Residents' ratings of clinical excellence and teaching effectiveness: is there a relationship?
BACKGROUND
Assessment of faculty teaching and clinical skills is often based on learners' ratings. It is not clear that differences between the constructs are detectable in the results.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose is to examine relationships between (a) residents' ratings of faculty clinical excellence and teaching effectiveness and (b) track-related performance differences.


METHODS
There were 3,713 evaluations for 399 faculty provided by 436 different residents. Eight items assess teaching effectiveness (5-point scale); five items assess clinical excellence (dichotomous scale). Each scale included a global item.


RESULTS
Teaching effectiveness and clinical excellence ratings were correlated: .59 (p<.0001) for global scores and .55 (p<.0001) for scale scores. Teaching effectiveness ratings were not related to faculty track. Clinical excellence ratings showed differences of medium magnitude.


CONCLUSIONS
The moderate correlations between teaching and clinical domain scores suggests more thought be given about how to use both types of data for identifying the lowest and highest performing faculty.
McOwen
Katherine S
KS
Office of Evaluation and Assessment, Academic Programs Office, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA.
Bellini
Lisa M
LM
Shea
Judy A
JA
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D004522:Educational Status; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010414:Pennsylvania; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*