Teaching the competencies: using observed structured clinical examinations for faculty development.
OBJECTIVE
Gastroenterology (GI) training programs must develop the teaching skills of their faculty and provide feedback to their fellows. Many faculty feel uncomfortable offering feedback or identifying specific areas for improvement to the fellows. We developed an Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) to assess fellows' skills and provided faculty with specific criteria to rate the fellows' performance. We propose that OSCEs can serve as tools for faculty development in delivering effective feedback.


METHODS
Faculty completed a Web-based training module and received written guidelines on giving feedback. Four OSCE stations were completed by each fellow with faculty using standardized checklists to assess the fellows' skills. Afterwards, faculty rated each program component and assessed their comfort level with feedback.


RESULTS
Eight faculty members and 10 fellows from 5 GI training programs in NYC participated. 100% of the faculty agreed that feedback is an important learning tool, should include the learner's self-assessment, and that feedback skills could improve with practice. Compared to faculty skills prior to the program, 87.5% of the faculty agreed that they focused more on specific behaviors and 75% agreed that giving negative feedback was now easier.


CONCLUSIONS
OSCEs can serve as practicums for faculty development in giving constructive feedback.
Alevi
David
D
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Baiocco
Peter J
PJ
Chokhavatia
Sita
S
Kotler
Donald P
DP
Poles
Michael
M
Zabar
Sondra
S
Gillespie
Colleen
C
Ark
Tavinder
T
Weinshel
Elizabeth
E
D003142:Communication; D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation