Journal of medical education
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Lecturers in a medical biochemistry course were evaluated by medical students with respect to overall impression and seven specific characteristics expected to predict overall impression. Each lecturer's ratings were subjected to stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify the characteristics that best accounted for the students' overall impression. ⋯ Half of the lecturers expressed interest in improving their performance, and 20 percent of the lecturers requested specific, detailed guidance in overcoming problems. The author concludes that multivariate analysis of student ratings can generate feedback specific enough to guide teacher improvement but that it is essential to present the information to the faculty in conjunction with individual discussions.
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Comparative Study
Ratings of residents' clinical competence and performance on certification examination.
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) requires directors of internal medicine residency programs to rate their residents in overall clinical competence and its essential components. In the study reported here, the authors investigated the relationships among these ratings and compared them with the residents' performance on the ABIM's certification examination in the years 1980 through 1985. The ratings of the individual components of clinical competence were correlated moderately with examination performance and very highly with each other. ⋯ Changes in the pattern of the ratings over time indicated that fewer candidates were receiving lower ratings while more were receiving higher ratings. The pass rates for each rating level were the same or lower; for example, the pass rate for candidates rated 5 was 68 percent in 1980 and 56 percent in 1985. The similar ranking of examinees by the program directors and the examination provides evidence for the validity of the examination.