Using formal evaluation sessions for case-based faculty development during clinical clerkships

Developing housestaff and faculty in their roles as medical educators is a dynamic process. The rigorous clinical evaluation method used during the third-year internal medicine clerkship at the Uniformed Services University uniquely incorporates faculty development into the process of evaluation and generating feedback for students. Formal evaluation sessions are held monthly at all clerkship sites throughout the 12-week clerkship and are moderated by either the internal medicine clerkship director or the on-site clerkship directors. Although designed to provide an opportunity for faculty to evaluate student performance and prepare formative feedback, the sessions also function as formal, planned, and longitudinal forums of "real-time," "case-based" faculty development that address professional, instructional, and leadership development. The evaluation sessions are used as a means to model and teach the key concepts of the Stanford Faculty Development Program. Providing a unifying form of evaluation across multiple teaching sites and settings makes formal evaluation sessions a powerful, state-of-the-art tool for faculty development.