1. <hospital name> <year>
Western Australian Workplace Based Assessment Program
Orientation Resource for use with:
Doctors from the 2012 Bunbury Hospital WBA cohort
Doctors from the 2013 Bunbury Hospital WBA cohort
<hospital name> <year>

3. What is Workplace-based assessment?
An alternative to the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Clinical Examination
Workplace Based Assessment (WBA) is currently implemented in some states and territories, overseen by members of the AMC Board of Examiners to ensure consistency in format and standards
Duration of the WA program is 12 months. IMGs enrolled in the program complete the supervised practice requirement during the assessment program

4. What does WBA mean for you?
Program of clinical assessment in everyday clinical practice settings with immediate feedback
Assessment is set at end-of-PGY1 (intern) level measured across six clinical areas:
Child Health
Women’s Health
Adult Health (Internal  Medicine)
Adult Health (Surgery)
Mental Health
Emergency Medicine
Supports achievement of end-of-PGY1 (intern) level across the six clinical areas

5. What is expected of you?
Responsibility to ensure you meet the program requirements:
Sufficient clinical experience across all areas
A minimum of ten hours in each discipline before you can be assessed in that area
Completion of all assessments
WBA is based on adult (self-directed) learning principles so IMGs are responsible for:
Pre-reading and sourcing clinical opportunities
Acknowledgement of own limitations and asking for help when needed
Acknowledgment that WBA is based on adult (self-directed) learning principles

6. What support is available?
<first and last name> – WBA Program Director
<phone number and/or >
Primary and Secondary Supervisors
<first and last name> – A/Administration Officer
Employee Assistance Program OR
ges/default.aspx
Katrina Lynn – Senior Project Officer
(08)

7. Role of support people Program Director
Participates in the selection of candidates
Organises assessor training workshops
Orientates candidates to the hospital and the WBA program
Convenes and conduct the calibration workshops
Coordinates program delivery
Undertakes program evaluation at the site and coordinates candidate assessments in collaboration with the Senior Project Officer (Katrina Lynn)

8. Role of support people Primary Supervisor
Assigned to a candidate for the full 12-month program
Completes Assessment and Learning Plan with candidate
Monitors progress and provides support, advice and assistance where required
Prepares formative and summative reports and provides face to face feedback
Provides review of multi-source feedback results
Ensures all documentation is provided to Administration Officer for secure storage in files

9. Role of support people Secondary Supervisor
Assigned for duration of a rotation in a department
Monitors progress and provides support, advice and assistance where required
May assist in selection and preparation of cases for assessment
May act as an Assessor for formative assessments and provide relevant feedback
Ensures all documentation is provided to the Administration Officer for secure storage in the files

10. Role of support people Assessor
Conducts a direct or indirect assessment in a specific clinical area / skill / dimension
Completes the required assessment documentation and provides immediate feedback
May select case and/or patient to be assessed
Ensures patient consent has been obtained
Ensures clinical areas, skills and dimensions to be assessed are known and sufficient preparation time has been allocated

11. Role of support people Administrative Officer
Provides administrative support to the Director of Clinical Training, the Program Director, the supervisors and candidates
Assists with organising the orientation of candidates to WBA
Arranges and coordinates the booking of rotations and placements for candidates
Assists candidates with booking assessments
Loads assessments to the AMC Portal
Works with the Senior Project Officer to continually improve WBA at site level

12. What is assessed? Clinical Dimensions Clinical judgement
Communication skills
Ability to work as an effective member of the health care team (e.g. teamwork, honesty)
Ability to apply aspects of public health relevant to clinical settings
Cultural competence
Professionalism and attention to patient safety

13. What is assessed? Clinical Skills History taking Physical examination
Investigations and diagnosis
Prescribing and management
Counselling/patient education
Clinical procedures

14. What assessments are undertaken?
Assessments loaded to the AMC portal:
2 summative and 1 final supervisor reports
24 direct and indirect assessments
1 Multi-Source Feedback
1 External Assessor Report
Other assessments (kept on file):
2 formative supervisor reports, with action plan for completion as required
5 Self-assessments (formative, summative, final)
Repeat assessments (also provided to AMC)

15. Assessment Methods - Direct
Mini Clinical Examination (Mini-CEX)
Aims to assess a range of core competencies that a candidate uses during day-to-day encounters with patients
Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS)
WBA candidates are observed by an assessor as they perform a procedure
External Assessor Report
A measure against which all other assessment reports are calibrated. Completed at end of year

17. Assessment Methods - Indirect
Case Based Discussion (CBD)
Structured, non-judgmental reviews of decision- making and clinical reasoning 
WBA candidates select three cases from patients they have managed and prepare neatly typed case notes
The assessor will select one of the three cases for the assessment

