Background:
In Portugal, the family physicians’ residency final exam has three parts: theoretical, curricular and practical. The theoretical part is a multiple choice test. The other two are evaluated by a jury. This jury applies 2 different grids to classify the candidate’s CV and the practical exam. For the practical exam one of the jury performs a simulated-patient. The aim of the Jury’Summit is to provide the jury members with training and to standardize their procedures.
Methods:
A one-day training module was put in place. All the jury members were summoned. Present were 40 jury. For the curricular part, the evaluation grid was presented and exercises done to practice classifying excerpts of selected CVs, followed by discussion. For the practical part, the exam structure was presented along with the evaluation grids. A video recording simulation of a practical exam was analyzed. Role playing of the simulation followed and the difficulties of this performance discussed. At the end, the classification of the candidate’s practical exam using the grid were practiced.
Results:
Feedback of the training module was requested to the trainees. They considered the experience very positive and important to make procedures uniform amongst the jury elements, as well as increasing their confidence. They suggested this module should take place every year and added suggestions to improve in further editions. After this module, a forum was created to stimulate discussion during the exam season.
Conclusion(s):
This was an innovative educational initiative promoting a more balanced application of the evaluation tools on the residents, which guarantees greater fairness to the process, which ensures greater competency to the jury members and improves their confidence levels. We envisage that the adoption of this training procedure as a whole would benefit the country, should its application be widespread.
Points for discussion:
Empowerment of jurys
Reduction of asymmetries between juries
Fair evaluation
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