GUIDELINES FOR RESIDENT EVALUATION
Evaluation at Regular Intervals
During the course of each clinical rotation, the coordinator of the clinical assignment at
the site of the rotation will provide verbal feedback of the resident's performance on that
service. Residents should expect this kind of feedback from the coordinator at least twice
during the rotation, but optimally on a continuous basis.
Similar feedback on resident’s performance from clinical supervisors in individual,
group, family, and behavior therapy will be provided at least once during the resident's
assignment to a given supervisor and at the conclusion of the assignment.
At the conclusion of each assignment for both clinical rotations and in the supervision of
therapy, an electronic evaluation will be submitted to the Director of Residency Training
and to the resident. The content of the evaluation will be discussed with the resident by
the clinical coordinator or therapy supervisor.
Once a year the Residency Training Directors will convene a meeting of the teaching
faculty for the purpose of evaluating the progress of the residents. The Evaluation
Committee meetings will be scheduled so that all clinical coordinators, supervisors, and
seminar leaders for the given group of residents will be able to provide written reports
and verbal commentary on the progress of each resident.
A formal method of resident evaluation will occur in the fall and spring of each year, by
means of a patient interview conducted by the resident in the presence of a faculty
examiner, followed by the resident presenting the case history, mental status examination,
formulation differential diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis. A written report of
these evaluations will be submitted to the Director of Residency Training who will
review the resident's performance with him/her individually. The faculty examiner is
expected to provide adequately detailed feedback to the resident he/she has examined
immediately after this clinical evaluation.
Residents will participate in the PRITE (Psychiatry Residents in Training Examination)
in the fall of each year. Such participation is intended to provide feedback to the
Residency Training Director and the residents about the adequacy of residents' progress,
areas of strength and weakness in their performance and to provide the Residency
Training Director with information on the adequacy of the training program, as reflected
in the knowledge base of the residents.
Twice a year during each year of training, the Director and/or Associate Director of
Residency Training will review the progress of each resident individually with the
resident. Residents will be evaluated on each area of training as stipulated in the attached
semi-annual evaluation form.
Identification of Resident Performance in Need of "Special Evaluation"
Coordinators of clinical assignments and/or therapy supervisors will bring to the attention
of the Director of Residency Training performance by a resident that may require "special
evaluation".
Such performance includes, but is not limited to: absence from clinical service serious
enough to impair the expected performance of clinical duties; failure to provide for the
clinical care of patients assigned by the coordinator of the clinical rotation under the
direct clinical supervision of faculty psychiatrists; behavior toward patients or staff of a
clinical service that jeopardizes the expected standards of clinical care for a patient or
patients for whom the resident is responsible on that clinical service under the direction
of faculty supervisors; failure to maintain adequate and expected clinical records;
limitation of knowledge base serious enough to prevent the resident from performing the
clinical duties at the expected level of clinical competence.
Initially, problems contributing to the inability of the resident to perform at a standard
expected of a resident at his/her level will be discussed with the resident by the clinical
coordinator of the service to which the resident is assigned. The clinical coordinator will
inform the Director of Residency Training of the problems being experienced by the
resident and the plans for their resolution.
Persistence of problems involving adequacy of performance by a resident, unethical
behavior, or the possibility of a need arising for a temporary leave of absence by a
resident will be discussed in detail with the Director of Residency Training. The Director
of Residency Training will confer with all faculty who may be able to contribute further
information to the clarification of the problems the resident may have been experiencing
during the present and previous clinical assignments. On the basis of this information,
the Director of Residency Training will discuss with the resident a plan of study and
clinical experience sufficient to bring the resident up to the expected level of
performance.
Academic Probation
In the event that the steps described above for special evaluation of a resident's
performance do not enable the resident to reach a level of performance expected of a
resident at his/her level, the Director of Residency Training, after consultation with other
faculty members who have had recent and ongoing contract with the resident in question,
will notify the resident that he/she is being placed on “Academic Probation”. This
notification will be in writing and will specify the identified areas of persisting problems
in meeting the standard of performance expected of a resident at his/her level. The
notification of Academic Probation will specify the remedial actions necessary for the
resident to achieve an adequate level of performance.
A resident will ordinarily be placed on “Academic Probation” for consistently
substandard work in any one of the following areas:

