Dear  

Further to Stakeholder Consultation Forum (SHF) held on 28 April, to address the development of the future Program of Assessment, we held a Symposium at the College Congress on Assessments on 29 May.

We provided members with a communique sent on 26 May 2023 on the outcomes of this Forum and we have also endeavoured to address member concerns in our response to the recent petition received by the College.

We reached important milestones at the SHF, including:

• Reaching an understanding on the merits and weaknesses of single-event high stakes examinations of medical competence (i.e. OSCEs) using a demonstration of de-identified data.
• Reaching a consensus that the OSCE will not form part of the future Program of Assessments.
• Agreeing to include in the future workplace assessment program a series of summative assessments testing core clinical skills and knowledge, as formulative clinical assessment.
• Agreeing the assessment of summative tasks should not be by the trainee’s current supervisor.
• Selection of 2 assessment options for further development, subject to the consideration of implications around timelines, logistics, transition, and supervision.

The two options are:  

• Modified CCA format – Clinical Competency Portfolio Review (CCPR): retaining the same criteria for the current CCA except for additional data points for the portfolio assessment and additional Observed Clinical Activity (OCA) as per:
  
  One x Stage 2 summative OCA assessed by an external supervisor/assessor
  
  Two x Stage 3 OCAs – one assessed by an internal supervisor (formative)  and second by an external supervisor (summative).
   

• Integrated Assessment Pathway (IAP): Integrates current workplace-based assessments with summative assessments and which are based on multiple data points for making an assessment decision. This is a more programmatic assessment program that is holistically structured for making competency judgments, and combines formative and summative assessments such as OCAs, EPAs and ITAs in a holistic evaluation. This option will aggregate assessments for determination by a progression panel (s), with a potential for implementing other types of assessments in the workplace (logbooks, development plans, Vivas as examples) to target competencies not generally assessed elsewhere.

The capacity for the program architecture of the CCPR better supports the timelines and the needs of the trainees and will enable the College to develop an expanded range of supervisor resources and strengthen the rigour of Clinical Competency Pathway.

Consultation will be undertaken shortly with the relevant committees and wider college stakeholder groups to present and discuss the design of the model going forward. We intend to seek feedback on the program design, and what is already a stretched workforce, implementation implications, and how we may address them for resolution in the future as we progress with the assessment development.

Based on the concerns expressed and valid constraints outlined, next steps include:

• We have taken the proposed model design for consideration to the Education Committee on 23 June and the Board for endorsing and supporting the plan for consultation with the wider membership and relevant committees on the implementation.
• In line with the Engagement Strategy, outline the planning for consultation and communication strategies with the membership, and seek feedback.
• Socialising a web portal specifically designed for the repository of the relevant papers, information, and proposed strategies to better inform members and facilitate their engagement.
• We will continue to refine the portal to develop FAQs and comments pages.

More details about the design of the program and information will be made available in the coming weeks.

Dr Nick O’Connor
Chair Education Committee