Evaluation of innovative school's graduates by department heads at other hospitals

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev medical school (BGUNMS) employs a curriculum which differs from the traditional curricula of other medical schools in the country. As part of a comprehensive curricular evaluation, a questionnaire was sent to department heads throughout the country, asking them to compare BGUNMS graduates with their counterparts trained at other medical schools in Israel. Some 64% of questionnaires were returned. Among the respondents, 74% thought that on the whole BGUNMS graduates resembled their peers educated in other schools, 23% thought that BGUNMS graduates were better; 74% thought that BGUNMS graduates were better in physician-patient relations, and 49% felt they excelled in physician-team relations, areas emphasized in our curriculum. Other areas which received favorable results were: history taking and physical examination; ambulatory and preventive medicine; ethics; clinical judgment and personal integrity. Results regarding basic sciences were less favorable. Evaluation of graduates by department heads is a valuable tool in curricular evaluation.