Evaluations of Residents

The Clinical Competency Committee is responsible for ensuring that residents advance through the training program in a satisfactory manner. The ACGME Neurosurgical Milestones are used as a guide assess competency. Chief residents are expected to achieve Level 4 or greater across all Milestones. The Clinical Competency Committee reviews the progress of each resident semiannually, determining competency Levels in all Milestone categories. It is expected that residents progress to training level appropriate Levels as they advance in the residency.

Residents are evaluated by a variety of mechanisms, including but not limited to:

• End of Rotation competency assessments: faculty members with direct clinical contact with the resident fill out these forms. For most clinical rotations, Patient Care Milestones are emphasized in these evaluations.
• Operative Competency assessments: residents are required to demonstrate pertinent Medical Knowledge and procedural competency for specific operations at the appropriate participation level (assistant, senior, lead) as stipulated on the Operative Distribution Matrix. The individual assessment forms are available online . It is the resident's responsibility to review which operation type is required for each rotation, and demonstrate competency for each during that rotation.
• Mock Oral Boards: Residents are assessed annually in a setting emulating the ABNS Oral Boards. Residents are asked training level appropriate questions. Goals are to assess Medical Knowledge and Patient Care, but also prepare for the actual Oral Board exam.
• Clinical nursing staff assessments
• Patient assessments: obtained from the ARC program
• Performance on the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) In-Service exam
• Professionalism including but limited to conference attendance, duty hour compliance, and timely case log completion.

Evaluation of Faculty

Residents evaluate attendings teaching skills at the end of each rotation.  The evaluation is based on a resident's clinical interaction in the operating room, ward, and clinic; and the faculty member's lecture performance, scholastic achievement, and overall performance.

The Chair and Program Director reviews the results of these evaluations with each faculty member during an annual review meeting.  Meetings are scheduled on a more frequent basis as needed.

Evaluation of Program 

The residents have a confidential, semi-annual retreat with the resident program ombudsman.  Anonymous meeting notes are distributed to both faculty and residents highlighting attributes of the training program, documenting concerns, and listing requests for programmatic updates.

Residents complete the annual, electronic, UCLA Graduate Medical Education evaluation.  Residents also complete the American Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) biennial electronic evaluation

Faculty evaluate the training program via an annual electronic survey.

The program reviews the percentage of alumni continuing into academia and passing the ABNS Oral Exam as part of the evaluative process.

The Program Evaluation Committee meets annually to discuss the Residency Program. One resident serves on this committee.