Abstract
This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. This paper provides an overview of the first 12 years of the formal assessment program of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). The ACRRM Fellowship represents the world's first and only Fellowship exam in Rural Medicine.The ACRRM assessment program is mapped to its Rural Generalist curriculum, based on the principles of programmatic assessment. ACRRM offers candidates the opportunity to participate in assessment in or close to their home location. The ACRRM Rural Generalist Curriculum defines the scope and standards for independent general practice anywhere in Australia, with a focus on rural and remote settings.The program was initially developed in 2006 and has evolved during delivery from 2008 onwards, utilising the following modalities: Multi Source Feedback (MSF)Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX)Case Based Discussion (CBD)Procedural Skills LogbookStructured Assessment using Multiple Patient Scenarios (StAMPS) StAMPS is a unique examination, blending the formats of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination and a traditional viva vocè.The program has an emphasis on formative assessment. Over the past 12 years there has been considerable work in developing resources for candidates, governance structures and quality assurance processes.ACRRM's Fellowship requirements represent a customised bespoke assessment tailored to ACRRM's curriculum and the Australian rural and remote context. ACRRM's assessment program has grown substantially with 649 Fellowships being awarded from 2008 - 2019, with considerable experience gained in rural and remote assessment. It now represents a mature firmly-established process as a vocational endpoint in Rural and Remote Medicine.ACRRM has continued to offer its 'tele-assessment' program throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with candidates and examiners participating in assessment by use of distance technology while remaining in or near their home community. This model may provide some insights for other medical Colleges and educational institutions facing challenges in the current environment.
Highlights
The ACRRM assessment program is mapped to its Rural Generalist curriculum, based on the principles of programmatic assessment
This paper describes the implementation of the first 12 years of the formal assessment program of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
This paper focuses on assessment of the Core Generalist curriculum
Summary
The ACRRM Fellowship assessment program was developed by a consortium of rural doctors, academics and policy experts in 2006 and first implemented in 2008. Assessors must complete a substantial training and induction process Other roles of the lead assessor include: assessment development; approval of assessor teams; conduct of training and assessor briefings and assessor moderation sessions; monitoring of assessment conduct and double marking; review of recordings and marking; review of special considerations and reconsiderations; post-examination statistical review; quality improvement processes; and evaluation of feedback ACRRM employs a cohort of medical educators under the guidance of the Director of Training to plan, monitor and facilitate training for candidates on the Independent Pathway. The ‘tele-assessment’ design, allowing candidates and examiners to participate in assessment by use of distance technology while remaining in or near their home community may provide some insights for other medical Colleges and educational institutions facing challenges in the current environment. The ‘tele-assessment’ model may provide some insights for other medical Colleges and educational institutions facing challenges in the current COVID-19 pandemic
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