Workplace-based assessment in surgical training: experiences from the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Competency-Based Assessment

Background:

• Launched in 2007, the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP) in the UK.
• Emphasized defined curricula, competency-based training, and workplace-based assessments.
• Key assessments included Case-based Discussion, Procedure-based Assessments (PBA), Direct Observation of Procedural Skills, Clinical Evaluation Exercise, and Multisource Feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the initial implementation and experience with the ISCP.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of workplace-based assessments within the ISCP.

Main Methods:

• Initial experience with the ISCP system was documented.
• Focus on the practical application and feedback regarding workplace-based assessments.

Main Results:

• Identified challenges: faculty development, assessment misuse, timing, validity, reliability, and process concerns.
• Procedure-based Assessments (PBA) demonstrated the best performance among the evaluated tools.

Conclusions:

• Led to increased focus on faculty development and assessment redesign.
• Procedure-based Assessments (PBA) influenced revisions in other assessment methods.
• Introduced global rating scales with clinical anchors and refined rating scales for Case-based Discussion and Clinical Evaluation Exercise.