Milestone-Based Tool for Learner Evaluation of Faculty Clinical Teaching.

Introduction: Traditional normative Likert-type evaluations of faculty teaching have several drawbacks, including lack of granular feedback, potential for inflation, and the halo effect. To provide more meaningful data to faculty on their teaching skills and encourage educator self-reflection and skill development, we designed and implemented a milestone-based faculty clinical teaching evaluation tool.

Methods: The evaluation tool contains 10 questions that assess clinical teaching skills with descriptive milestone behavior anchors.

Does emotional intelligence predict breaking bad news skills in pediatric interns? A pilot study.

Background: While both patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as an area of great challenge, the factors underlying this often complex task remain largely unknown. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been positively correlated with good general communication skills and successful leadership, but there is no literature relating EI to the delivery of bad news.

Purpose: Our objectives were to determine: 1) performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news in a standardized patient (SP) setting; and 2) the role of EI in these assessments.

Another Disease Re-emerges Due to Parental Shot Refusal: Case Report of a Fussy Infant with Blood in Stool.

Background: Infants may present to the emergency department (ED) with vague complaints worrisome to parents and may initially appear well, despite serious underlying pathology. Whereas sepsis and nonaccidental trauma are high on most providers' diagnostic considerations, we report a case representative of a worrisome trend secondary to the refusal of parenteral vitamin K at birth leading to significant neurologic sequelae.

Case Report: A 10-week-old boy presented to the ED with gradual increase in fussiness for 2 weeks and new onset of blood flecks in the stool on the day of presentation.

Breaking bad news is a teachable skill in pediatric residents: A feasibility study of an educational intervention.

Objective: Patients and physicians identify communication of bad news as a skill in need of improvement. Our objectives were to measure change in performance of first-year pediatric residents in the delivery of bad news after an educational intervention and to measure if changes in performance were sustained over time.

Methods: Communication skills of 29 residents were assessed via videotaped standardized patient (SP) encounters at 3 time points: baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention.

Applying adult learning practices in medical education.

The application of the best practices of teaching adults to the education of adults in medical education settings is important in the process of transforming learners to become and remain effective physicians. Medical education at all levels should be designed to equip physicians with the knowledge, clinical skills, and professionalism that are required to deliver quality patient care. The ultimate outcome is the health of the patient and the health status of the society.