Assessing Medical Student Communication: The Rush Interpersonal and Communication Skills Rating Form

The RICS is a behaviorally anchored rating scale tool designed to capture a wide range of communication behaviors demonstrated by novice through advanced learners and to guide development of skills in domains consistent with board certification examinations and effective clinical practice. We conducted an evaluation of evidence for validity of the RICS using Messick’s Unified Theory of Validity. Specifically, we examined evidence for content validity, response process, internal structure, relationship to other variables, and consequences. In addition, using regression analyses, we also examined the relationship of preclerkship communication skills to clerkship communication skills. Using Messick’s framework, we found reasonable evidence for content validity, response process, internal structure, relationship to other variables, and consequences of failure. In a sample of 127 students who had completed a total of 11 assessments, performance at the start of the M1 year was predictive of performance at the end of the M2 year, but only performance at the end of M2 year was predictive of performance at the start of M3 year. The RICS can be an effective tool for repeated assessment of communication skills in medical students as they progress from novice communicators to advanced communicators and in the development of remediation plans for struggling learners.