MacDot EPA

MacDOT is a formative educational tool for direct observation of clinical clerks

MacDOT (McMaster Direct Observation Tool) was developed by the Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine Undergraduate MD Program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

MacDOT is a formative educational tool for direct observation of clinical clerks (senior medical students) in clinical settings with actual patients. Clerks receive immediate feedback from faculty and other observers in the domains of history taking, physical examination, procedures, and other professional competencies such as communication and critical appraisal skills.

The MacDOT has been created as a tool to facilitate honest and open “in the moment” feedback from observers to students. No grade is given to the student, only narrative feedback for a selection of clinical encounters students need to do, and need to be observed doing. Each core Clerkship rotation has a specified number of MacDOTs that must be done in order for that rotation to be considered complete. Be sure to check the medportal site for your current clerkship rotation to ensure you know the requirements.

Each observation event is initiated by the learner, who first authenticates to the app using their existing medportal account credentials. The learner then selects the clerkship rotation and type of clinical encounter that will be observed, before choosing the faculty or other observer from a list. At that point, the observer will use the learner’s smart phone or tablet to provide formative feedback, before handing the device back to the learner. You should receive verbal feedback from the observer while they are completing the MacDOT. Prior to submitting the observed encounter, you will discuss a potential educational learning plan with the observer, make a note of that action plan, and submit the encounter.