Abstract
Objective
A survey was conducted to determine US psychiatry residency directors’ attitudes regarding current measures of medical student performance and their preferences for the future.
Methods
A team of psychiatry medical student educators and residency program directors developed a 23-question survey. In July 2021, links to the survey were sent out to all program directors registered with the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training.
Results
Seventy program directors out of 223 initiated the survey, resulting in a response rate of 31.4%. Forty percent of respondents reported that the most important use of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is in screening out applicants for interviews, and only 26.1% reported that the MSPE in its current form could be trusted to provide a valid and reliable assessment of a student’s medical school performance. Most respondents agreed that in the absence of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 numerical scores, the existing MSPE format/content requirements should be modified, use a set of ranking categories that are uniform across all medical schools, and be supplemented with additional measures of the student’s character and ability specific to psychiatry.
Conclusions
US psychiatry program directors are eager for change when it comes to the MSPE and how it reports rankings, grades, and professionalism. The transition of the USMLE step 1 score reporting to pass/fail presents an opportunity to pursue this change and for stakeholders from all medical specialties to work together toward a shared goal of an improved residency selection process.
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Disclosures
Dr. Rachel A. Russo is the Faculty Development Committee Co-Chair for the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP).
Dr. Anna J. Kerlek is Chair of AADPRT Recruitment Committee and Member of AACAP Child Maltreatment and Violence Committee.
Dr. Jessica G. Kovach is a Presidential Appointee to American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training Executive Committee.
Dr. Dana M. Raml is Membership Engagement Co-Chair of Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) and ADMSEP representative for the Alliance for Clinical Education.
Dr. Lia A. Thomas is Secretary – Association of Directors of Medical Student Educators in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) and is on the editorial board for the journal Academic Psychiatry. Manuscripts that are authored by an editor undergo the same editorial review process applied to all manuscripts, including double-blinded peer review.
Dr. Jeffrey J. Rakofsky has received research funding from Compass, Otsuka, Sage, and National Institutes of Mental Health, has received honoraria from SMI Clinical Advisor, and FOCUS, and has received consulting fees from 11Ten.
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Russo, R.A., Hameed, U., Ibrahim, Y. et al. Psychiatry Residency Directors’ Attitudes Toward and Uses of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation and Other Potential Tools for Residency Selection. Acad Psychiatry 46, 622–626 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-022-01636-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-022-01636-x