How to Provide Feedback to Health Professions Students

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Give feedback soon after the event and start with learner reflection.To encourage the learner to reflect on an action/activity ask: What happened?

   Was the outcome what you wanted? Why/why not? Solicit a self-assessment from the student.
   
   What did s/he do well? What might s/he do differently?
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   Step 2: Provide constructive feedback on the most important area for improvement.

   Describe what didn’t go well and your reason for concern.
   
   Use non-judgmental language.
   
   Focus on behavior the student can change.
   
   Build on the student’s self assessment.
   
   Check to make sure the student understands your feedback. , or "I liked the way that you actively listened to the patient, reflecting her answers back to verify that you heard her." Proclamations, like "good job!" are not helpful. ,, Question appropriately.
   
   Listen actively.
   
   Be honest and empathic. , What have you ruled out in this situation and why? ,, Why do you think you always do it this way? ,,,,, What will you commit to do by when?
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   Step 3: Reinforce what the student did well with specific and descriptive positive statements like: "When you asked questions

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   Step 4: you demonstrated good eye contact."

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   Step 5: Help the student create a plan for change.

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   Step 6: Model good interpersonal and communication skills.

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   Step 7: To help the learner better analyze what happened: What else might be impacting this situation?

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   Step 8: To encourage the learner to explore strategies: How did you solve the problem?Do you see any other way to do this?

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   Step 9: To encourage the learner to explore or critique his/her own assumptions

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    Step 10: beliefs

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    Step 11: values and biases: What made you think that?

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    Step 12: To clarify a student’s response or redirect the focus: Can you explain more about that?What do you see as the primary problem here?

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    Step 13: To encourage the student to draw conclusions based on an analysis of the experience:What did you learn in that process?

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    Step 14: To encourage the learner to anticipate situations or improve the present situation:What might you do differently next time to improve the outcome?

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    Step 15: What would you do if…?

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    Step 16: To encourage the learner to move from discussing “the possible” to taking action:What are your goals?

Detailed Guide

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