Transcript Slide 1

Prepare and Use Skills Assessments
Introduction
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Why do we assess
student clinical
skills?
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What is challenging
about preparing and
using skills
assessments?
Steps in Skill Development
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Introduce and demonstrate a skill.
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Observe students as they practice the skill and
give feedback to help them improve their
performance.
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Assess students for competency in the skill.
Objectives
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Select methods for assessing the skills of
students
Prepare skills assessments
Develop structured practical examinations
Administer and score skills assessments
Use results to improve performance
Skill Assessment Methods
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Direct observation
of students as they
perform skills
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Structured feedback
reports on students’
performance
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Logbooks, learning
journals, and care
plans
Direct Observation #1
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Most valid way to assess students’ skills.
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Can be used for both formative and summative
assessments.
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Need to be creative developing approaches
when you have large numbers of students.
Direct Observation #2
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Oral questioning
can be used with
direct observation.
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Can be done with
simulations
(formative) and with
patients
(summative).
Structured Feedback Reports #1
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Assessing sustained performance rather than
just taking “a snapshot” as you would with an
examination.
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Can cover overall performance, demonstrated
attitudes, and essential healthcare delivery
skills.
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Useful for assessing characteristics such as
personal attributes, attitudes, and professional
values.
Structured Feedback Reports #2
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Are easy, efficient, and consistent
Provide a formal structure for assessment,
particularly formative assessment
Reinforce essential skills
Ensure that each student receives feedback
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See Sample 11-1 and 11-2
Logbook
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The logbook (also called a casebook) contains
a list of skills or tasks that students should be
able to perform.
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The students are responsible for learning how
to do each of the tasks, and when they believe
they are ready, they can ask a teacher, tutor, or
clinical instructor to assess their performance.
Learning Journal
A learning journal is
used to record
learning
experiences,
especially those in
which the student
has minimal or no
supervision, such as
home visits,
community-based
experiences, or
rotations to distant
clinic sites.
Care Plan
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A care plan is used to document the patient’s
problems, care required, and expected
outcomes.
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Students are often required to create care
plans to demonstrate their understanding of
and ability to explain management required for
a specific problem.
Checklists
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A list of steps needed to perform a skill
correctly, listed in the correct sequence.
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Assessor observes each step.
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Well-constructed checklists should contain only
sufficient detail to help the assessor evaluate
and record the student’s performance.
Designing a Checklist #1
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Identify the steps or tasks:
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Adapt an existing tool, or
Conduct a task analysis
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Place the steps in the correct sequence.
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Identify the standards or minimum level of
performance (Yes/No or Multi-level rating
systems).
Designing a Checklist #2
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Include the key elements of a checklist (title,
space for names, course information,
instructions, space for signature).
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Field-test the checklist.
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See Samples 11-3, 11-4 and 11-5.
Structured Practical Examinations #1
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Typically students rotate through a series of
stations where they answer questions (orally or
in writing), or perform tasks while being
observed.
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Students may demonstrate a skill, interpret
diagnostic materials, or respond to short
questions or case studies.
Structured Practical Examinations #2
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This type of examination is also known as a
multiple station assessment test (MSAT).
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The Objective Structured Clinical Examination
(OSCE) is one of the most well known forms of
the structured practical examination.
Components of a Structured
Practical Examination
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All students rotate through multiple stations
and are tested on the same KSAs.
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There is a time limit for each station.
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An assessor at each station that requires
observation.
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All students are assessed according to the
same standards.
Steps to Prepare for a Structured
Practical Examination #1
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Choose which learning objectives will be
tested.
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Decide on a problem, issue, or activity that
addresses each learning objective.
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Map out a plan for the stations (see Sample
11-1).
Steps to Prepare for a Structured
Practical Examination #2
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Plan the details for each station:
• Write the task/scenario to be completed.
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Develop instructions.
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Develop assessment tools.
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List the resources needed.
Before the Skills Assessment
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Discuss previous practice sessions with the
student.
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Ask if the student has any questions about the
skill and is ready to be assessed.
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Review the assessment tool.
During the Skills Assessment
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Observe and assess the student’s
performance:
Stand where you can see without intruding and
let the student perform the skill.
Do not interfere unless the student is about to
make a mistake that may endanger the patient.
Provide only essential feedback while the
student is performing the skill.
After the Skills Assessment
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Review the skill with the student (student
shares what she or he did well and what could
be improved).
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Provide positive feedback and offer
suggestions for improvement.
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Determine if the student is competent or needs
additional practice.
Use Results to Improve Performance
#1
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Give students an opportunity to ask you
questions about steps they did not understand
or they performed incorrectly.
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Instruct students to practice the steps that they
performed incorrectly.
Use Results to Improve Performance
#2
If many students
had trouble with the
same tasks, either
the teaching
methods or
materials did not
adequately cover
that learning
objective, or the
task needs to be
redefined.
Summary #1
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Direct observation is the most valid method for
assessing skills, but can be influenced by the
judgment of the observer.
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You can improve this method by using
standardized tools such as checklists to guide
assessment.
Summary #2
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Structured practical examinations require time
for planning and preparing valid stations, but
provide a highly structured and reliable method
for assessing knowledge, skills, and attitudes
that can be used from year to year.
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Assessing students’ skills is one of the keys to
improving students’ performance.
Discussion
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In the large group or in small groups:
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What is the role of the EDC, PIC and QCC in
assisting with student knowledge and skills
assessment?
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What challenges do we face in strengthening
student knowledge and skills assessments?