The Victorian Metropolitan Alliance's Education Enhancement program: A reflection

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Development for Doctors

Background:

• The Victorian Metropolitan Alliance's (VMA) Education Enhancement Program (EEP) originated in 2006 as a remediation program for general practice registrars.
• The VMA established a Diagnostic and Assessment Centre in 2011, expanding its expertise in remediation and clinical skills assessment.
• The EEP now offers external services including clinical skills assessments, educational interventions, mentoring, and medical record audits for doctors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present data on the external activities of the Education Enhancement Program (EEP).
• To outline the challenges encountered during the EEP's external operations.
• To share lessons learned from the EEP's experience in providing services to doctors.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data pertaining to the external services provided by the EEP.
• Review of challenges faced in delivering comprehensive assessments and educational interventions.
• Documentation of lessons learned from external program activities.

Main Results:

• The EEP has successfully provided valuable services to doctors.
• High-stakes clinical skills assessments necessitated the implementation of rigorous processes.
• There was a higher-than-anticipated demand for educational interventions, especially in communication skills and prescribing.

Conclusions:

• The EEP's external services have proven beneficial.
• Rigorous processes are essential for high-stakes clinical skills assessments.
• Increased demand for educational interventions underscores the need for wider availability of such services.