I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to issue guidance to faculty regarding providing students with narrative assessments on their performance. Faculty assessment of a student’s performance, including their non-cognitive achievement, is essential to their ability to reflect and improve. This type of assessment is best achieved in small group or individual learning settings.
II. POLICY
Narrative assessment will be provided if a student has four (4) or more sessions in a small group or clinical setting of 24 or fewer students with the same instructor at each session of a pre-clerkship course (Phase One).
Narrative assessment will be provided to all students participating in each clinical clerkship or clinical elective (Phases Two and Three).
III. SCOPE
This policy applies to course and clerkship directors; teaching faculty, including graduate students, residents and fellows who participate in the teaching and evaluation of medical students; and medical students.
IV. DEFINITIONS
Narrative assessment: Written comments from faculty that assess student performance and achievement in meeting specific objectives of a course or clerkship, such as professionalism, clinical reasoning. (Element 9.5)
V. PROCEDURES
A. Faculty will complete narrative assessment forms at the end of each Phase 1 course. Phase Directors will ensure such forms are uploaded to the learning management system.
B. Narrative assessments are included in all Phase 2 and Phase 3 core clerkship final evaluation documents and submitted to the Registrar.
VI. EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy is effective immediately.
VII. POLICY MANAGEMENT
Executive Stakeholder: Dean, School of Medicine
Oversight Office: Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
VII. REFERENCES
LCME Standard 9: Teaching, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety: A medical school ensures that its medical education program includes a comprehensive, fair, and uniform system of formative and summative medical student assessment and protects medical students' and patients' safety by ensuring that all persons who teach, supervise, and/or assess medical students are adequately prepared for those responsibilities.
LCME Element 9.5: Narrative Assessment: А medical school ensures that a narrative description of a medical student's performance, including his or her non-cognitive achievement, is included as a component of the assessment in each required course and clerkship of the medical education program whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment
