Peer-assisted feedback: a successful approach for providing feedback on United States Medical Licensing Exam-style clinical skills exam notes in the United States

PURPOSE: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) promotes the development of communication, facilitates improvements in clinical skills, and is a way to provide feedback to learners. We utilized PAL as a conceptual framework to explore the feasibility of peer-assisted feedback (PAF) to improve note-writing skills without requiring faculty time. The aim was to assess whether PAL was a successful method to provide feedback on the United States Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE)-style clinical skills exam notes by using student feedback on a survey in the United States. METHODS: The University of Florida College of Medicine administers clinical skills examination (CSEs) that include USMLE-like note-writing. PAL, in which students support the learning of their peers, was utilized as an alternative to faculty feedback. Second-year (MS2) and third-year (MS3) medical students taking CSEs participated in faculty-run note-grading sessions immediately after testing, which included explanations of grading rubrics and the feedback process. Students graded an anonymized peer’s notes. The graded material was then forwarded anonymously to its student author to review. Students were surveyed on their perceived ability to provide feedback and the benefits derived from PAF using a Likert scale (1–6) and open-ended comments during the 2017–2018 academic year. RESULTS: Students felt generally positively about the activity, with mean scores for items related to educational value of 4.49 for MS2s and 5.11 for MS3s (out of 6). MS3s perceived peer feedback as constructive, felt that evaluating each other’s notes was beneficial, and felt that the exercise would improve their future notes. While still positive, MS2 students gave lower scores than the MS3 students. CONCLUSION: PAF was a successful method of providing feedback on student CSE notes, especially for MS3s. MS2s commented that although they learned during the process, they might be more invested in improving their note-writing as they approach their own USMLE exam.