The Journal of Medical Education and Development

Introduction: Evaluation assists to make changes, modifications, improvement and enhancement of teaching and learning quality. The objective of this study was to determine the formative assessment of internal and surgical residents and compare them with each other. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. By using random cluster sampling, seven universities were selected. By using simple random sampling, 98 residents participated in this study. A questionnaire which was made by the researcher was used to collect the data. The reliability of this questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha was 82%. The data were analyzed by using descriptive, inferential statistics, and SPSS 16. Results: From the perspective of internal residents, about the six key elements of formative assessment, the physical presence of residents in time shift, on time at presence patient’s bedside and clinical analysis were, respectively, the most evaluated items. From the point of view of surgery residents, the physical presence of residents in time shift, on time presence at patient’s bedside and teaching junior residents were respectively, the most evaluated items. There was a significant difference about the on time presence at the patients' bedside and the patient care domain between internal and surgical residents. Conclusion: It is suggested that the Ministry of Health and Medical Education managers pay more attention to formative assessment, and do the best to strive for improving the program's condition. They should not consider to some items such as just physical presence of residents and they should consider respect for patient privacy, moral obligations of patients, and clinical analysis more than before.