Assessing Professional Competence within the PA Profession—A White Paper

Professional competence is complex and multifaceted and difficult to adequately measure. The technology for measuring learned occupational proficiency is not well‐developed. One purpose of this paper is to present 4 dimensions of assessment while exploring the features of sample assessment methodologies, showing how they relate to the dimensions of assessment. Because different assessment methods capture separate aspects of competence, no single method is preferred or recommended over the others. Some methods may be more appropriate as self‐assessment tools; while some methods may be better used in externally applied assessment. An essential consideration in choosing an assessment method or tool is whether it truly measures the knowledge and skills that the tester thinks it measures and deems to be important. Four properties or dimensions of assessment are important. Each dimension is a continuum and an individual assessment task or method can be high on some dimensions and low on others. In choosing an assessment method, it is important to select one that matches the preferences of the profession along each dimension. The 4 dimensions are: • Time frame—Whether the assessment measures performance cumulatively or at a single point in time; • Fidelity—The degree to which the assessment approximates tasks performed in the workplace; assessment tasks can be direct (high fidelity) or indirect (low fidelity); • Cost—Monetary expense as well as the time taken to prepare for and to take the test, time away from one’s practice, and possible loss of income; and • Preparation—The degree to which time has to be spent updating one’s test‐taking skills or refocusing one’s ongoing knowledge review (which may or may not contribute to advancing one’s clinical skills). The purpose of the assessment should be the prime determinant of the choice of assessment methods. Whether the assessment is to be used to guide one’s own ongoing learning or to document the achievement of terminal objectives or exit skills is also important to the choice of method. In a high‐stakes situation (such as certification), a high fidelity method is desirable because of the importance of reliability and validity.