Any Advice on Asking for a Grade Change?

[rubyness]

Here's the situation: For my medicine rotation I went to hospital X. They told me I was doing very well--I was pulled aside by the chief. I did extra presentations and pt write ups. I received a good clinical evaluation, however I was given a mediocre numerical score along with the written eval.

It was a "composite" eval., so I don't know who exactly wrote it. But the bottom line is that I feel that I did better than the numerical grade. I wouldn't even bother with this except for that I am 2 points away from the next highest grade, and it would mean a lot to me to get to that level. Plus, this situation makes me angry whenever I think about it. So I have to do something.

What should I do? I am thinking of talking to the chief. Any suggestions on the approach? I've never done anything like this before and I really don't want to, but it's eating at me.

Thanks.

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[johnd]

My theory is that everyone gets burned at one time or another in their evaluations. On the other hand, everyone probably gets a better evaluation than they deserve at certain times as well.

I will tell you that our dean told me (during 4th year pre-residency application interview) that certain students every year gain a reputation for having a lot of grades changed. He also said that this reputation is taken into account when considering AOA at my school.

My advice: roll with the punches. Even though its sometimes hard to keep this perspective, our ultimate goal on rotations is to gain the knowledge we need to treat our future patients - not to get a certain number on an evaluation.

P.S. - same thing happened to me in surgery- got a 99% on the oral exam, highest score on the board during my 3 month block, one evalation with strait 7/10's and no narrative comments, the other evals all excellent and ended up with a high pass. Having just completed the residency interview process, I don't think it made one bit of difference. Of course I'm doing IM

 

[Seaglass]

I would say that if the difference is really 2 points between your grade and the next oneup I would go and talk to the course director about it. Don't talk to the resident - they've already given their grade, the course director is the one to talk to when a grade change is the concern.

Casey

 

[golgi]

Sure you id xtra presentations and stuff but....

Were you obnoxious on your rotation?
Were you not polite to patients?
Did you try to show up your other classmates by doing your xtra presentations?

I know some people who did the same stuff like you and although they went the "exta mile" by virtue of them making their other classmates look bad, they (much to my glee) did not get the honors grade. I doubt just one eval could have brought you down so much...

But, i am sure (I hope) this wasn't true in your case...

 

[rubyness]

Originally posted by golgi
Sure you id xtra presentations and stuff but....

Were you obnoxious on your rotation?
Were you not polite to patients?
Did you try to show up your other classmates by doing your xtra presentations?

the reason i did an extra presentation was b/c the student who was supposed to go that day wasn't prepared so I covered for him.

I wasn't obnoxious or anything like that. Actually the written part of the eval was very nice, which is why I don't understand why the numerical grade didn't match it.

I am not the type to do this sort of thing, but I want to figure out what happened and to know if there's anything that can be done.

BTW the previous story about surgery really sucks-- I can't believe they did that!! It does feel like sometimes you are just screwed due to the subjective grading process. Today I had an attending tell me I did a "very good job" on my write up and then give me 8/10 on it. Well if it was so great, why the 8? What's up with that?

 

[kem]

Ack! I totally know how you feel. In my internal medicine rotation, all the comments were nice about my oral exam, and my grade was significantly below average. So I went back to my examiners and asked them about it, because I had felt like I did at least an average job. (I asked them about it in a "I want to learn" way, not a "please change my grade" way.)

They told me that they had thought I did well, but the other evaluators just graded very easily, so even though I did fine the average was just really high so it LOOKED like I had done poorly.

Sigh.

kem

 

[supercut]

Sorry to tell you, asking for a grade change is a loosing proposition. I have never heard of anyone getting a grade changed, and you risk looking like a whiner.

I agree, everyone gets screwed on at least one rotation.

Could be your chief is one of those that believes everone should merely get a "pass" unless they are particularly stellar. (some people acutally view an 8/10 as "very good") Could be someone on the composite just rated you much lower.

I had a similar situation, in my surgery clerkship, my chosen field.

I got a bad evaluation from one attending, with whom I had little contact. I specifically recall he rated my fund of knowlege "below average" despite the fact that he never once asked me a question I couldn't answer (didn't ask me that much, though). Also, I only spent a total of a week on his service due to the way we rotated in surgery. I did ask him about it later and he said he really felt he didn't know enough about my fund of knowlege to rate it (I wanted to scream..so why did you put below average!!!)

That evaluation cost me a letter grade, and surgery wound up being my lowest grade of all my clerkships.

However, that fact was NOT MENTIONED at all when I interviewed for residency. I wound up with more interviews than I could handle, and some at prestegious programs (even got an interivew at MGH...though I didn't match there)

So I'm just trying to put it all in perspective for you. It sucks, and it looms very large when it happens to you. BUt your LOR that come from your 4th year electives are much more important than any 3rd year clerkship grade.

I'd just chalk it up to experience and let it go.

 

[rubyness]

Thanks y'all for sharing your stories (and your pain!!) I feel better. Basically I'm going to accept it and let it go.

 

[Hercules]

Good decision.

 

[Fermata]

Slap him, ask him to hold your drink, and then remind him, once again, who you are.