Sandra M. Sanguino

Feasibility and Outcomes of Implementing a Portfolio Assessment System Alongside a Traditional Grading System

Purpose Portfolios are a powerful tool to collect and evaluate evidence of medical students’ competence across time. However, comprehensive portfolio assessment systems that are implemented alongside traditional graded curricula at medical schools in the United States have not been described in the literature. This study describes the development and implementation of a longitudinal competency-based electronic portfolio system alongside a graded curriculum at a relatively large U.S. medical school. Method In 2009, the authors developed a portfolio system that served as a repository for all student assessments organized by competency domain. Five competencies were selected for a preclerkship summative portfolio review. Students submitted reflections on their performance. In 2014, four clinical faculty members participated in standard-setting activities and used expert judgment and holistic review to rate students’ competency achievement as “progressing toward competence,” “progressing toward competence with some concern,” or “progressing toward competence pending remediation.” Follow-up surveys measured students’ and faculty members’ perceptions of the process. Results Faculty evaluated 156 portfolios and showed high levels of agreement in their ratings. The majority of students achieved the “progressing toward competence” benchmark in all competency areas. However, 31 students received at least one concerning rating, which was not reflected in their course grades. Students’ perceptions of the system’s ability to foster self-assessment were mixed. Conclusions The portfolio review process allowed faculty to identify students with a concerning rating in a behavioral competency who would not have been identified in a traditional grading system. Identification of these students allows for intervention and early remediation.

Standardizing and Improving the Content of the Dean’s Letter

For the deans letter to be valuable, it should be an objective and unabridged summary of the students performance without obscuring or eliminating the very information that might predict difficulty in residency.

Oral Health Promotion during Well Visits

Training pediatric residents in Bright Futures and oral health concepts is critical to improving oral health. This study’s objective was to determine the skill level of pediatric residents in integrating oral health promotion during health supervision visits of 12- to 35-month-old children. One hundred forty-three pediatric residents participated in an evaluation of the effectiveness of a Bright Futures oral health curriculum. Competencies assessed preintervention included partnership building, communication, and integration of oral health concepts. Pediatric residents’ abilities to integrate oral health promotion into health supervision visits varied considerably. Residents demonstrated greater skill in communication and partnership building compared with oral health promotion behaviors and performance of an oral examination. Further education is needed at a national level if we are to meet Healthy People 2020 goals.

Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, invites applications for a non-tenured full-time anatomic pathologist faculty with subspecialty training in perinatal pathology at the level of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor to start on or before July 1, 2018. Applicants must hold MD or MD/PhD degrees and be board certified in AP or AP/CP from the American Board of Pathology, as well as be eligible for an unrestricted medical license in the State of Illinois.