Self-Assessment of Teaching Skills Among Psychiatric Residents

Objective Psychiatry residency programs have increasingly emphasized the role of resident-as-teacher; however, little is known about resident self-perceptions of teaching skills. This study reports on psychiatry residents’ self-perceived skills in teaching medical students and compares cohort ratings with anonymous medical student evaluations of residents as teachers at our large academic residency program. Methods In May–June 2016, 84 residents in our program were surveyed using an anonymous, web-based survey, and this data was then compared to 3 years of aggregate data from anonymous student evaluations of resident teaching at our institution. Results Forty-seven (47) residents responded to the survey (56% response rate). Residents reported self-perceived deficits in several specific teaching competencies. Medical students consistently rated residents higher with respect to teaching skills than residents rated themselves, and these data were highly statistically significant. Conclusion This study underscores the benefits of resident self-assessment in comparison to medical student evaluations of residents as teachers and this information can be used to inform training programs’ resident-as-teacher curricula.