MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation)

Medical School Information Page: The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences

Class of 2027

The mission of The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences is to improve health in the communities and region we serve by educating and training excellent clinicians and scientists, providing high-quality patient care and conducting nationally recognized research.

Special Characteristics of the UTCOMLS Education Program:

Foundational Sciences Curriculum

The preclerkship curriculum spans 19 months and is longitudinal and integrated in its design. The basic disciplines of anatomy, embryology, histology, cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology are longitudinally delivered across 4 "threads" (common content areas). Within these threads, 12 systems cover the breadth of the preclerkship curriculum which prepares students for clinical rotations during the 3rd and 4th years of training. Additionally, the Principles of Clinical Medicine course is a longitudinal curriculum which is woven through each system and thread, covering essential topics for clinical practice, including communication skills, physical examination skills, principles of evidence-based medicine, , cultural humility, medical ethics, health systems science, nutrition and clinical reasoning. Students have an opportunity to experience the clinical setting beginning in January of their first year during the "Integrated Clinical Experience." Basic Life Support (BLS) is required in Year 1.

Clinical Curriculum: Clerkship phase and Advanced Clinical Experience phase

During the clerkship phase, students complete seven core clerkships and two career exploration electives. The curriculum is organized into thematically linked discipline dyads that promote integrated learning and provide a comprehensive foundation in patient care.

Building on the foundational knowledge acquired during the preclerkship phase, these experiences foster the critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills necessary for students to become master adaptive learners committed to excellence in patient care.

Clinical training occurs at major hospitals and physician offices throughout Toledo and Northwest Ohio, as well as at affiliated sites in Columbus (Riverside), Akron (Akron General), and Ann Arbor (St. Joe's).

Educational Focus	Clerkships	Duration
Maternal-Child Health Care	Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pediatrics	6 weeks each
Biopsychosocial Approaches to Care	Family Medicine; Psychiatry	6 weeks each
Medical and Neurological Care	Internal Medicine; Neurology	8 weeks; 4 weeks
Surgical Care	Surgery	8 weeks
Career Exploration	Two electives	2 weeks each

The M4 year is designed to provide students with advanced clinical experiences that will prepare them for residency and enrich their exposure to clinical learning. During this phase, students have the flexibility to engage in clinical and non-clinical electives, interview for residency, and prepare for their transition to post graduate education.

The fourth-year advanced clinical experience phase is a total of 37 weeks of elective time that includes a 4-week Acting Internship, a 2-week transition to resident course, a Foundations course (includes Vital Talk and a final clinical skills assessment), and a 2-week Emergency Medicine elective. A maximum of 16 weeks of electives can be taken in any ACGME core discipline. Students complete clinical rotations at The University of Toledo Medical Center, ProMedica Toledo Hospital (and other ProMedica affiliated hospitals in Toledo and northwest Ohio), and at our other affiliated hospitals and outpatient offices. Students spend a minimum of 8 weeks in rural or urban underserved settings through our Area Health Education Center program as a requirement for graduation. Additionally, students have six (6) weeks of flexible time that can be used for residency interviews or Step 2 preparation.

Enrollment Length:

The typical length of enrollment for students in the 4-year M.D. program at UTCOMLS is 3 years and 10 months.

Academic Transcript Compliance:

The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences complies with the AAMC “Guidelines for Medical Schools Regarding Academic Transcripts.”

Description of the Evaluation System:

Final Grades in Preclinical Curriculum:

The required preclerkship Threads are graded using a system of PASS (P, 70% or greater), and FAIL (F, less than 70%). The systems within each thread are graded using a system of SATISFACTORY (S, 70% or greater) and UNSATISFACTORY (U, less than 70%). An INCOMPLETE (I) is given when a student does not complete a thread or system within the specified time. Students may enroll in a variety of preclerkship electives in the College of Medicine, which are graded on a CREDIT (CR)/NO CREDIT basis.

