely competency-based framework, we have been examining all aspects of how we teach and assess in medical education.
While a great deal of effort is being focused on ensuring that the curriculum prepares Schulich Medicine learners for the rigours of clinical practice and expectations of their future patients, change also needs to come to the way we assess learners in clinical situations.
Among the necessary skillsets is learning to provide and receive timely and effective feedback.
Too often, we confuse affability with ability. This is the “halo effect” or the “I like you and therefore you must be great at everything” perspective.
There is no doubt that our personal beliefs have implications on how we see. This recognition has been written about for more than 30 years. Certainly, medicine is not immune to these challenges and training is available to better recognize this.
The nature of feedback was recently presented in a must-read Harvard Business Review article where the authors present on the pitfalls of feedback while providing very useful advice. Among these was the premise to be explicit about what you see and how it made you feel. Although learners must “continue to read around their cases,” phrases like “did you see what you just did there?” carry much more weight than generic or delayed commentary.
As a learner, feel comfortable asking for more. When you hear “good job,” respond with “which part?” Invite conversation around what success looks like.
Competency cannot be confirmed or calibrated with a single data point. It takes ongoing and honest discussion between teacher and student.
As always, thank you for your hard work and dedication.
Larry
Twitter: @larry_jacobs1
