Am I Ready Yet? New Models for the Assessment in Paediatric Training and Life-Long-Learning

A well-recognized basic rule in education and training is that assessment and feedback drive learning. Complex training programs for highly qualified (e.g. medical) professionals have long relied on relative simple assessment methods e.g. testing of knowledge with M.C.Q. exams. More recently models for assessment of trainees by a senior professional, using a patient case(s) have been adopted: In a real-life clinical setting, simulation patient(s) and/or in a simulation lab. In this concept a drawback is that such high stakes decisions rely on the judgement of a single examiner.

We present a structured model for longitudinal assessment of an individual resident’s progress during specialist training by a group of senior professionals (supervisors). With this so called Evaluation of Residents by Supervisors-group (EARS) more robust assessment of residents in busy clinical practice becomes feasible. Therefore this method can also be used for high stakes summative entrustment decisions, judging whether or not a resident is fit perform a specific part of practice independently, i.e. without supervision. This enables adaptation of the resident’s training program, based on his/her individual experience, talent and progress. Experience, advantages and challenges of this new model will be discussed. Considerations for potential broader application of this model will be addressed and the merits of application for recertification of (general) paediatricians for the common trunk of acute care practice will be discussed.