Recieving and integrating feedback is an integral part of learning during fieldwork. Here are a few quick tips on how to provide feedback to your student:
Schedule time for feedback. The sooner after a session is typically better but do the best you can in your busy practice environments.
When you can’t give feedback right away: jot down some quick notes/cues for yourself when you see/hear something you’d like to provide feedback on. This can help you a) remember when you have time to give the feedback b) remember when you have to sit down to fill out the evaluation and c) keep a record of the student’s progress.
You can’t (and shouldn’t) give feedback on everything. Consider:
o What areas would the student most like feedback on? These might relate to their personal learning needs or areas that have previously been identified as areas of growth. Popular picks are often interviewing skills and report writing.
o What are the areas that you will be specifically evaluating? This will allow the student to integrate the feedback during the placement before the final evaluation.
Check in with the student first. "So how did you think that went? Did it go as expected?” The ability to evaluate our own performance in an important life-long skill for a clinician.
Check in with the student again to problem solve how to address future performance. “So how will you handle that next time?” “What can you do to improve in this area?”. Again, these are the important questions that we as clinicians need to ask ourselves.
Be explicit when you are providing feedback. Call your quick meeting times “feedback sessions”. Start sentences with “I’d like to give you some feedback on….” For more info on this tip, check out athe tip: “Use the F word more often”.
Try to keep your feedback as specific as possible. Focus on the decisions and the actions of the student.
Keep the feedback balanced. Everyone wants to hear the positive as well as opportunities for improvement! It's also important to know what to keep doing!
Deliver feedback in small, digestible quantities when possible.
Lisa
Revised by Julie, 2024
