Identifying areas for curricular program improvement based on perceptions of skills, competencies, and performance

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry Residency Training
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• Effective medical education requires robust program evaluation.
• Involving multiple stakeholders and measurement tools enhances evaluation processes.
• Identifying areas for curriculum improvement is crucial for residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare faculty and resident physician perceptions of teaching quality and competence for core psychiatric skills and general competencies.
• To descriptively examine resident performance via portfolios relative to perceived skills and competencies.
• To propose a multidimensional approach for identifying curriculum improvement areas in medical residencies.

Main Methods:

• Parallel surveys administered to 10 faculty members and 18 residents in a psychiatry department.
• Scoring of resident-completed portfolio entries by trained raters.
• Nonparametric and descriptive analyses to compare survey perceptions and portfolio performance data.

Main Results:

• General congruence observed between faculty and resident perceptions of teaching quality and general competencies.
• Portfolio scores aligned with perceptions for general competencies but showed discrepancies for specific skills.
• Neuropsychiatry was rated below average by both groups, with portfolio performance below competent for four skills, including neuropsychiatry.

Conclusions:

• A multidimensional approach integrating resident/faculty perspectives and performance measures is valuable for curriculum improvement.
• This study highlights the utility of combining subjective perceptions with objective performance data.
• Specific areas like neuropsychiatry require targeted interventions within the residency curriculum.