Hot Seat Diagnosis.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pathology Training
• Assessment Tools

Background:

• Competency-based medical education requires frequent formative assessments.
• Current methods at the institution use summative end-of-rotation reports without simulating report sign-out.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop a formative in-service assessment tool to simulate report sign-out.
• Provide case-by-case feedback to pathology trainees.
• Compare time-based versus competency-based assessment models.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one pathology trainees were assessed over 20 months using the "Hot Seat Diagnosis" tool.
• Initial assessment used a time-based scale; the second iteration used a competency-based scale.
• Trainee and pathologist surveys compared the new tool with the existing In-Training Evaluation Report.

Main Results:

• Hot Seat Diagnosis scores correlated significantly with the Resident In-Service Examination.
• The competency-based model demonstrated trainee improvement and stratified junior versus senior trainees better than the time-based model.
• Trainees and pathologists found Hot Seat Diagnosis more objective, detailed, timely, and effective at simulating report sign-out.

Conclusions:

• "Hot Seat Diagnosis" is an effective formative assessment tool for pathology trainees.
• It successfully simulates the report sign-out process.
• The competency-based model is superior to the time-based model for pathology trainee assessment.