Michelle R Brownstein1, Mary R Shen2, Paula D Strassle3, Michael O Meyers4. 1. Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4008 Burnett-Womack Building, CB #7228, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7050, USA. Electronic address: brownsteinm18@ecu.edu. 2. University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 321 S Columbia St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA. 3. Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4008 Burnett-Womack Building, CB #7228, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7050, USA. Electronic address: pstrass@live.unc.edu. 4. Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4008 Burnett-Womack Building, CB #7228, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7050, USA. Electronic address: mmeyers@med.unc.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite efforts at standardization, evaluation and reporting of clerkships remains highly variable. This study reviews the current spectrum of surgical clerkship grading. METHODS: Data were reviewed for every medical school from which an application was received to a single surgery residency program in 2017 and were evaluated for core surgical clerkship grading systems, distributions, and components. Fischer's exact tests and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: 133 (49 private) schools were evaluated. Geographic distribution:34 Northeast, 50 South, 31 Midwest and 18 West. 120 reported grading tiers, with public schools (95%) more likely than private (80%) to report this (p = 0.02). The number of grading categories ranged from 2 to 11; 90% with 3-5. Over 25% of the schools gave ≥40% of students the highest grade; median of 30% in the highest tier. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variation exists in core surgery clerkship grading between schools. Similarly, a sizeable difference exists in how grades are calculated and the reporting systems used. Standardizing grading schemes across medical schools would be beneficial.
BACKGROUND: Despite efforts at standardization, evaluation and reporting of clerkships remains highly variable. This study reviews the current spectrum of surgical clerkship grading. METHODS: Data were reviewed for every medical school from which an application was received to a single surgery residency program in 2017 and were evaluated for core surgical clerkship grading systems, distributions, and components. Fischer's exact tests and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: 133 (49 private) schools were evaluated. Geographic distribution:34 Northeast, 50 South, 31 Midwest and 18 West. 120 reported grading tiers, with public schools (95%) more likely than private (80%) to report this (p = 0.02). The number of grading categories ranged from 2 to 11; 90% with 3-5. Over 25% of the schools gave ≥40% of students the highest grade; median of 30% in the highest tier. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variation exists in core surgery clerkship grading between schools. Similarly, a sizeable difference exists in how grades are calculated and the reporting systems used. Standardizing grading schemes across medical schools would be beneficial.
Authors: Jeffrey B Bird; Karen A Friedman; Thurayya Arayssi; Doreen M Olvet; Rosemarie L Conigliaro; Judith M Brenner Journal: Med Educ Online Date: 2021-12
Authors: Carlos Theodore Huerta; Rebecca A Saberi; Chad M Thorson; Vanessa W Hui; Steven E Rodgers; Laurence R Sands Journal: J Surg Educ Date: 2022-10-11 Impact factor: 3.524