Residents' Perception of Effectiveness of Twelve Evaluation Methods for Measuring Competency

Abstract

The authors assessed residents' perceptions of techniques used to evaluate competency. Psychiatry residents from a single program rated 12 evaluation techniques for their effectiveness to measure resident competency. They rated each method for 25 selected skills reflecting the six general competencies. Sixteen residents (70%) completed the survey. Responses indicated that different methods were effective for different competencies. Residents saw objective structured clinical examinations and standardized patients as equally effective. They favored the 360 degrees evaluation method for all competencies except medical knowledge. Resident perception of the effective techniques differed from preferred techniques identified by measurement experts. Residency program directors using guidelines from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to select preferred evaluations may find that residents do not have the same perceptions.