Prescribing competence: The pros and cons of different methods for assessment

Evaluating a medical graduate's competence in rational prescribing is challenging. With the aim to guide and inspire teachers, this narrative review explores different methods that can be used to assess prescribing competence. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and thus a mix of different assessment methods is needed throughout the undergraduate curriculum to ensure that medical students are competent prescribers. Miller's pyramid of clinical competence might help identify the most suitable assessment at each stage of the curriculum. Programmatic assessment, whereby progress is assessed at different times throughout the curriculum, is promising and offers potential long-term advantages, especially in fostering continuous learning.