Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
All graduating medical students who are applying for residency need a Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter. This is a letter of evaluation, not recommendation. It is written and compiled in a transparent collaborative process between the student and his/her Society Dean. The MSPE has 8 parts:
- Cover Letter – This page describes the curriculum at the CWRU School of Medicine.
- Time Line – This section lists the date of matriculation, graduation, dual degree programs and adverse actions taken by the school.
- Introductory Paragraph – This part is written by the student and describes their academic life prior to medical school.
- Preclinical Years – These years are graded pass/fail. Since only students who pass are eligible for an MSPE, this part will say pass and the society dean will excerpt representative narrative comments.
- Clinical Years - These years are graded Satisfactory, Commendable, or Honors. This section contains a paragraph for each clinical discipline which lists the grade and narrative comments supplied by the course director.
- Research Block – This is a paragraph which describes the student’s four-month research block. It is written collaboratively by the student and society dean.
- Unique Characteristics – This part describes the student’s honors, awards, research, dual degree programs, leadership and volunteerism. It is written collaboratively by the society dean and the student.
- Summary – This is a brief concluding paragraph.
A student may request to work with another society dean other than his/her own to prepare the MSPE letter. Such a request should be made in writing to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. If a student wishes to contest an entry in their MSPE, the student must make a request in writing to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.
Adverse actions taken by the school may appear on a student’s MSPE. A committee composed of three society deans (excluding the student’s dean) and the chairperson of the Committee on Students will meet to determine if the action should appear in the letter. They will also craft the language that will appear in the MSPE.
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) must be reviewed by the student within the Office of Student Affairs at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, under the supervision of a staff member.
(see also: Academic Societies Policies & Procedures: MSPE preparation & Avoiding Conflicts of Interest)
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