CJEM Articles: assessment

Displaying 1-3 of 3 results

  • How do I improve the quality of in-training assessment of learners?
    July 2011 13 4
    Glen Bandiera

    Assessing a learner in the course of a hectic emergency department (ED) rotation is a daunting task for both experienced and new supervisors. This is particularly true if the learner is not doing well. In light of numerous impediments provided by the modern ED environment, sticking to basic principles can result in marked improvement in both the process and the outcome of in-training assessment. This article addresses these important principles for assessment as they apply in the clinical realm of the ED, with a focus on matching expectations to both the trainee and the available assessment strategies. It is critical that teachers strive for clarity, consistency, honesty, and adherence to due process in their learner assessments. This article provides an evidence-informed approach to succeeding with such an approach to clinical assessment.

  • Dispatches from the front: emergency medicine teachers’ perceptions of competency-based education
    May 2011 13 3
    David Lendrum, Glen Bandiera

    Objectives: Controversy exists regarding the applicability of competency-based education during clinical rotations in emergency medicine (EM). Little has been written about the perceptions of front-line teachers regarding one such competency-based education paradigm, the CanMEDS framework. We undertook to determine 1) what perceptions exist among front-line teachers at two academic health science emergency departments (EDs) regarding the use of the CanMEDS roles to frame what residents should learn on ED rotations and 2) how those same teachers envision practically incorporating the CanMEDS roles into feedback provided to residents.

    Methods: Teachers at two sites volunteered for a semistructured focus group study. Focus groups were moderated by an experienced qualitative researcher, and verbatim transcriptions were coded by two independent reviewers. The codes were merged into final themes. The final focus group was used to further explore issues raised and test assumptions made in the preceding groups.

    Results: In five focus groups involving 21 participants, the Medical Expert and Professional roles were seen as most relevant to an EM rotation, whereas the Health Advocate, Manager, Scholar, and Collaborator roles were least relevant. On further exploration, however, faculty identified highly relevant components of each role that they could envision teaching in an ED. Participants also felt that the framework helped highlight the breadth of physician competencies and provided structure for teaching and feedback.

    Conclusions: EM faculty find the CanMEDS framework helpful for structuring teaching and learning and that many elements of the roles, when defined, are feasible to integrate into a clinical rotation.

  • Assessing competence in emergency medicine trainees: an overview of effective methodologies
    July 2008 10 4
    Glen Bandiera, Jason R. Frank, Jonathan Sherbino

    How do we define competence in emergency medicine (EM), and how do we know when a resident has achieved it? In recent years, the idea of physician competence has become widely recognized as being multidimensional. This has resulted in an emphasis on competency-based education and assessment. We describe an up-to-date model to assess competence in EM. An overview of appropriate EM assessment tools is provided, along with their significant strengths and limitations. Sample behaviours representative of core competencies commonly assessed in EM training are matched to appropriate assessment tools. This review may serve as an introductory resource for EM clinicians, teachers and educators involved in EM trainee assessment.