Medical Student Evaluations

Research in psychology abounds, but “naturalistic” research does not.

I am impressed by these nice female medical doctors on the faculty of the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco for the work they have done.

Little research on human behavior can study what people do in, not a structured protocol, but rather “real life,” with quantifiable descriptions of what is going on that is subject to analysis. The concept of “natural language” seems to do just that.

Although the first two years of medical education in America are classroom teaching, which is relatively easy to grade with objective testing, the last two years are “clinical teaching.”

It is notoriously difficult to grade basic clinical skills. I mean, what does a young doctor see when he or she looks at a skin rash or hears a heart beat abnormally? Is it the “right” or “wrong” thing?

Medical students are also evaluated on something akin to the old “bedside manner.” How do they talk to the patient? Does the junior not-quite doctor inspire confidence or send the patient running from the room in fear.

I once supervised a student in the midwest of the USA who was so shaky and timid I had to stand behind him and push him into the patient’s room. Last I heard he was a state public health official, also in the midwest.

It is not surprising that officials of medical education who are asked to evaluate students in prose, revert to sexual or racial stereotypes.

Prose is hardly objective by its nature.

There are numerous prejucidices against females in medical training.

Of this sort of experiences, “my cup runneth over.”

Remember my pre-degree medical training took place in France. Most instances of putting me down for being female took place behind closed doors. I would never dream of reporting such things. Could I have caused an international incident which would have threatened my degree?

Yet there was no record on my transcript of prose progress reviews of my clinical competency evaluations. Things such as that were always evaluated on some sort of numerical scale.

At least objectivity was sought.

Vive la France. I do not claim it was perfect, but I have always maintained my French medical education was second to none.

True equality between the sex (and races) is not going to happen until teaching personnel look at their students and fail to see their sex or race is.

Humans find this notoriously difficult.