Anonymous Doctor

I got evaluated for the first time yesterday. Theoretically, each attending and resident I work with is supposed to file an evaluation, but very few people actually do. Everyone works with so many residents and attendings, and the form is so long, that actually filling them out for everyone would take all day. Which certainly means the system is broken, because we ought to get evaluated more than we do. But I can't fix the system, all I can do is check it three times a week to see if anyone said anything about me. And, finally, someone did.

My attending from the last rotation evaluated me, and I did okay. It's not a verbose evaluation. "[name] showed competence with patient care." "[name] wrote competent notes." "[name] performed his tasks competently." Competence is apparently this attending's favorite adjective. On a scale from one to seven (I don't know why that's the scale), I got mostly 4s and 5s. A couple of 6s, and one 3. I got a 3 in "demonstrates proficiency in assimilating material from research studies into patient care." The attending had asked me two separate times about any studies that backed up some treatment plan I was recommending, and I didn't have an answer each time. I guess he remembered. I can live with that.

I got a 6 on "displays sensitivity and respect to the needs of the patients" and also on "is aware of own limitations, takes advice gracefully, and uses this information for growth and education." I think that's a backhanded compliment. I know I don't know stuff. Great.

I asked another intern if she got any evaluations yet, and she said she got one and it was mostly 4s and 5s. So I guess I'm doing okay.