Thresholds and interpretations: How clinical competency committees identify pediatric residents with performance...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatric Residency Training
• Performance Assessment

Background:

• Early identification of residents with performance concerns is vital for timely intervention.
• Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) play a critical role in this process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe how CCC members and program directors identify residents with performance concerns.
• To delineate strategies used by CCCs for resident performance evaluation.

Main Methods:

• A written survey was distributed to 94 CCC members and program directors across 14 pediatric residency programs.
• Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data collected.

Main Results:

• Six themes emerged, grouped into two domains: data interpretation and decision-making.
• Key themes included the foundational role of written assessments, recognition of performance extremes, accumulation of isolated data, consideration of developmental trajectory, norm/criterion-referenced interpretation, and data quality assessment.

Conclusions:

• Understanding CCC strategies for identifying residents with performance concerns is essential for improving educational outcomes.
• These findings can inform and assist other CCCs in refining their identification processes.