Journal Article

Replacing high-stakes summative examinations with graduated medical licensure in Canada

Waters, Heather, Pardhan, Alim, Chan, Teresa, Monteiro, Sandra, Thoma, Brent

2022

Overview

Chan et al asserts that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the medical assessment system in Canada. Examinations delivered by The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) were delayed, cancelled or adapted. As these examinations are required for independent practice, this had a negative impact on trainees, supervisors and patients during a time of great stress within our health care system. Although disruptive, these challenges provided an opportunity for change by unfreezing the historical approach to medical licensure in Canada--an approach that can be characterized as arduous, expensive, logistically challenging, poorly aligned with clinical practice and potentially biased. The ongoing use of high-stakes examinations for licensure has numerous unintended consequences. Standardized exams test nonsalient variables and are at risk of biases (e.g., financial hardship from paying to write and attend examinations, structural racism affecting examination literacy and preparation) that may inhibit the movement of our health care institutions toward equity, diversity and inclusion.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc,CMA Joule Inc,CMA Impact, Inc,CMA Impact Inc
• Subject: Best practice / Canada / Clinical outcomes / Continuing education / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Education, Medical, Graduate / Educational aspects / Educational Measurement / Emergency medical care / Epidemics / Health sciences / Hospitals / Humans / Independent study / Innovations / Internal Medicine / Licensing, certification and accreditation / Licensure, Medical - standards / Medical colleges / Medical education / Medicine / Pandemics / Patient safety / Physicians / Professional examinations / Standardized tests / Training