Getting lost in translation? Workplace based assessments in surgical training

Workplace based assessments (WBA) are integral to the competence-based surgical training curriculum that currently exists in the UK. The GMC emphasise the value of WBA's as assessments for learning (formative), rather than as assessments of learning (summative). Current implementation of WBA's in the workplace though, is at odds with their intended use, with the formative functions often being overlooked in favour of the summative, as exemplified by the recent announcement that trainees are required to complete a minimum of 40 WBA's a year, an increase from 24. Even before this increase, trainees viewed WBA's as tick-box exercises that negatively impact upon training opportunities. As a result, the tools are commonly misused, often because both trainees and trainers lack understanding of the benefits of full engagement with the formative learning opportunities afforded by WBA's. To aid the transition in mind-set of trainees and trainers to the purpose of assessment in the workplace, the GMC propose the introduction of ‘supervised learning events’ and ‘assessments of performance’ to supersede ‘WBA's’. The impact of this change and how these will be integrated into surgical training is yet to be seen, but is likely to be a step in the right direction.