Thread by @RFentonMD

With in-person rotations back in full swing, it’s time for a thread about managing rough feedback. This is geared towards #MedStudentTwitter, but hopefully applicable to everyone whether you are giving or receiving feedback.

Here we go...
@HollandStanton @m3betch

Why I care: I got called “shy”, “unengaged”, a “passive learner”, & a “great pediatrician on my OB rotation”🙃. Critical feedback can hurt. I had to learn how to receive it and also how to change my actions so that the comments reflected my commitment. Thanks to mentors, I did.

First, I had to learn as a person who liked being liked and getting good grades to not take feedback personally, even when it sounds personal. Even though feedback is the basis of grading, people often get little training in it or uncomfortable giving/asking for it.

That leads to generalizations like “youre doing a good job” or “be more engaged.” Neither reveals what you did well and how you can improve. “Feedback is someone’s perception of you.” Their words are not who you are, just how you appear. This article is 🔥 linkedin.com/pulse/20140802…

Now that we know feedback is not personal, how can you get more helpful information?
1) At the start of a rotation, ask your supervisor about expectations for your role. Try to get specific as possible.
2) Ask for feedback on in advance on specific areas that you want to improve

Ex. “i really want to work on presentation skills. Would you be able to give me feedback after rounds today?”
3) Pick improvement goals for the rotation. State them to your team and ask for feedback along the way. (You’re basically writing your own eval with this move.)

4) Do NOT wait until the end of the rotation to ask how you’re doing. Depending on your time working with someone, check in a few days in to see how you’re doing. This is A LOT easier when you’ve already asked about expectations.
5) Ask for specifics beyond, “good.”

My fave: “what is at least one thing you would like to see me work on for the rest of our time together?” This question makes it super comfy for preceptors to be honest without feeling judgmental and gives you concrete work to improve.

It’s still okay and you’re totally normal if it hurts to hear feedback that comes across as personal. Allow yourself to feel that disappointment, while also allowing yourself to tease the words from the underlying message. Take the lesson and let the rest go.

I’m not shy. I thought speaking on rounds outside of my presentations was disruptive and showing off. I preferred teaching my patients and creating diagrams for them over being a rounds rockstar. My mentor told me, “you either keep doing that or play the game to get the grade.”

So I played the game, consciously making well-placed comments on rounds and offering teaching later in the day. My evals made a 180 and I got the grades and comments I wanted and was already working hard for. But its also exhausting to put yourself out there. I felt like an actor

And when I didn’t care about the grade (because acting all of the time is exhausting), I didn’t put myself out there as much and just did what I valued. Ex: I participated in Gyn surgeries but I chose not to feign excitement. (That’s how I got that comment from OB🤣 No regrets!)

Summary: People are good at recognizing what they like and don’t like for an evaluation, but are less apt at operationalizing. When you request specifics, its easier for them and more beneficial for you. But its only their perception and you get to choose if it fits your goals.

Finally, @AnishaKMD recommended to me a great book about how to receive feedback, even when it’s bad. I haven’t read it all yet, but the tips I’ve read so far are pretty good and expand on the ideas above.

goodreads.com/book/show/1811…