Clinical Skills Verification rater TrainingMODULE 2

Training Faculty Evaluators of Clinical Skills: Drivers of Change in Assessment

Joan Anzia, M.D.Tony Rostain, M.D.

Outline

• Mini pretest!• Brief history of assessment in medical education• Drivers of change in assessment in medical

education• Miller’s pyramid• Why is faculty training necessary?• Methods to train faculty to evaluate clinical skills.• Post-test

Module 2Pre-Test

1. A clinical skills exam of a trainee assesses whether he or she “knows how” according to Miller’s Pyramid.

a. True

b. False

Module 2Pre-Test

2. Faculty evaluators in a group are preparing their individual evaluation scores for a

videotaped trainee clinical skills exam, and comparing their scores with the scores of “expert” raters. This activity is called:

a. Behavioral Observation Trainingb. Frame of Reference Trainingc. Direct Observation of Competence Trainingd. Performance Dimension Training

Brief history of assessment in medical education

• Through the 1950s: knowledge evaluated through essays and open-ended questions graded by faculty. Clinical skill and judgment tested with live oral examinations, sometimes after bedside data-gathering by the examinee.

• 1960s: multiple-choice exams to test knowledge base

Clinical Skills Exams vs Multiple Choice Question Exams

New technologies come on the scene

• Introduction of computers in the 1980s enabled large-scale testing using MCQs that are machine-scanned and scored.

• Computers also allow the assessment of clinical decision-making through use of interactive item formats.

• Advances in psychometrics allow shorter tests, reduction of bias, and identification of error sources.

Since the 1980s

• OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Exams) have been fine-tuned with improved psychometric qualities.

• Assessment of clinical skills and performance has lagged behind – faculty are inexperienced, don’t share common standards, and have not been trained to apply them consistently.

Drivers of change in medical education

• Outcomes-based education: a focus on the “end product” rather than the process. What should a psychiatrist “look like” at the end of training?

• National initiatives in accountability, patient safety and quality assurance: maintaining the public trust in the medical profession and improving the quality of healthcare.

Levels of assessment: Miller’s Pyramid

Miller’s Pyramid

• Knows: what a trainee “knows” in an area of competence. MCQ-based exam.

• Knows how: does the trainee know how to use the knowledge (acquire data, analyze and interpret findings). An interactive reasoning exam.

• Shows how: can the trainee deliver a competent performance of the skill with a patient. Clinical skills exams.

• Does: does the clinician routinely perform at a competent level outside of a controlled testing environment? Performance-in-practice assessment, critical incident systems.

Why is faculty training necessary?

• Assessment methods based on observation are only as good as the individuals using them.

Holmboe and Hawkins, 2008

• Faculty sometimes don’t possess sufficient knowledge, skills and attitudes in particular competencies.

• Competencies evolve over time, and faculty may not have been trained in specific competencies.

How do we train evaluators?Empirically studied training methods:

• Behavioral Observation Training (BOT)• Performance Dimension Training (PDT)• Frame of Reference Training (FoRT)• Direct Observation of Competence Training

Behavioral Observation Training

• Get faculty to increase the number of their observations of their trainees.

• Provide a form of observational aide that raters can use to record observations ( a “behavioral diary”).

• Help faculty members learn how to prepare for an observation. (Determining goals, evaluator position, etc.)

Performance Dimension Training

• Designed to teach the faculty with the appropriate performance dimensions used in the evaluation system.

• It is a critical element for all rater training programs: goal is to define all the criteria for each dimension of performance.

• Faculty interact to further define criteria (what constitutes “superior performance” etc.) and work towards consensus on framework and specific criteria.

Frame of Reference Training

• First, Performance Dimension Training must be completed.

• FoRT targets accuracy in rating: goal is to achieve consistency.

• First, minimal criteria for satisfactory performance defined, then marginal criteria.

• Faculty are given clinical vignettes describing performance in different ranges.

Frame of Reference Training (cont.)

• Faculty use vignettes to provide ratings.• Trainer provides feedback on what the

“true” ratings should be, with an explanation for each rating.

• Discussion of discrepancy between faculty ratings and “true” ratings from trainer.

• Repeated practice: “calibration.”

Module 2Post-Test

1. A clinical skills exam of a trainee assesses whether he or she “knows how” according to Miller’s Pyramid.

a. True

b. False

Module 2Post-Test

1. A clinical skills exam of a trainee assesses whether he or she “knows how” according to Miller’s Pyramid.

b. False

A CSV exam assesses whether a resident can “show how.”

Module 2Post-Test

2. Faculty evaluators in a group are preparing their individual evaluation scores for a videotaped trainee clinical skills exam, and comparing their scores with the scores of “expert” raters. This activity is called:

a. Behavioral Observation Trainingb. Frame of Reference Trainingc. Direct Observation of Competence

Trainingd. Performance Dimension Training

Module 2Post-Test

2. Faculty evaluators in a group are preparing their individual evaluation scores for a videotaped trainee clinical skills exam, and comparing their scores with the scores of “expert” raters. This activity is called:

b. Frame of Reference Training