title: Does group discussion of student clerkship performance at an education committee affect an individual committee member's decisions?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine whether deliberation as part of a group affects an individual's decisions for grading and remediation of marginal students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In academic year 2001-02, members of a Department of Medical Education Committee prospectively completed pre- and postdiscussion surveys about their decision-making processes for third-year internal medicine clerkship students presented for marginal performance. Postdiscussion written comments were analyzed qualitatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 23 (14%) students were discussed, resulting in 297 individual committee member decisions (3,090 educator-minutes). A total of 76 of 297 (25%) decisions were altered following committee deliberations, changing the grade and/or remediation for nine students. Only seven of 76 (9%) changes were anticipated. Qualitative analysis revealed four underlying themes for changing: influence of members; data provided; clarification of process; and factors outside the clerkship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Group discussion influenced individual committee members' decisions for one-quarter of marginal students. The committee process allowed for clarification of the record, faculty development, and full discussion of student performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA 23708, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret Mackrell
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gaglione
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moores
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pangaro
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hemmer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D032802:Committee Membership; D003657:Decision Making; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States