What Components Should Be Evaluated in a Psychiatry Residency

In this pilot study, the authors examined faculty responses to a proposed new evaluation form for residents. Because past research on priorities for psychiatric residency curricula have depended on direct surveys, previous findings may represent auricular ideals instead of what faculty actually evaluate. The goal of the study was to draw inferences about priorities in psychiatric education by studying what components (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) of a psychiatry residency that faculty are willing to spend their time evaluating. The responses were grouped by agreement about whether the item 1) could be evaluated on their site, 2) could be evaluated during psychotherapy supervision, 3) should be combined with other items, and 4) should be eliminated. The results showed much agreement about which items to include and little agreement about which ones to exclude. Fundamental psychiatric skills and attitudes were rated as most important, and there was widespread interest in a diversity of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that psychiatric residents should possess. The authors found this method, which could be easily applied to other programs, useful in setting auricular priorities.