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Cheung WJ, Bhanji F, Gofton W, Hall AK, Karpinski J, Richardson D, Frank JR, Dudek N. Design and Implementation of a National Program of Assessment Model - Integrating Entrustable Professional Activity Assessments in Canadian Specialist Postgraduate Medical Education. PERSPECTIVES ON MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 13:44-55. [PMID: 38343554 PMCID: PMC10854461 DOI: 10.5334/pme.956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Traditional approaches to assessment in health professions education systems, which have generally focused on the summative function of assessment through the development and episodic use of individual high-stakes examinations, may no longer be appropriate in an era of competency based medical education. Contemporary assessment programs should not only ensure collection of high-quality performance data to support robust decision-making on learners' achievement and competence development but also facilitate the provision of meaningful feedback to learners to support reflective practice and performance improvement. Programmatic assessment is a specific approach to designing assessment systems through the intentional selection and combination of a variety of assessment methods and activities embedded within an educational framework to simultaneously optimize the decision-making and learning function of assessment. It is a core component of competency based medical education and is aligned with the goals of promoting assessment for learning and coaching learners to achieve predefined levels of competence. In Canada, postgraduate specialist medical education has undergone a transformative change to a competency based model centred around entrustable professional activities (EPAs). In this paper, we describe and reflect on the large scale, national implementation of a program of assessment model designed to guide learning and ensure that robust data is collected to support defensible decisions about EPA achievement and progress through training. Reflecting on the design and implications of this assessment system may help others who want to incorporate a competency based approach in their own country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren J. Cheung
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, 1053 Carling Avenue, Rm F660, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4E9, CA
| | - Farhan Bhanji
- Department of Pediatrics (Critical Care), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CA
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
| | - Wade Gofton
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
| | - Andrew K. Hall
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
| | - Jolanta Karpinski
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
| | - Denyse Richardson
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, CA
| | - Jason R. Frank
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Director, Centre for Innovation in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
| | - Nancy Dudek
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CA
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Ingratta J, Dudek N, Lacroix L, Cortel-LeBlanc M, McConnell M, Cheung WJ. Exploring gender influences in the quality of workplace-based assessments. CAN J EMERG MED 2023; 25:475-480. [PMID: 37166679 DOI: 10.1007/s43678-023-00499-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Workplace-based assessments are an important tool for trainee feedback and as a means of reporting expert judgments of trainee competence in the workplace. However, the literature has demonstrated that gender bias can exist within these assessments. We aimed to determine whether gender differences in the quality of workplace-based assessment data exist in our residency training program. METHODS This study was conducted at the University of Ottawa in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Four end-of-shift workplace-based assessments completed by men faculty and four completed by women faculty were randomly selected for each resident during the 2018-2019 academic year. Two blinded raters scored each workplace-based assessment using the Completed Clinical Evaluation Report Rating (CCERR), a published nine-item quantitative measure of workplace-based assessment quality. A 2 × 2 mixed measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) of resident gender and faculty gender was conducted, with mean CCERR score as the dependent variable. The ANOVA was repeated with mean workplace-based assessment rating as the dependent variable. RESULTS A total of 363 workplace-based assessments were analyzed for 46 residents. There were no significant effects of faculty or resident gender on the quality of workplace-based assessments (p = 0.30). There was no difference in mean workplace-based assessment ratings between women and men residents (p = 0.92), and no interaction between resident and faculty gender (p = 0.62). Mean CCERR score was 25.8, SD = 4.2, indicating average quality assessments. CONCLUSIONS We did not find faculty or resident gender differences in the quality of workplace-based assessments completed in our training program. While the literature has previously demonstrated gender bias in trainee assessments, our results are not surprising as assessment culture varies by institution and program. Our study cautions against generalizing gender bias across contexts, and offers an approach that educators can use to evaluate whether gender bias in the quality of trainee assessments exists within their program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Ingratta
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Nancy Dudek
- Department of Medicine (Division of PM and R), The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Lauren Lacroix
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Meghan McConnell
- Department of Innovation in Medical Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Warren J Cheung
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Bandiera G, Hall AK. Capturing the forest and the trees: workplace-based assessment tools in emergency medicine. CAN J EMERG MED 2021; 23:265-266. [PMID: 33959929 DOI: 10.1007/s43678-021-00125-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Glen Bandiera
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Unity Health Toronto (St. Michael's), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew K Hall
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada. .,Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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