All About that Feedback!

Adam Tanious, MD, MMSC

Vascular Surgery Integrated Resident – MGH

PGY 7

02/17/2020

Adam Tanious, MD, MMSC

Feedback has been the main thing on my mind since finishing the Clinical Teaching Skills course through the Partners GME Centers of Excellence in Medical Education.  There were so many wonderful things we learned during that day, but the concept of feedback stuck with me.  In fact, I got back to the hospital that day and sought out my medical students, excited to give feedback.  In my excitement, I may have forgot a few of the skills that were taught during the course (i.e. don’t give personal feedback while standing in front of a learners peer-group). 

The course really helped me realize how critical feedback is to the learning process to help round out the educational experience.  I often utilize the Socratic method in my teaching which has been received in various ways previously. However, by adding feedback during and after my sessions, students seem to be more receptive and engaged during the teaching. 

Thanks to the video opportunity during the course, I will say that I have decreased the amount I hand-gestures I use during my teaching (which may be another reason why my teaching sessions have better received)… see picture below for example. 

I will say that I wish the concepts taught during this course could be applied to medical school curriculum, as residency is a time when all of us must become educators to those under us.  Perhaps even adding this as hour of this education every 6 months of residency just to help keep us on track to truly educate those coming up behind us to be the best students and residents possible.