Mid-Core Feedback

Evaluation of students occurs throughout the rotation with the mid-point of the rotation being a critical time for appraising progress toward achievement of learning objectives. The 2 major elements of mid-rotation feedback include the Mid-core Evaluation and the Mid-Core Examination.

Mid-Core Evaluation

These evaluations should be completed during the midpoint of the rotation (approximately week 3/4 for 6 week rotations and week 6/7 for 12 week rotations). The online Clinical Evaluation system and the mid-core evaluation form facilitate these meetings and generate necessary formative feedback to students.

The Mid-Core Evaluation consists of individualized face-to-face meetings with each student to evaluate their performance up to that point of the rotation and provide formative feedback on performance. Documentation of the meeting and the student’s electronic record of the meeting is submitted on the Midcore Evaluation Form via the Clinical Evaluation System (ClinEval). This evaluation form in the ClinEval application provides clerkship directors with students’ performance data including Patient Encounter Log (PEL) submissions, AMBOSS completion summaries (provided by the application), and mid-core exam performance. Direct observation forms, quiz performance records, and case write-ups are provided by the student during the Midcore Evaluation Meeting.

The clerkship director conducting the evaluation is responsible for providing formative feedback to improve the student’s medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professionalism and for completing the electronic mid-core evaluation form in the Clinical Evaluation application. If any evaluation components are evaluated as “unsatisfactory”, narrative comments describing the deficiency are required and the student will be referred to their Clinical Academic Advisor (Clinical AADS) to discuss their performance and plan for improvement prior to the final evaluation.

CDs must arrange for formative mid-core evaluations of all students in order to discuss the student’s performance including a review the Electronic Patient Encounter Log, AMBOSS quizzes and case write-ups. These consist of individualized face-to-face meetings with each student and completion of the mid-core evaluation form (Appendix V).

The midcore evaluations is designed to achieve the following:

•         Provide students with qualitative feedback early enough in the clerkship to allow time to address deficiencies.

•         Provide CDs an opportunity to help students recognize their strengths.

•         Offer encouragement if the student is doing well or a warning with constructive criticism if the student is doing poorly.

•         Enable medical students to measure their progress in learning.

Comments provided on the mid-core evaluation may be integrated into the final evaluation.

 

Mid Core Examination

Overview

The midcore examination provides academic faculty, advisors, and students with valuable data on student’s progress toward building competency in clinical subject knowledge at the mid-point of a clerkship. Examinations provide a snapshot of our students’ content knowledge at the mid-way point of a rotation and help to identify students who would benefit from academic advising and development.

Data from mid-core exams are reviewed by the Academic Progress Review Committee (APRC) to identify students at-risk of failing to meet program standards who are in need of academic advising. Feedback from the mid-core examination facilitates students’ self-evaluation of learning as they continue to prepare for the more high stakes, end-of-clerkship NBME exams. 

 

Exams Required

Students are required to take 6 Mid-Core Examinations a required part of the assessment of clinical knowledge: in the core clerkships: one mid-core exam for each core rotation (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics/Gynecology; and one mid-core for the Family Medicine/General Practice required rotation

 

Exam Schedule and Notification

The Mid-Core Examination is required at the mid-point of the rotation: the 4th Monday of a 6-week rotation and on the 6th Monday of a 12-week rotation.  Students are notified of the exam details via SGU email by the Mid-Core Team one week prior to the scheduled midcore examination date.

 

Exam Structure

Each exam comprises 110 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions. All questions derive from a question bank created and validated by SGU clinical faculty with expertise in the 6 subject areas with multiple revisions to improve validity and reliability.

 

Contribution to Final Clinical Evaluation

All final clinical evaluations provide students’ achievement toward competency in knowledge, clinical skills, and professional behavior domains.

This required midcore examination will be graded on the Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail system in accordance with the percentiles established for the NBME subject examinations and derived from the performance of the August 2024 cohort:

Pass - at or above the 10th percentile
High Pass - at or above the 50th percentile
Honors - at or above the 75th percentile

The mid-core examination contributes to 20% of the Knowledge Component of  the final evaluation for each core rotation and for the Family Medicine/General Practice required rotation; however, should a student fail the NBME examination, the student will fail the Knowledge Component  of the final evaluation regardless of performance on the mid-core examination.

Students who fail only the Knowledge Component will earn an “I” as the final grade for the evaluation and have the opportunity to remediate as per the grading system described in the CTM. Students who fail 2 or more components will earn a failing grade for the rotation.

Students should consult the Grading System and Implications for Academic Progress sections of the CTM for detailed descriptions of the grading system, remediation, and academic progress.