Purpose:
To examine the variability in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) clerkship
gradings and the Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPE) in all
applications received at one residency program.
Background:
Clinical grading and the MSPE are important components of the application for
residency training. Little is known about grading consistency or adherence to
the Association of American Medical Colleges guidelines (AAMC) for the MSPE
across medical schools.
Methods:
All applicants’ OBGYN clerkship grading and MSPE’s submitted to one academic
OBGYN program in the Midwest during 2021-2022 residency application cycle were
reviewed. Clerkship grade descriptors, grade distribution, MSPE ratings, and
MSPE ratings’ distributions were analyzed.
Results: Of the 916 applications, there were 237 unique schools with 43 unique grading tiers and 217 rubrics for grading. Clerkship grading criteria was not available for 49 applicants (5.3%). 25 different MSPE ranking criteria were used for summary rating with 107 different MSPE ranking percentiles. MSPE ranking was not available for 362 applications (39.5%) including 45 from schools that suspended MSPE ranking due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussions:
Very little consistency was found with clerkship grading criteria and MSPE
overall student ranking across medical schools. Grades and MSPEs had a
wide variety of descriptors and wide percent distribution for each
tier. With educators encouraging holistic review of residency applications
to decrease reliance on board scores as screening tools, it is increasingly
important to be able to compare applicants across and within medical
schools. Improvement in transparency and the development of a unified and
holistic standardized way of grading and MSPE ranking are needed to seek a more
reliable and valid application review process.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2023, Student, Resident, Faculty, Clerkship Director, Osteopathic Faculty, Residency Director, Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, GME, UME, Assessment,
Hannah Makki, BA; Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics; John Dalrymple, MD; Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA; David Marzano, MD; Abigail Winkel, MD, MHPE; Karen George, MD, MPH
