A student’s grade is determined by clinical performance and score on the final exam.
Clinical Grade
The clinical grade constitutes 50% of the Overall Grade. The clinical grade is determined as the average score on eight clinical items from students’ evaluation(s) by faculty and (in Seattle) residents. When there are multiple evaluators, evaluations by faculty or residents that have worked with a student intensively are weighted twice as much as evaluations by those who only briefly or superficially worked with a student. Mid-clerkship feedback will count toward your final clinical grade unless the same person submits both mid clerkship and end of clerkship feedback; in that case, only the end of clerkship feedback will count toward the clinical grade.
The clinical grade is based upon the average score for each of the 8 assessed clinical items (scale = 1 to 4 points). Below is how the clinical grades are broken down, as well as what each individual score is noted as in eValue:
| Clinical Average | Individual Score in Evalue | |
| Honors | 95%-100% | “4” |
| High Pass | 75%-94.9% | “3” |
| Pass | 50%-74.9% | “2” |
| Fail | Less than 50% | “1” |
Final Exam Grade
The final exam constitutes 50% of the Overall Grade. Must get 68% or higher to pass.
Overall Grade
The overall grade is weighted 50% Clinical Grade and 50% Exam Score
EXAMPLE:
| Clinical Scores | Student #1 | Student #2 | Student #3 | Student #4 |
| Clinical Average | 3.96 | 3.27 | 2.99 | 3.88 |
| Clinical Percentage | 99.00 | 81.75 | 74.75 | 97.00 |
| Clinical Grade (CG) | H | HP | P | H |
| Exam Score (EG) | 77 | 67 | 89 | 91 |
| FG=(0.50xEG)+(0.50xCG) | 88.00 | 74.38 | 81.88 | 94.00 |
| Final Grade | H | P | HP | H |
| Final Grade | Final Percent | Individual Score in Evalue |
| Honors | 87.50%-100% | “4” |
| High | 75%-87.49% | “3” |
| Pass | 59%-74.99% | “2” |
| Fail | Less than 59% | “1” |
A student who fails clinically will fail the clerkship regardless of final exam score. A student who fails the final exam may still pass the clerkship if they have a clinical score of High Pass or Honors. A student who passes the clerkship and fails the final exam will have to get a passing score on the exam prior to graduating, as per UWSOM policy.
*Note: under circumstances mentioned above, we factor in mid-clerkship feedback evaluations and weigh some evaluations more than others. As a consequence, you may not be able to calculate your clinical grade or final grade based on the scores available to you in E-Value. If you have any questions about how your grade was calculated, please contact us.
Attendance:
Attendance is required, and if a student misses more than two days of the clerkship due to illness, travel, interviews, they will be expected to make up the additional time, such as through coming in on a weekend or holiday. Please let the clerkship administrator and/or directors who as soon as possible if you anticipate needing to do this.
Materials:
We recommend having at least a penlight and reflex hammer for neurological exams. Required and suggested readings are available on the course Canvas site.
Scheduled last Friday of clerkship. This is not a shelf exam, so students will be required to take their exams in-person. Students will be required to bring exam compatible laptops to the exam, as the test will be completed online, with a proctor present. The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions (retired NMBE questions on Neuroscience content). A very large portion of the questions pertain to neurological disease, and so it is strongly recommended that students use the weekly study guides and associated videos to help as they prepare for the final exam.
NEUR S 655/665 – Clinical Grading Criteria:
We will ask the faculty and residents with whom you work to evaluate your abilities in these 8 items. For each item, grading criteria are detailed below.
| Clinical Item | Fail (<2) | Pass (2) | High Pass (3) | Honors (4) |
| Obtain an appropriate medical history for a patient with a neurosurgical concern | Often misses key information | Often gathers a complete and accurate medical history |
Consistently gathers a complete and accurate history | Consistently gathers a complete, accurate, and appropriately focused history |
| Perform an appropriate neurological exam for a patient with a neurosurgical concern |
Often misses important findings or uses faulty technique |
Often discovers physical findings and shows appropriate physical examination technique |
Consistently discovers relevant physical findings while examining patients with appropriate technique and thoroughness |
Consistently discovers subtle physical findings while examining patients with appropriate technique and thoroughness |
| Construct a differential diagnosis and support the most likely diagnosis for a range of common and/or emergent neurosurgical conditions | Unable to contribute ideas to diagnostic plan | Able to contribute ideas to a diagnostic plan | Consistently develops a prioritized diagnostic plan that reflects appropriate clinical reasoning |
Excels in developing a prioritized diagnostic plan that reflects highly sophisticated clinical reasoning |
| Manage a range of neurosurgical diseases by selecting diagnostic tests and treatments, including identifying indications for surgery |
Contributes little to diagnostic and treatment plan | Often contributes to the diagnostic and treatment plans | Consistently contributes to the diagnostic and treatment plans |
Consistently and independently generates appropriate diagnostic and treatment plans |
| Demonstrate an expanding medical knowledge to propose diagnostic and treatment plans |
Proposed plans exhibit deficits in knowledge base | Proposed plans often exhibit relevant knowledge for commonly encountered disease processes |
Proposed plans consistently exhibit relevant knowledge for commonly encountered disease processes |
Proposed plans consistently exhibit relevant knowledge for complex clinical situations |
| Present organized and accurate oral case presentations | Oral presentations often disorganized and inaccurate | Oral presentations are often organized and accurate | Oral presentations are consistently organized and accurate |
Oral presentations are consistently organized, accurate, and concise |
| Communicate clearly with patients | Misses patients’ concerns or uses confusing language with patients | Often identifies most of patients’ concerns and uses clear language with patients | Consistently identifies and addresses patients’ concerns and uses clear language with patients |
Consistently identifies and addresses patients’ concerns and checks for patients’ understanding |
| Apply feedback provided during the clerkship | Fails to identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitude | Able to identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitude | Identifies gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitude and addresses them with guidance |
Identifies gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and can successfully address them independently |