A Resident’s View of Mandatory Evaluation

Abstract

Two residents view the mandatory evaluation of psychiatric residents as both imminent and, if properly exercised, desirable. The complexity of the field, the lack of clear role definitions for psychiatrists, the lack of clinical endpoints, and the resident’s wish for mastery, competence, and professional maturity are seen as the basis for this desirability. It is felt that some combination of national or regional standards of knowledge and a departmental evaluation of character, maturity, and accountability could be one model of an evaluation program. The senior-junior colleague nature of the faculty-resident relationship is seen as the critical factor for a program in evaluation. A mental set that includes the concepts of ongoing self-assessment, continuing education, and accountable professional responsibility must be prevalent for both the faculty and the residents. These concepts must have a high priority in the department’s programs if any evaluation program is to succeed.