Clinical Assignments

Professional relationships with peers

Professional relationships with the community

Doctor-on-call

Professional relationships with supervisors

Mock Board examinations

Didactic seminars

UTP (psychotherapy or general outpatient treatment)
Designation of Academic Probation will apply for three months. Written evaluation of
the resident's performance in the areas designated as problematic will be provided to the
Director of Residency Training monthly by the clinical coordinator and other faculty in
whose area of supervision the resident has been performing below the expected standard.
The Director or Associate Director of Residency Training will meet at least monthly with
the resident to monitor the progress of the written plan of remediation. Residents on
probation will not be permitted to do any moonlighting.
If the standard of performance by a resident in this category reaches a satisfactory
performance level by the end of the three month period of Academic Probation, the
resident will be given full academic credit for the preceding months. The Director of
Residency Training will inform the resident in writing that his/her performance has
achieved the expected level and the period of an Academic Probation is thereby
terminated.
In the event that the standard of performance by the resident during or at the conclusion
of a period of three months of Academic Probation does not reach the expected standard
for a resident at his/her level, the Director of Residency Training, in consultation with
other faculty who have direct experience of the resident's performance during the period
of Academic Probation, and in consultation with the Chair of the Department of
Psychiatry and Human Behavior, may take one of the following actions:
1. Suspend the resident's clinical privileges in the event that his/her performance
standard jeopardizes the safety and/or clinical care of patients. Academic credit will not
be given during the period of suspension of clinical privileges.
2. Continue the period of Academic Probation for an additional and final three
months. No resident can remain on Academic Probation for more than six months in
total over the course of their training. If the resident's performance remains inadequate,
he/she may not continue as a resident in the program. The resident will be informed in
writing of his/her termination from the program.
Independent Evaluation
If the evaluation of the resident's performance by the Residency Training Director
suggests a situation (such as, but not limited to: medical/mental health or substance abuse
problems) which places the resident or their patients at risk, the Director of Residency
Training may require an independent evaluation by the Physician's Health Committee of
the Rhode Island Medical Society. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the
resident’s ability to perform his/her clinical duties and responsibilities. Pending the
results of this evaluation, the resident may be placed on administrative and/or medical
leave. Once placed on administrative and/or medical leave, the Rhode Island Board of
Medical Discipline and Licensure will be notified of this action. Ordinarily the resident
will be relieved of clinical duties during this period of leave. The Director of Residency
Training will abide by the determination of the Physician's Health Committee of the
Rhode Island Medical Society in relation to the resident’s fitness to return to work.
Appeal
The decision to develop a remedial plan based on the need for “Special Evaluation,” is
considered an educational decision and not subject to appeal.
The decision to place a resident on “Academic Probation” is subject to appeal. The
resident may request an appeal within one week of the formal written notice. This appeal
must be made in writing to the Director of Residency Training. Within one week, the
Director of Residency Training will appoint a faculty member of the Policy Committee to
review the case. This appointed faculty member must not have been directly involved in
the evaluation of the resident during any period of “Special Evaluation” or academic
difficulty. The appointed faculty member will be charged with determining the adequacy
of documentation of the resident’s inadequate or problematic performance, the steps
designated to resolve those areas of problematic or inadequate performance, and may
recommend oral and/or written examination of the resident to further document the
standard of knowledge and performance. The faculty reviewer will report to the Director
of Residency Training within two weeks. The resident and Director of Residency
Training will abide by the decision of the faculty reviewer.
A resident may appeal the decision of termination from the program by writing to the
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior within one week of
receiving written notification of being placed on Academic Probation. Within two weeks
of receiving a written request of appeal the Chairperson will appoint a review committee
consisting of three senior faculty members who have not been directly involved in the
evaluation of the resident during any of the period of special evaluation or Academic
Probation. The Review Committee will be charged with determining the adequacy of the
documentation of the resident’s inadequate or problematic performance, the steps
designated to resolve those areas of problematic or inadequate performance, and may
recommend oral and/or written examination of the resident to further document the
standard of knowledge and performance. The Review Committee will report within one
month of being constituted, to the Department Chair who will make a final decision
regarding the appeal. The resident and the Director of Residency Training will abide by
the decision of the Department Chair.
During any appeal process the resident is expected to satisfy the terms of the written plan
of remediation.