Assessing Assessing! An Examination of the Impact of the New RANZCP by-Laws for Training

Abstract

Objectives: With the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ new by-laws for training coming into effect in late 2003 and early 2004 for New Zealand and Australian trainees, respectively, the authors set out to determine the impact of the various proposed changes upon assessment. Methods: The relevant medical databases and websites were explored and the various colleges and examination boards in Australia and New Zealand, the UK and Canada were consulted. Results: The Fellowship examination in Australia and New Zealand is due to undergo significant changes in terms of its structure and methods of assessment. The changes borrow components from contemporary international systems and aim to shift the emphasis of training and examination to earlier in the postgraduate years, with trainees ultimately having greater flexibility in terms of deciding when to sit for these. As yet, there is little specific information for candidates as regards the exact format and content of some components of the examinations and it is unclear whether the new system has been evaluated sufficiently. