Education research: Assessment of neurology resident clinical competencies in the neurology clinic

Abstract

Background: Objective evaluation of neurology resident clinical skills is required by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is important to insure improvement in clinical competency throughout their residency.

Methods: In this study, neurology residents from all 3 years of training and neurology faculty independently completed a form on new clinic patients documenting their decisions on anatomic localization, diagnosis, diagnostic tests, and management.

Results: Compared to the attending patient evaluation, we found significant improvement in identical scoring by year of residency training. All resident years outperformed medical students in the neurology clerkship.

Conclusion: Our clinical assessment form adds one more tool to the list of currently used assessment methods to evaluate resident clinical competency.