EDUCATION & TRAINING
Four Strategies to Increase the Written Evaluations for Learners
SAEM PULSE | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022
By Mallory G Davis, MD, MPH; Carolyn V. Commissaris, MD; and Esther H Chen, MD
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How often do you hear from your learners that they don’t get enough feedback from faculty? When writing a summative evaluation for your learner, how often are you frustrated by the few end-of-shift written evaluations that are available or have no more helpful comments than “keep reading?” Faculty engagement in completing written assessments of emergency medicine (EM) trainees is a difficult task. Faculty have competing responsibilities, deadlines, and time commitments. However, EM trainee advancement during residency training is based on measuring milestones and competencies, which are heavily dependent on EM faculty assessments. We present four strategies that have worked in our institutions to increase the written evaluations for all our learners. Even though we focus on EM trainees,
“…the value of high-quality EM faculty assessments contributes to a more robust and complete training experience for EM trainees.” these strategies may be adapted to all learners in the emergency department (ED).
Cultivate a Culture of Feedback and Assessment Most academic faculty understand the importance of feedback and assessment in EM training. For some, it may be helpful to emphasize the importance of faculty assessments to provide insight into the EM trainees’ progression through residency. Trainees
expect to receive feedback to improve their clinical skills, and education leaders use written assessments to determine milestone achievements for each trainee. Specific expectations for providing timely feedback using written evaluations should be clear and discussed at faculty meetings, new faculty orientation, or relevant staff meetings. Encourage faculty to provide feedback about the assessment tools and workflow or provide suggestions for improvement. This two-way