A new vocabulary and other innovations for improving descriptive in-training evaluations

Progress in improving the credibility of teachers' descriptive evaluation o f students and residents had not kept pace with the progress made in improv ing the credibility of more quantified methods, such as multiple-choice exa minations and standardized patient of examination clinical skills. This art icle addresses innovative approaches to making the ongoing in-training eval uation (ITEv) of trainees during their clinical experiences more reliable a nd valid. The innovations include the development of a standard vocabulary of describing the progress of trainees from "reporter" to "interpreter" to "manager" and "educator" (RIME), the use of formal evaluation sessions, and closer consideration of the unit of clinical evaluation (the case, the rot ation, or the year). The author also discusses initial results of studies a ssessing the reliability and validity of descriptive methods, as well as th e use of quantified methods to complement descriptive methods. Applying bas ic principles-the use of a taxonomy of professional development and statist ical principles of reliability and validity-may foster research into credib le descriptive evaluation of clinical skills.