Michele M. Carlin

Sexual health innovations in undergraduate medical education

Recent national and global initiatives have drawn attention to the importance of sexual health to individuals’ well-being. These initiatives advocate enhancement of efforts to address this under-represented topic in health professions curricula. University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) has undertaken a comprehensive effort to develop an integrated curriculum in sexual health. The UMMS project draws upon the expertise of a multidisciplinary faculty of clinicians, basic scientists, a medical ethicist, and educators. This article describes the projects genesis and development at UMMS, and reports on three innovations in sexual health education implemented as part of this endeavor.

Using standardized patients to assess professionalism: a generalizability study

Background: Assessment of professionalism in undergraduate medical education is challenging. One approach that has not been well studied in this context is performance-based examinations. Purpose: This study sought to investigate the reliability of standardized patients’ scores of students’ professionalism in performance-based examinations. Methods: Twenty students were observed on 4 simulated cases involving professional challenges; 9 raters evaluated each encounter on 21 professionalism items. Correlational and multivariate generalizability (G) analyses were conducted. Results: G coefficients were .75, .53, and .68 for physicians, standardized patients (SPs), and lay raters, respectively. Composite G coefficient for all raters reached acceptable level of .86. Results indicated SP raters were more variable than other rater types in severity with which they rated students, although rank ordering of students was consistent among SPs. Conclusions: SPs’ ratings were less reliable and consistent than physician or lay ratings, although the SPs rank ordered students more consistently than the other rater types.

Tracking the Longitudinal Stability of Medical Students’ Perceptions Using the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire and Serial Evaluation Surveys

Background. This study examined the longitudinal stability of students’ perceptions by comparing ratings on similar survey items in three sequential evaluations: end-of-clerkship (EOC), AAMC graduation questionnaire (GQ), and a postgraduate survey (PGY1). Method. For the classes of 2000 and 2001, ratings were compiled from EOC evaluations and comparable items from the GQ. For both cohorts, selected GQ items were included in the PGY1 survey and these ratings were compiled. Matched responses from EOC versus GQ and PGY1 versus GQ were compared. Results. Proportions of “excellent” ratings were consistent across EOC and GQ surveys for all clerkships. Comparison of GQ and PGY1 ratings revealed significant differences in only seven of 31 items. Conclusion. Student perceptions as measured by GQ ratings are notably consistent across the clinical years and internship. This longitudinal stability supports the usefulness of the GQ in programmatic assessment and reinforces its value as a measure of student satisfaction.