Medical student evaluation of faculty in student-preceptor pairs.
BACKGROUND
Students' willingness to provide candid feedback about faculty in student-preceptor pairs is unknown. Strategies addressing this in U.S. medical schools have not been reported. This study describes student comfort in evaluating preceptors and how medical schools obtain/use evaluations of preceptors.


METHODS
First- and second-year medical students at Virginia Commonwealth University completed a survey at midyear and year end. A Web-based survey of U.S. medical schools was conducted.


RESULTS
Two hundred eighty-two (78%) students and 84 (70%) medical schools responded. Most students felt comfortable providing feedback to program faculty (95%), whereas fewer felt comfortable with the preceptor (77%). Students commented on both the importance and awkwardness of giving feedback. Approximately 75% of medical schools agreed that lack of anonymity limits student candor on preceptorship evaluations.


CONCLUSIONS
Understanding the impact of one-to-one ratio on student evaluations of faculty may enable programs to develop more effective evaluation strategies.
Willett
Rita M
RM
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, 1200 East Broad Street, Box 980311, Richmond, VA 23298-9311, USA. rwillett@mcvh-vcu.edu
Lawson
Sonya R
SR
Gary
Judy S
JS
Kancitis
Indra A
IA
D001290:Attitude; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011231:Preceptorship; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*