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February 1997
Paul M. Paulman, MD Editor's Note: Column authors Marian R. Stuart, PhD,
and Paula S. Krauser, MD, MA, are members of the faculty of the
Department of Family Medicine at the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in
New Brunswick, NJ. Dr Krauser had 10 years of experience as a
community teacher of family medicine before joining the faculty
at UMDNJ. I hope you find this new feature educational, and I
welcome your comments (e-mail: ppaulman@mail.unmc.edu).
I also encourage all predoctoral directors to make copies of this
feature and distribute it to their preceptors.
Using Goals and Objectives in the Community Family Medicine
Rotation Many preceptors assume that by just having the student shadow them or assigning them patients, the student will benefit. This is generally true. However, the experience can be enhanced by setting clear goals and objectives, which focus your energies productively, inform the student about what is expected, and ease the evaluation process. A goal is a global statement of the desired outcome of the rotation on the student. Objectives are specific statements delineating the knowledge, skills, and attitudinal changes that must be met to achieve the goal. When we speak of providing students with the experience of working with a community physician for a period of months, that is not a goal but a strategy. The question becomes, "What changes in knowledge, skills, or attitudes do we hope to see as a result of this experience?" The goal of the rotation might be to increase the student's appreciation of the philosophy of family practice and the variety of common problems effectively treated by family physicians. Another goal might be to increase the student's ability to address problems using a patient-centered interview and a biopsychosocial approach. In other words, a goal statement answers the question, "What is it that I hope the student will get from this rotation?" For each goal, several objectives should be developed that will detail the particular behaviors that would provide evidence of the achievement of the goal. Objectives need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Framed. Objectives answer the question, "By the end of the rotation, what specifically do I want the student to know and be able to do or feel." By specific, we mean, "Who should do or know what, how, when, and under what circumstances?" Objectives also need to be measurable. Knowledge components are measurable if the student can describe, list, or explain a designated number of phenomena. Skills can be measured if they can be demonstrated. Attitudes can be inferred by the student's willingness to engage in certain activities or make particular commitments. Measurable also may suggest setting time allowances for how long something should take. Attainable means it is reasonable to expect the learning to occur during the rotation. The objective should be relevant to the goal and achievable by the end of the rotation (time framed). The investment of your time spent thinking through the goals and objectives for the rotation will help you focus discussions around critical issues. By stating your objectives at the onset, you will increase your ability to achieve your goals. Sharing the goals and objectives with the student at the start of the rotation has the further benefit of communicating clear expectations about what is to be learned. The written objectives then become the criteria for evaluating the student. It becomes a question of checking to see if the objectives have been met--ie, to what extent does the student demonstrate the specified knowledge, skills, and attitudes. As a community preceptor, you play a significant role in the education of future physicians. Adopting the discipline inherent in stated goals and objectives will enhance your teaching effectiveness and the student's appreciation of family practice. It will also increase your mutual satisfaction with the experience. Reference |