Narrative Assessment Policy

Narrative Assessment Policy

Purpose

This policy relates to LCME Element 9.5, which states: “… a narrative description of a medical student’s performance, including his or her non-cognitive achievement, is included as a component of the assessment in each required course and clerkship of the medical education program whenever teacher-student interaction permits this form of assessment.”

The policy is guided by Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine’s medical education program objectives (MEPOs):

  • Demonstrate clinical skills and diagnostic reasoning needed for patient care (Clinical Skills and Diagnostic Reasoning)
  • Effectively communicate with patients, families, colleagues and interprofessional team members (Communication)
  • Practice relationship centered care to build therapeutic alliances with patients and caregivers (Patient Centered Care)
  • Exhibit skills necessary for personal and professional development needed for the practice of medicine (Personal and Professional Development).

    In the pre-clerkship curriculum, the doctoring courses are where the majority of these non-cognitive domains can be observed and where students integrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes they acquire from their other courses.  The clerkship years provide opportunities for all domains to be observed both cognitive and non-cognitive.

    Policy

    The curriculum must provide students with opportunities to receive narrative assessments on their performance in the domains listed above and to advance student performance in these domains to prepare them for clinical practice.

    • During the pre-clerkship curriculum: Students will receive narrative assessment of their behavior, communication skills, professionalism and life-long learning in the doctoring courses. Students will also receive narrative assessment in any non-doctoring preclinical course in which students have four or more sessions in a small group of 12 or fewer students with the same instructor at each session.
      • During the clerkship curriculum: Students will receive narrative assessment in all core clerkships. These assessments will address cognitive and non-cognitive domains and encompass all competency domains relevant to the clerkship phase..

    Monitoring

    Compliance with the narrative assessment policy is monitored by the medical education office and reviewed annually by the MEC.

    Relevant LCME Element(s):  9.5 Narrative Assessment

    Approved by the Medical Education Committee (MEC) on July 14, 2016
    Revised on June 13, 2017, January 10, 2018, and June 13, 2024.