Nick Brown is a consultant in general adult psychiatry (Lyndon Resource Centre, Hobs Meadow, Solihull B92 8PW, UK. E-mail: nicholas. brown{at}bsmht.nhs.uk), Clinical Sub-Dean at the University of Birmingham and a Sub-Dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He chairs the West Midlands Regional Training Committee and the Royal College of Psychiatrists Standing Advisory Committee on Basic Training. Monica Doshi is a part-time consultant in general adult psychiatry and an honorary senior lecturer and Phase II Assessment Coordinator at the Joint Leicester Warwick Medical Schools.
Recent developments in postgraduate medical education for the training of junior doctors in the UK necessitate changes in all parts of the curriculum, including the assessment system. There is a move away from the limited, traditional one-off assessment towards multidimensional, broader assessments of a doctors longer-term performance. This is accompanied by the rapid development of assessment tools, collectively termed workplace-based assessments, and is in keeping with an outcome-based approach to medical education and its increasing professionalisation. In addition to clinical skills, other aspects of being a good practitioner are being assessed, including team-working, working with colleagues and patients, probity and communication skills. Using a combination of tools gives the assessment process high validity. Of the many challenges posed by these changes is the need for data on their reliability in psychiatry. There must be a clear process for applying assessments, national standardisation and training for those using asessment tools.
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