ASSESSMENT METHODS IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

There has been rapid and extensive change in the assessment methods in the medical education. Historically, several new methods of assessment have been developed and implemented in medical education. These assessment methods focused on clinical skills , communication skills, procedural skills, and professionalism. Over the past decade, medical schools, postgraduate training programs, and licensing bodies have made new efforts to provide accurate, reliable, valid assessments of the competence of trainees and practicing physicians. Such assessments have three main goals: to optimize the capabilities of all learners and practitioners by providing motivation and direction for future learning, to protect the public by identifying incompetent physicians, and to provide a basis for choosing applicants for advanced training. The aim of this paper is to clarify definitions, theoretical bases of assessment methods, detailing the advantages and challenges of these methods used in medical education.