PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Campbell, L M AU - Murray, T S TI - Summative assessment of vocational trainees: results of a 3-year study. DP - 1996 Jul 01 TA - British Journal of General Practice PG - 411--414 VI - 46 IP - 408 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/46/408/411.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/46/408/411.full SO - Br J Gen Pract1996 Jul 01; 46 AB - BACKGROUND: Summative assessment of general practice trainees will be introduced across the UK for trainees completing vocational training after 1 September 1996. AIMS: A study was set up to assess the reliability of the consulting skills assessment which will be used to develop audit and factual knowledge testing as summative assessment tools and to determine the probable impact of the system on the numbers of trainees identified as not yet competent for independent practice. METHOD: Videotaped consultations, an audit project, a trainer's report and a multiple-choice paper were evaluated for 359 trainees in the West of Scotland completing their training between 31 July 1993 and 31 July 1995. RESULTS: A total of 77 trainees (22%) were identified as being potentially of doubtful competence and 17 (5%) were adjudged to be as yet incompetent for independent practice. Videotaped consultation produced the highest pickup rate (14) followed by trainer's judgement (3). Subsequent analysis of the video tapes identified one trainee who should have been picked up by this method but was not. CONCLUSION: The videotape instrument reliably identified the non-competent trainees. Audit and factual knowledge tests have a distinct role in summative assessment. The proportion of trainees being refused certificates by this assessment is likely to increase considerably but will still represent only about 5% of all trainees.