Final Grades for Core Clinical Clerkships:

Clinical clerkships are graded as: HONORS (H), HIGH PASS (HP), PASS (P), DEFER (DF), FAIL (F), OR INCOMPLETE (I). Students who earn a HIGH PASS for the clerkship but demonstrate exceptional clinical skills (as evidenced by the CCA assessment) receive a designation of “clinical excellence). In the seven core clerkships, the final grade is based on a rubric (shown below).

Overall Grade	1. CCA profile	2. NBME (PERCENTILE based on National NBME average from the previous year)	3. Departmental Education Program Points (20)
Fail	Fail (PC**)	< 5%	< 11
Defer	Pass/High Pass/Honors	≥ 5th	< 11
	Pass/High Pass/Honors	< 5th	≥ 11
	Pass/High Pass/Honors	< 5th	< 11
	Fail (PB) OR (PBL or IPC)**	> 5th	> 11
Pass	Pass	≥ 5th	≥ 11
High Pass	Honors/High Pass/Pass	≥ 55th	≥ 11
	Honors/High Pass	≥ 5th but < 55th	≥ 11 but < 17
	Honors****	≥ 5th but < 55th	≥ 17
Honors	Honors	≥ 55th	≥ 17

An INCOMPLETE is given when a student does not complete a clerkship within the specified time.

*Remediation through Conduct and Ethics Committee
**Repeat clerkship
***Remediation determined by clerkship director
****High Pass (with Clinical Excellence) will be distinguished on the MSPE on the end of clerkship narrative

**Third year career exploration electives are graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

USMLE Step 1 & 2 Requirements:

The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences requires all students to complete USMLE Step 1 prior to beginning clerkships (3rd year) and USMLE Step 2 CK prior to graduation. If a student receives a failing grade on Step 1 after they have started a clerkship block, they are permitted to complete the block, but cannot enroll in another required clerkship until they pass Step 1; they are permitted to enroll in selected electives (generally non-clinical courses) during the time they are preparing to re-take Step 1 with permission from the Office of Student Affairs. Students who do not pass Step 1 or Step 2 CK after three attempts are subject to dismissal.

Clincal Skills Assessment of Medical Students:

During the preclerkship phase, students' clinical skills are assessed at the end of each “thread” (a total of 4 assessments during this phase), including history taking, physical exam skills, clinical reasoning, and documentation. During the clerkship phase, students are required to pass discipline specific OSCEs (Observed, structured clinical exams) that are administered during each core rotation. Prior to graduation, each student is required to pass a final clinical skills assessment that is given during the M4 year.

MSPE Narrative Comments:

In accordance with the AAMC MSPE Guidelines, the narrative comments in the clinical clerkship section of the UTCOM MSPEs are summative narratives written by the clerkship director and based on clinical performance.

Process for Composition of MSPE:

The MSPEs are written by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Admissions and Assistant Deans for Student Affairs, all of whom hold faculty rank in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences in addition to their administrative appointments.
Each MSPE consists of a 6-8 page narrative document, including comparative graphs and a web address to the Medical School Information Page. The MSPE is generated as a Word document within a web-based MSPE platform developed by the Office of Academic Computing that pre-populates the MSPE template with such data as the student's matriculation date, expected graduation date, final grades, performance in the three sub-components of the core clerkships and summative narrative written by clerkship directors.
The Summary paragraph emphasizes the student's cumulative GPA and quartile compared to their peers in medical school. GPA is calculated based on performance during the clerkship phase. It also includes a clinical competency score as well as a graph depicting this score.
The Noteworthy Characteristics paragraph is written by the student and reviewed by the MSPE author.

Process for Student Review of MSPE:

A draft of the MSPE is emailed in PDF format to the students for review and comment.
Students are given an opportunity to suggest specific corrections via email reply to an email mailbox designated specifically for ERAS-related correspondence.
A digitally signed release from the student via email is required before uploading the MSPE into ERAS, MODS or the San Francisco Match for ophthalmology applicants.

College of Medicine and Life Sciences - Office of Student Affairs (OSA)