Individualized Learning Plans And Performance Measurement, Management, And Improvement In Premedical Post Baccalaureate Education

Medical performance, what a physician can do accurately, repeatedly, and consistently is more significant than what they know. “Regardless of training, experience, or education, roughly 7% to 28% of medical trainees will require remediation in the form of an individualized learning plan to achieve competence” (Guerrasio, Garrity, & Aagaard, 2014, p. 352). Very little research on remediation for medical students, trainees, fellows, or practicing physicians exists in the literature. The available research focuses on specific skill attainment but lacks a standard methodology for identifying 1) those who are not competent and, 2) remediation strategies necessary to close deficiencies (Hauer, Ciccone, Henzel, Katsufrakis, Miller, Norcross, Papadakis, & Irby, 2009). Identifying self-regulating processes and their application to teaching and learning in clinical and academic medicine is also missing in the literature (Sandars, 2012). Research suggests individualized learning plans (ILPs) increase accountability from both educational and governmental institutions on program outcomes and competency assessment (Irby & Wilkerson, 2003). The general purpose of this mixed-method design is to document and explain the process of developing individualized learning plans and the outcome of their use through the lens of continuous performance improvement and evidence gathering (Guerra-López & Hutchinson, 2013) for students in a premedical post-baccalaureate program. Findings show that premedical post-baccalaureate students encounter similar challenges and successes with individualized learning plans as residents who use ILPs to complete medical training and practicing physicians who use ILPs to maintain licensure