19 - Narrative Assessment

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to inform students about how they can expect to receive feedback about interpersonal, professional, affective, and/or socioemotional non-cognitive skills essential for growth as student physicians.  DGSOM periodically provides students with written feedback to formally document and facilitate communication about a student’s development in these areas.

Policy Statement

Written narrative assessment is to occur when an assessor-student interaction is of sufficient length to permit direct observation and assessment of student behavior reflective of the DGSOM Graduation Competencies (e.g., interpersonal skills, rapport building, teamwork, communication).  Narrative assessment is used for formative feedback and may also be factored into a course grade and/or may be included in or inform the content of the MSPE.  As with all assessments of student performance, in instances of sustained or severe substandard performance, non-cognitive skills may be reviewed by APC.

Interactions that are likely to permit narrative assessment may include but are not limited to:

• Problem Based Learning small group sessions
• Doctoring or Clinical Skills small group sessions
• Standardized Patient (SP) observations of communication skills or patient-provider interaction
• Faculty observation during Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)s
• Faculty observation of peer collaboration during anatomy, physiology or histopathology small group sessions
• Faculty observation of participation, discussion and presentation in small group sessions during clerkship
• Faculty observation of communication with patient, family or inter-professional team during clerkship
• Faculty observation of humanism, integrity, work ethic, or commitment to learning during clerkship

Availability of Assessments

Students may receive narrative assessments immediately, periodically throughout the course, but at least at the end of each block or clerkship to foster improvement or sustained high performance in the next course or clerkship.  Assessors are encouraged to provide feedback as proximal to the event as possible.  When time and resources permit, students may be shown the narrative comments in real time to facilitate discussion, have comments made available immediately or shortly after the learning/assessment event, or made available at regular intervals throughout the course or clerkship.

 Approved by Clarence H. Braddock, III, M.D., MPH, MACP, Vice Dean for Education, July 2020