Outcomes assessment planning: an overview with applications in health sciences

This article provides a brief overview of the process of outcomes assessment and examples of its application in professional health science education. The article is intended to provide a background for other articles in this issue describing ongoing activities in outcomes assessment in veterinary education and for programs considering developing a plan. The focus is on health professions other than veterinary medicine. The paper is not intended to be a comprehensive review of outcomes assessment; rather, it provides examples and models that may help clarify the outcomes assessment movement and identify trends in health care education.