Anesthesiology

Learning: a process through which experience at one time alters an individual's behavior at a future time.

Assessment: an measurement or evaluation of whether learning has occurred.

Feedback: information regarding performance that a learner can use to improve that performance.

Assessment & Feedback are vital for optimal Learning. Multiple sources of Assessment are utilized:

Frequent clinical performance evaluations are completed by resident preceptors after 2-4 days of supervision. These are forwarded to Dr. Richardson, and will be shared with residents at the mid-point and at the end of the month-long program. Of note, the evaluations are not judgments of competence or excellence, but rather factual descriptions of supervision levels provided for two dozen elements of performance. Lesser levels of supervision are provided as you gain practice & proficiency. Look closely at the 2 dozen elements and consider them your learning & performance objectives.
LPCAs serve both as guides for focused learning (objectives) and as means of evaluating proficiency. Completion of these will be considered as a source of assessment.
Anesthesia knowledge test (AKT): From exam performance at month's end (relative to pre-test performance, peers, and national scores) we then infer the individual's growth of core anesthesia knowledge, and/or the program's effectiveness.

Accurate assessment accompanied by high quality feedback promotes the very best learning. Numerous sources of feedback are available:

Daily from your clinical supervisors / preceptors: While it will be delivered unsolicited (ideally all day long), you should also seek this actively – consider this your professional responsibility. “How did I do?” is not an optimal way to solicit FB. Instead, engage fully: “Reflecting on that case, I think [particular event or portion of case] could have gone better if I/we had…. What do think? What advice can you give me to improve that?”
LPCAs are specifically designed to leverage feedback on your knowledge, performance, and integration of core knowledge into clinical practice. No LPCA should ever be completed without verbal feedback taking place.
Patient follow-up is a highly underutilized source of extremely meaningful & useful feedback. The best physicians I know help themselves to this liberally. It's duel therapeutic role is a bonus.
Mid-month/end-of-month: Dr Richardson will aggregate all assessment sources & will meet with each resident twice (more, if needed) to provide feedback, and to help formulate improvement strategies, as indicated.