Scholarly Conversations in Medical Education

Current Trends and Opportunities for Competency Assessment in Pharmacy Education-A Literature Review

An increasing emphasis on health professional competency in recent times has been matched by an increased prevalence of competency-based education models. Assessments can generate information on competence, and authentic, practice-based assessment methods are critical. Assessment reform has emerged as an academic response to the demands of the pharmacy profession and the need to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes to face the challenges of the modern workforce. The objective of this review was to identify and appraise the range of assessment methods used in entry-level pharmacy education and examine current trends in health professional assessment. The initial search located 2854 articles. After screening, 36 sources were included in the review, 13 primary research studies, 12 non-experimental pharmacy research papers, and 11 standards and guidelines from the grey literature. Primary research studies were critically appraised using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). This review identified three areas in pharmacy practice assessment which provide opportunities for expansion and improvement of assessment approaches: (1) integrated approaches to performance assessment; (2) simulation-based assessment approaches, and; (3) collection of validity evidence to support assessment decisions. Competency-based assessment shows great potential for expanded use in pharmacy, but there is a need for further research and development to ensure its appropriate and effective use.

Commentary: Racism and Bias in Health Professions Education: How Educators, Faculty Developers, and Researchers Can Make a Difference

The Research in Medical Education (RIME) Program Planning Committee is committed to advancing scholarship in and promoting dialogue about the critical issues of racism and bias in health professions education (HPE). From the call for studies focused on underrepresented learners and faculty in medicine to the invited 2016 RIME plenary address by Dr. Camara Jones, the committee strongly believes that dismantling racism is critical to the future of HPE.The evidence is glaring: Dramatic racial and ethnic health disparities persist in the United States, people of color remain deeply underrepresented in medical school and academic health systems as faculty, learner experiences across the medical education continuum are fraught with bias, and current approaches to teaching perpetuate stereotypes and insufficiently challenge structural inequities. To achieve racial justice in HPE, academic medicine must commit to leveraging positions of influence and contributing from these positions. In this Commentary, the authors consider three roles (educator, faculty developer, and researcher) represented by the community of scholars and pose potential research questions as well as suggestions for advancing educational research relevant to eliminating racism and bias in HPE.

Targeting Assessment for Learning within Pharmacy Education

Formative assessment is critical for deliberate improvement, development and growth. While not entirely synonymous, assessment for learning (AFL) is an approach using formative assessment to specifically improve students' learning. While using formative assessments, AFL can also have summative programmatic-assessment implications. For each learning assessment, summative and formative uses can be leveraged; it can scaffold (formative), foster students' growth (formative), and document students' development in a competency/standard (summative). For example, using a developmental portfolio with iterative reflective-writings (formative), PharmD students showed qualitative development in the "professionalism" competency (summative; ACPE Standard 4.4). (In parallel, this development in professionalism was confirmed quantitatively.) An AFL approach can complement other assessments; it can be integrated with other summative assessments into a multi-method assessment program, wherein developmental portfolio sections could be used for a few specific competencies. While AFL is not a one-size-fits-all silver bullet approach for programmatic assessment, it is one notable robust tool to employ.