Competency assessment that fits around clinical work

Assessment where the work happens

Most competencies come down to watching someone do the work. In Compassly the Supervisor reads a short briefing, so they know exactly what is required and every assessor assesses consistently, then records each step as it happens, in whatever order the work unfolds, using your organisation's own scale such as pass, minor and fail. If they are called away, they can come back to it later or a colleague can pick it up, so the assessment fits around the shift, and every answer is recorded against who gave it and when.

The person being assessed can read everything they will be assessed against beforehand, so they arrive prepared. Afterwards, a debrief gives them feedback to read before their next attempt, and the full report of every completed assessment stays available to them in My Profile.

Multiple choice marks itself

Multiple choice questions are marked automatically, so Supervisors spend their time on the answers that need professional judgement and people know straight away where they stand. Supervisors see the right and wrong answers alongside the ones the person chose, so they can talk a question through and help build the person's knowledge.

Knowledge assessed through discussion

Some knowledge is better assessed through discussion. A question can carry an answer guide that only the Supervisor sees, so they can ask the question out loud and assess the reply against the guide.

Talking an answer through fits more easily around busy shifts than writing it down, and lets the Supervisor fill gaps and add local guidance for their area. The trade-off is a lighter record, because the answers themselves are not written down.

Rigour matched to risk

Competencies vary, and so can the way they are assessed. Competency authors set each one up to suit the skill and the risk involved.

Passes set by risk. Each competency can need a different number of successful assessments, so a low-risk competency might be assessed once and a high-risk one three times or more. A common example is three passes to gain it and one to renew.

From simulation to practice. Stages can move from formative to summative, such as simulated practice before practice with patients. Where competency authors allow it, people can also practise to build confidence, without it affecting their result.

Choice within a standard. A Supervisor can choose which stages each person completes from a list, such as a set of case studies, so the assessment reflects the person's own area of practice, with a minimum set by the competency author so everyone meets the same standard.

Fresh questions every time. Competency authors can write a pool of multiple choice questions, and Compassly draws a different set for each person and each attempt, so every attempt is a fresh test of knowledge.