18. Assessment Methods - Indirect (cont.)
Multi Source Feedback (MSF or 3600)
Candidate performance is rated by a number of people, including self-assessment
Forms a collective assessment of how the candidate meets the AMC clinical and personal performance dimensions, including honesty and teamwork
Candidates select at least 10 colleagues with whom they have worked during the WBA program:
A collection of ratings from multiple sources, including self-assessment by the candidate
supervisors
interns
registrars
nurses
RMOs
allied health staff
consultants
ward and medical administrative staff

20. Assessment Methods – Indirect (cont.)
Supervisor assessments - summative
Completed following the supervisor’s observation of the candidate in the workplace, or after the supervisor has discussed the candidate’s performance with other members of the healthcare team
The supervisor will also review the self- assessment report with the candidate as part of this assessment
The self-assessment form allows supervisors to gauge the candidate’s awareness of their own strengths and limitations

21. Assessment Methods – Indirect (cont.)
Supervisor assessments – formative
Provide a valuable opportunity for candidates to gain feedback from their supervisor on their progress in the WBA program
Should be seen as a progress report which provides candidates with an opportunity to improve performance in preparation for the summative report
Highlight areas for further development or concerns through use of the Improving Performance Action Plan.
Resource: Candidates Guide 2014

22. Resources to assist with assessments
Learning Resources specific to WBA have been sourced and developed and can be accessed on the WBA intranet site:
The required textbook for WBA is the AMC Anthology of Medical Conditions
A copy has been purchased for your hospital. You can also purchase your own copy through the AMC
Supervisors and Assessors will be able to provide advice on other resources available for specific clinical areas

23. WBA Pass Rates
Candidates must achieve the following pass rates to successfully complete the requirements of the WBA program:
Resource: Candidates Guide 2014

24. WBA Standards
The passing standard for the WBA program reflects the standard applied to Australian-trained doctors at the end of PGY1.
The Mini-CEX, DOPS and CBD report forms use a 9-point rating scale:
Resource: Candidates Guide 2014
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Unsatisfactory
Satisfactory
Superior

25. Completing assessments on time
The WBA candidate checklist tracks progress through the program
An assessment schedule is developed by the Program Director and it is recommended that candidates follow this closely to ensure that assessments are completed on time.
It is recommended that candidates aim to complete all assessments within a nine month timeframe from commencement of the program to ensure that they are eligible to be reviewed by the AMC in the year of commencement.
Please read the Important Information for further details.

26. Process for completed assessments
All completed forms are to be:
Signed by the Supervisor/Assessor and the candidate
Forwarded to the WBA Program Director for review and signature
Forwarded to the Administration Officer for loading onto the AMC portal
All Assessment and Report Forms can be accessed and printed from the WBA intranet site:

27. Review of Results
AMC requires results to be loaded to the AMC portal two weeks prior to the meeting:
Cut-off for <month, year> meeting is
<month, date , year>
The AMC will not accept any assessments after the cut-off time

28. AMC Recommendations
Assessors name, title and role to be included in each assessment form
A variety of assessors to be used – not one assessor to complete all assessments
Different assessments are not to be conducted on one patient
Do not use the same case type or condition for all assessments
Other WBA candidates cannot assess for Multi Source Feedback

29. AMC Recommendations (cont.)
Only one case (out of the three selected) is considered in Case Based Discussion
DOPS must be procedural skills and not physical examination skills
DOPS assessors must be registered medical practitioners with four years of experience in the Australian healthcare environment (or equivalent AMC-designated environment)
Registered Nurses may also assess DOPS if they have the appropriate clinical assessment experience – Program Director to advise

30. General AMC and WBA Information
The hospital will invoice you directly for WBA fees.
Contact: <first and last name>, Medical Administration
The AMC will invoice you directly for their administration fee
An /letter will be sent by the AMC
Please update your contact details with the AMC.
This is particularly important for ensuring you receive your AMC certificate at the end of the program – it is sent via post!

31. Completing WBA assessments
As soon as possible, meet with your Primary Supervisor and complete the Self Assessment and Personal Learning Plan
Once completed, provide to Program Director for review and signature
Provide to Administration Officer for scanning and filing
As you rotate through the clinical areas, arrange for someone to assess you for the Mini-CEX, DOPs and CBDs
Forward completed assessments to the Program Director for review and signature
Where to from here?
As soon as possible, complete the Self Assessment and Personal Learning Plan in conjunction with your Primary Supervisor
As you rotate through the clinical areas, arrange for the Mini-CEX, DOPs and CBDs to be completed

32. Completing WBA assessments (cont.)
Arrange for summative and formative reports using your individual timeline as a guide
The Administration Officer will assist you in arranging any direct or indirect assessments throughout the twelve month period
Enjoy your experience!!

33. Questions?