MSPE Questions (updated 7/25/25)

Please reach out to the Student Affairs, Career Development and Residency Match Coordinator, at resapp@umn.edu, if you have any questions related to the MSPE that are not answered below.

Check the Department Coordinators Google calendar for annual deadlines to submit comments for inclusion in the MSPE document. 

Q: How do MSPE comments work in MEDtrics? What do I do if I need to make an update to an MSPE comment, or submit an MSPE comment more than 60 days after a student was enrolled in my course?

A: The student affairs team (resapp@umn.edu) operates a MSPE transcript system used to populate students' qualitative transcript used for residency and fellowship applications.

Comments collected through preceptor assessment of student surveys in MEDtrics, that are entered for the question below, are piped verbatim into the transcript system. All preceptor assessment of student surveys available in MEDtrics include this question.  
● MSPE Comments (Dean’s Letter): Give your impressions of the student’s overall clinical performance. Indicate any significant personal or professional weaknesses and strengths. These comments will be used verbatim or/or summarized at the clerkship level for the student’s MSPE letter. 

If a comment needs to be edited, updated, or entered for a rotation that a student completed in the past, coordinators can use the Medical Student Performance Letter - MSPE UPDATE FORM: http://z.umn.edu/MSPEcommentupdate 

In this form, you will be asked to enter the following information. 

● Student name and email
● Preceptor name and email
● Course number and name
● Site code and name
● Enrollment Date Information (academic year and period)
● Is this a new comment or an update to a comment
● IF AN UPDATE: original comment that needs to be updated/replaced
● MSPE comment 

Q: My clerkship uses the CSAs for evaluations and comments, do I need to additionally enter them into MEDtrics surveys or the Comment Update form?

A: No; unless you need to make a change to the content of a student's MSPE comment (tends to be rare). In AY25-26 we were able to implement a trial system that removes this step:

Part 1: Departments indicate how they want the different CSA inputs to be used on the MSPE for required clerkships (MSPE Comment Process) - this should be reviewed and updated every spring by the clerkship director.

Part 2: Resapp team pulls only the indicated fields onto the student's MSPE (even though we and the student can see every entry in the MEdIS tracking system)

Q: A student is asking about comments for elective courses; what now?

A: If you already use MEDtrics' surveys for tracking, then the comments should be flowing through the systems. Many elective clerkships do not use this system and track with their own methods.  Student facing: Comment Guide

• If you have comment content from a preceptor, go ahead and use the Medical Student Performance Letter - MSPE UPDATE FORM: http://z.umn.edu/MSPEcommentupdate  to get the information to us.

• If you have no content the student can ask their preceptors to write and share with you. Students cannot generate their own comments, and we coach them to make these requests in a timely manner if they wish. 

MEDtrics Information:

If a student finds any MSPE comments incorrect or missing, they should connect with the coordinator of the clerkship and/or author about the issue & provide details. (Student guidelines here) 

• Does an already submitted in MEDtrics comment need a wording change? 

  • After author permission is granted, use this form https://z.umn.edu/MSPEcommentupdate

• Did a comment get missed on the original survey timeframe? 

  • Use this form https://z.umn.edu/MSPEcommentupdate

• If you are entering comments retroactively for a core clerkship with CSAs or an LIC: Generate the “Medical Student Performance Letter - MSPE Comments” survey in MEDtrics (reference MEDtrics Coordinator Guide for details)
  
  

NOTE: questions about MEDtrics system/capabilities- medtrics@umn.edu, questions about the MSPE- resapp@umn.edu 

MSPE Guidelines

MSPE Handout for High Quality Comments

MSPE Summary Example

Phases of Career Development - Student Focus