Resident-Led Workplace-Based Assessment of Surgical Interns: Exploring Trained Resident-as-Assessor Experiences

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Residents-assessors (RAA) face challenges in leading workplace-based assessments of surgical interns using direct observation of professional skills (DOPS). Effective training is essential to acknowledge and ensure their competence as assessors. Workshop pedagogy integrated with experiential learning offers various strategies to address this need. By training residents as assessors, the learning experience for surgical interns can be significantly improved while simultaneously contributing to the professional growth of the residents. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the experiences of resident assessors following their training in resident-led workplace-based assessments of surgical interns, emphasizing the need to understand their role as assessors, the effectiveness of the training and the practical application of their acquired assessment skills.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the resident's experiences of residents-as-assessor after the training followed by workplace-based assessment of surgical interns using DOPS in tertiary care hospitals.

METHOD

This qualitative, exploratory study investigated how residents applied learning and assessment skills after structured training in workplace-based assessments (WBA), guided by Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. Conducted at Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, 18 residents participated, including those from various specialties and residency years. Purposive sampling was used. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews before and after training, which consisted of interactive workshops focusing on assessment tools like DOPS followed by the conduction of real-time WPA of surgical interns by trained resident-as-assessor. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data, ensuring reliability through inter-coder discussions. Ethical approval was obtained.

RESULT

Six themes were identified including “educational enhancement, practical implementation, reflective professional growth, conceptual development in assessment, integration of theory and practice, challenges and coping strategies.” Surgery and allied residents expressed a strong interest in training to enhance their effectiveness as assessors in the workplace-based assessment of surgical interns using DOPS. They valued the experiential learning components of workshop pedagogy, emphasizing the integration of theory and practice as crucial for their professional growth. They emphasized the importance of this model of resident-as-assessor training in enhancing intern education, the quality of workplace-based assessments, and, ultimately, patient care.

CONCLUSION

The study explores residents' insights into the resident-led workplace-based assessment (WBA) program and its potential to enhance their assessment skills and professional growth. Based on participants' reflections, Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, combined with hands-on workshops and reflective practices, supports residents in developing assessment skills, with DOPS regarded as promoting consistency and potentially enhancing assessment quality and patient care. Residents described this model of training enhanced their ability to assess interns, provide structured feedback, and contribute to their professional growth.