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Workplace-Based Assessments (WBAs)

Workplace-Based Assessments (WBAs) are a foundational component of the UW SOM’s new competency-based assessment model (COMPASS), supporting formative feedback, learner self-assessment, coaching, and more data-driven decision-making.  For more information please click.

Eight WBAs

  1. Gather a history
  2. Perform a physical examination
  3. Prioritize a differential diagnosis following a clinical encounter
  4. Recommend diagnostic or screening plans for common situations
  5. Interpret diagnostic or screening information for common situations
  6. Provide an oral presentation of a clinical encounter
  7. Document a clinical encounter
  8. Communicate with patients and/or families

WBA goal during the 4-week clerkship

  • Average 2 per week.
  • Perform all 8 WBAs

Process

  1. Ask your preceptor (attending or resident) to do the WBA before you see the patient so that they can focus on the WBA (ex. Interpret diagnostic or screening information for common situations) during the encounter.
  2. Feel free to do multiple WBAs during a single encounter.
  3. Work out whether you will be filling in the Qualtrics form yourself or if it will be the preceptor.  If you do the form, please make sure to ask for verbal feedback about the chosen WBA so that you can add the comments.
  4. Pick patients that are more complicated or have a disease you are not familiar with. The goal of WBAs, and the up-and-coming Pass/Fail grading system, is to work on your weaknesses rather than your strengths. Have a growth mindset. We want to bring every student up to competent in all aspects of clinical medicine.

Please remember that this is brand new for neurology attendings and residents. Be patient.

Effect on Grade

  • WBAs add 2% to clinic eval
    • 1% if students do 2 per week
    • 1% of students do all 8

Entrustment scale

  1. “I stepped in and did it, they observed”
  2. “I talked them through it”
  3. “They mostly did it, I directed them from time to time”
  4. “I was available just in case and I checked their work”

Scales are inherently prone to different interpretations. Please focus more on the actionable feedback than the scale. It is meant to be developmental rather than punitive. Having said that, I do want there to be some common agreement about the entrustment scale. If you are interested, here is the presentation I gave to preceptors for more information about how to use the entrustment scale with examples.