UMEC Spotlight on Faculty Development: Vrunda Bhavsar Desai, MD
Meet Vrunda Bhavsar Desai, MD, of Yale School of Medicine
Presenter at the 2017 Martin L. Stone, MD, Faculty Development Seminar
“Mid-Clerkship Feedback: More Than Just a Mirage”
When it comes to education and learning, feedback is everything to students. In the medical field, Vrunda Bhavsar Desai, MD, of Yale School of Medicine, says, “Mid-clerkship feedback is a wonderful opportunity for our residents and faculty to aid with the development of our students both specific to the field and also to their global development as effective clinicians.”
Although a health issue prevented Doctor Desai from traveling to Palm Springs for the Seminar, she created the Round Table Session, “Mid-Clerkship Feedback: More than Just a Mirage,” which was presented on her behalf by Shefali Pathy, MD, on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells near Palm Springs, California.
APGO: What was the inspiration for coming up with this topic?
Doctor Desai: Mid-clerkship feedback is essential to a student’s success on the rotation, and so we have made it a priority in our clerkship. Allowing students an opportunity to receive and give formative feedback allows for growth in a safe space. Students’ comments on the unique aspects of mid-clerkship feedback have been very positive and have helped us to continue to improve on the process.
APGO: What challenges did you encounter in developing your program? What was the solution?
Doctor Desai: When adapting mid-clerkship feedback at separate clinical sites, we were very aware that each site was unique and may have its own specific challenges. Key concepts were maintained but often implemented in a slightly adjusted manner. To implement a broad-reaching program, we examined the practices at a variety of clerkship programs in various settings.
APGO: What are some of the methods of mid-clerkship feedback, and why did you feel like it’s best to make modifications to improve them?
Doctor Desai: Key aspects to mid-clerkship feedback surround the collection and delivery of the feedback. When addressing collection, we found that the group collection approach — using the structured collection aid — was both efficient and accurate. With delivery to the students, use of the structured feedback aid allowed for coverage of key areas of ACGME core competencies, lending to discussion of strategies for improvement.
APGO: What were the specific resources you used in creating the presentation?
Doctor Desai: In addition to resources available from APGO, MedED portal and the ACOG websites, what we found invaluable was collaboration with colleagues at other institutions. This allowed us to identify challenges and, hence, form creative solutions to issues that we otherwise might not have encountered.
To learn more about APGO’s Martin L. Stone, MD, Faculty Development Seminar, stayed tuned to the APGO website. In 2018, the seminar will be held at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, Florida from January 6-9.