Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
formerly known as "The Dean's Letter"
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation is an important part of a student’s application for a postgraduate internship/residency position. In accordance with guidelines drafted by the AAMC, the letter is primarily descriptive rather than a personal letter of recommendation. In addition to the student’s grades (which are also contained in the student’s transcript), the MSPE includes paragraphs describing some of the student’s achievements prior to coming to Medical School, selected research, school and community service activities during Medical School, and descriptions of clinical performance excerpted from narratives written by clinical clerkship and elective coordinators. The letter concludes with an endorsement at a level decided by the Dean’s Letter Advisory Committee.
The faculty of the University of Massachusetts Medical School have established these guidelines for the level of endorsement of their graduates for the Medical Student Performance Evaluation. These ranks may be considered as overall appraisals of student performance by a committee of the faculty, but they should not be considered as representing “quartiles” of performance. As these are criterion-based rather than competitive norm-based rankings of students, it is theoretically possibly for all students to be considered as “outstanding” or as “good.” We consider this endorsement to represent the student’s performance as it will reflect functioning in a clinical position; therefore significantly more emphasis is placed on clinical than on preclinical academic performance. Because qualities other than purely academic average are also considered, the difference in academic averages of students between continuous ranks is small and may even overlap. Factors other than academic performance which may be considered at all levels of endorsement include special interpersonal skills and characteristics considered necessary for effective functioning as a physician, outstanding research or social service participation, or unusual strengths in the student’s chosen clinical field.
Following are summaries of these criteria:
Outstanding: Reserved for those students who have earned ratings of “Outstanding Performance” in most or all of the required core clerkships and whose clinical performance has been consistently above the expected level. Most of these students have also earned “Honors” in a majority of preclinical courses.
Excellent and Potentially Outstanding: Those students who have done quite well and earned grades of “Outstanding” and “Above Expected Performance” in the majority of required core clerkships and usually many “Honors” grades in preclinical courses. Often this student shows increasingly strong performance as third year clerkships are completed and fourth year status is attained.
Excellent: These students have done very well academically, receiving a number of “Outstanding” or “Above Expected Performance” grades in core clerkships and often many “Honors” grades in preclinical courses. This student is considered highly competent.
Very Good and Potentially Excellent: The student has received one or two clinical grades of “Outstanding” or “Above Expected Performance” in core clerkships or electives and has successfully completed all preclinical coursework. This student has achieved a solid academic performance.
Very Good: The student has successfully completed all coursework, generally at an “Expected” or “Credit” level. This student may have received ratings of “Outstanding” or “Above Expected Performance” in electives but generally has not received them in core clerkships.
Good: The student has met all requirements. Performance is considered acceptable at the current time.
Recommended: The student is considered competent to progress to postgraduate training but has needed significant additional support or has required a longer time to master both basic science and clinical skills.
(N.B.: Any grade of “No Credit” (preclinical) or “Fail” (clinical) must be remediated; a successful remediation from these grades will be noted on the transcript. In addition, any grade of “Below Expected Performance” in a clerkship must be remediated.
All clinical remediations from any previous grade are discussed in the body of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation).
The Medical School utilizes the AAMC guidelines for composition of the MSPE. In addition, the following guidelines were approved by the Executive Council of the Faculty in April, 1987 and amended subsequently:
1. Each student will be given the opportunity to read his/her letter before it is sent out and discuss it with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or appeal it to the Dean’s Letter Advisory Committee if he/she chooses.
2. Students will not be placed in categories of endorsement through any predetermined percentages, statistical curves, or class rankings.
3. Scores on Steps I and II of the United States Medical Licensing Examination will be mentioned in the letter only at the student’s request.
4. The letter will attempt to describe those themes which characterize and typify the student’s overall academic performance. Thus, negative comments will not necessarily be mentioned unless they are part of a pattern of performance.
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Taken from the 2006-2007 UMass Medical School, School of Medicine Student Handbook
(taken from the 2005/06 UMMS Student Handbook)