The medical programmes of FHML, Maastricht University, win the innovation prize [1] of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education and had outstanding results in the recent visitation for re-accreditation [2]. The reports describe the longitudinal, programmatic assessment [3] system and the underlying theoretical/educational philosophy as ambitious and innovative, and as evidence of a forward-looking vision.
We congratulate the educational experts in the EPASS team [4] and their colleagues on this success, and we are very proud that EPASS provides the portfolio system that supports programmatic assessment at FHML.
After an intensive collaboration between the Workgroup EPASS revision of NVOG and EPASS, the new EPASS portfolio for Gynecology and Obstetrics has been launched on October 10. The results of the national survey amongst residents and program directors have served as a starting point to revise and improve several aspects of the portfolio. In addition, the EPA’s have been introduced to the portfolio, based on the theme’s defined in BOEG, which have a prominent role throughout the portfolio. Various modifications have been implemented to improve the ease of use for residents to add information to the portfolio and support the insight in the progress for the resident, the program director and the clinical staff.
The Dashboard now shows the current status of all EPA’s in one overview from which it’s possible to zoom in on a specific EPAS. In addition, the benchmarks for the training, specified by BOEG, are clear and present in the overview which shows the expected level for the Resident. In the final stage of the training, the Dashboard automatically changes to only show the information relevant for the differentiation, including unfinished EPA’s from year 1-4, newly defined EPA’s and their respective benchmarks.
At 14 and 15 November the EBMA conference will take place and after that at 17 and 18 November, the annual NVMO congress will take place in Egmond aan Zee. EPASS will be present here as an exhibitor. We would like to welcome everybody at our booth!
In South Africa our partner Intaka Learning successfully managed to acquire its second customer. The faculty for Family Medicine of Walter Sisulu University started using their EPASS portfolio from August 2017. The MMed (Family Medicine) Degree programme aims to prepare doctors as Family Physicians with a high level of clinical and managerial competence, to solve problems through research and become mentors and teachers within the discipline of Family Medicine in South Africa. This portfolio is used by Stellenbosch University and Walter Sisulu University.
Starting August 2017 LUMC will start using EPASS for the Biomedical Sciences program. In the Biomedical Sciences department, EPASS is used to support students with reflection on their development and decision making. The digital portfolio offers more coherence in the feedback they receive, which in turn helps with utilizing the feedback. This method makes students, teachers and coordinators become more aware of the importance of feedback. By systematically reflecting on topics like occupational orientation, students get a better view on the training, their future occupation and post-graduate education. This portfolio is been developed in close collaboration with the Biomedical Sciences department.