title: Workplace-based assessment in surgical training: experiences from the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme was launched in the United Kingdom in 2007. At its heart was the reliance upon clear, defined curricula, competence-based training and the use of workplace-based assessments to assess the competence. The principle assessments used were Case-based Discussion, Procedure-based Assessments (PBA), Direct Observation of Procedural Skills, and Clinical Evaluation Exercise and a Multisource Feedback tool.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the initial experience with that system, and most importantly, the experience with workplace-based assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Themes include issues around faculty development, misuse of assessments, inappropriate timing of assessments, concerns about validity and reliability of the assessments and concerns about the actual process of workplace-based assessments. Of the assessments, the PBA performed best.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a consequence, there has been an increased focus upon faculty development, while some of the assessments have been redesigned in line with the PBA. A global rating scale has been introduced that uses clinical anchors. The rating scales have also been altered with a reduction in the number of ratings while an enhanced description of the complexity of the case has been introduced within the Case-based Discussion and the Clinical Evaluation Exercise. A re-evaluation will take place in the near future.
authors: ISCP, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ian.eardley@btinternet.com
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Eardley
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Bussey
authors: Adrian
authors: A
authors: Woodthorpe
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Munsch
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Beard
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013043:Specialties, Surgical / Q000193:education*; D006113:United Kingdom; D017132:Workplace