Evaluations are an integral part of evidence-based medicine. Historically, meaningful feedback has been difficult for physicians. Our task is to make the process more like coaching as we would to improve performance in sports.

In this note I make some general comments about ratings. Ratings can be based on an absolute benchmark (ie types 50 words per minute with 90% accuracy); benchmark with anchors (such as the milestones on a superficial level) or on a relative scale (eg a “bell” curve), or simply low, expected, or higher than expected)

My evaluations for you will be based on my expectations and on the milestones. The milestones are known to you.

My expectations are:

1. Demonstrate professional behavior
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the patient as a person,
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the patients’ clinical condition, course, and response to treatment
4. Demonstrate a fund of information relevant to patient care (interviewing skills, assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment selections)
5. Document to standards
6. Document timely (most common need is to lighten up on #5 to strengthen #6. A late perfect note is not perfect)

I now ask you to individually let me know what you expect of me and how I can be helpful to your development during our brief interactions in the AOPC. Things I expect you, to expect of me, are:

1. Model professional behavior
2. Model caring for the patient and the patient as a person
3. Be attentive to your presentation
4. Be sensitive to your time
5. Provide value added input in terms of psychiatric fund of information.
6. Act as a resource for clinical processes within the system and community

Evaluations are to aid improvements in clinical care. Thus, we expect evaluations to show improvement over time. By definition, our evaluations should be less than perfect. Therefore, I ask you to discuss with me your self-evaluations in terms of what 1 or 2 areas in the milestones or on my standards would you most like to improve during the next 3 months.

For my own self-assessment (improvement areas) I list

1. Improve demonstrating attentiveness to the resident presentations (rather than reading the chart during the presentation)
2. Provide value added information in terms of psychopharmacology ( I am weak in areas of care for Autism and ADHD).

Should you have additional areas for me to improve please share them with me either individual email or in conversation.

I look forward to working with you in the AOPC this year (1st quarter).

JT