Transcript Dr. St Onge on Teaching Microskills

Teaching in the Office:
Assessment and
Evaluation
Joan E. St. Onge, M.D.
UMMSM
April 17, 2014
Evaluation is the key!
• Many ways of effectively teaching that gives
the preceptor insight to the resident’s fund of
knowledge and clinical judgment
• Few key steps:
– Identify the fund of knowledge at the start of the
rotation (“The Starting Point”)
– Set goals for the rotation
– Use case based learning approaches in the office
to assist in evaluation
Case Based Learning
5 rules for effective teaching have been
described by Neher and coworkers as a
practical model of case based learning.
- Combines expert consultation with the
technique to address learner and patient
needs efficiently and effectively.
Neher JO, Gordon KC, Meyer B, Stevens N. A five step microskills model of clinical teaching. J Am Board pf Fam Prac.1992;5:41924.
5 Micro Skills for Effective
Teaching
1:
2.
3.
4.
5.
Get a Commitment
Probe for Supporting evidence
Teach the general rule
Reinforce positive behavior
Correct mistakes
1. Get a Commitment
Get the learner to commit to some decision or plan of action
• “ What do you think is going on?”
• “Would you recommend a surgical approach to this problem?”
• “Why do you think this patient is on three Antihypertensive
medications?”
Unhelpful methods
“Sounds like pneumonia. Right?”
“Can you think of anything else?”
Questions do not probe for understanding, but can be answered by
yes or no.
2. Probe for supporting evidence
Questions that ask the learner to demonstrate his or
her thinking as it pertains to the case
AVOID the “GUESS WHAT I AM THINKING?”
questions!
Helpful approaches:
“What about his presentation led you to this diagnosis?”
“What did you find on the exam that makes you think it is a surgical
abdomen?”
Unhelpful:
“What are the possible causes of dyspnea on exertion?”
“This seems like a clear case of gout to me, how about you?”
-Does not allow learner to demonstrate critical thinking skills.
3. Teach the general rule
• Whenever possible, attempt to teach the general
rule “ the rule of thumb”
– Helpful approaches:
• “In a young patient with low back pain, Xrays are not indicated
initially.”
• “It is helpful to address code status when the patient is healthy.”
– Unhelpful approaches
• “Mr. Smith does not need an xray today”
• “Why don’t we discuss code status with Mrs. Jones today?”
4. Reinforce What Was Done Right
• Provide positive feedback
– Builds confidence, promotes self esteem, heightens
awareness to corrective criticism
• Helpful:
“You evaluated this patient in a stepwise fashion and considered
the patient’s preferences in your recommendations.”
“You did a good job in noting the possible role of medications side
effects in the diagnosis.”
• Unhelpful:
“Strong work!”
“Great Job!”
5. Correct Mistakes
• Choose appropriate time and place to present
this to the resident
• Have learners review their own performance
• Follow up with your own comments
Correct Mistakes
• Helpful
– “I agree that Goodpasture’s could be a cause of
this patients symptoms, but bacterial sinusitis is a
more likely cause based on disease prevalance
and lack of other findings.”
• Unhelpful
– “I can’t believe you know so little at this point in
the third year.”
Constructive Feedback
Descriptive, not evaluative
• Describes the behavior you observe
without attributing value to it
• Good example:
“You did not make eye contact with the last patient
during the interview”
• Poor example:
“You are not interested in patient care”
Specific, not general
• Identifies the precise behavior you wish to
highlight, avoiding generalities
• Good example:
“You were able to convey empathy and
understanding during the interview”
• Poor example:
“You did a good job”
Focused on issues the learner
can control
• Provides tips on how to improve
• Good example:
“When taking the history, speak slower and check
for understanding”
• Poor example:
“My patients cannot understand you because of
your accent”
Well timed
• Makes feedback an expectation, not an
exception
• Good example:
When it is provided regularly throughout the
learning experience and as close as possible to
the event that brought about the feedback
• Poor example:
When it is provided only at the end of the rotation
Limited in amount
• Make the message memorable
• Good example:
When it focuses on a single, important message
• Poor example:
When the learner is overwhelmed with information
Addresses learner goals
• Use of “Student Contract”
• Good example:
When it addresses goals that were identified by
the learner at the beginning of the office
experience
• Poor example:
When the learner’s goals are ignored
• Feedback should be ongoing and frequent
• Most common complaints from students is that nobody tells
them how they are doing
• Give the feedback as soon as possible after a critical
incident
• Use notes to help you recall points you wish to make
• Describe the observed behavior
• Be as specific as possible
• End the feedback with detailed instructions for
improvement
• Follow-up with positive feedback when the
improvements occur
Patient satisfaction survery
Independent Learning
Identify the need
• After the presentation, have the student
either identify the learning question(s) or
ask the following:
• “Based on your patients today, what questions do
you have?“
• “What one area would you like to learn more
about?”
• “What troubled you today?”
• “What would you like to improve on?”
Make an assessment
• Ask the student to formulate the question
• Ask the student to research the answers to
the question
• Specify a time for the student to report
back to you with the results of the
research
Identify potential resources
• Medline or other databases
• Textbooks
• Journal articles
• Consultants
“Close the Loop”
• The student reports back on the research
• Gives an oral presentation
• Incorporates it into a patient write-up or
assessment
• Submits a written outline
Reference
• “Teaching in Your Office, A Guide to
Instructing Medical Students and Residents”
By
Patrick C. Alguire, MD, Dawn E. DeWitt, MD,
Linda E. Pinsky, MD, Gary S. Ferenchick, MD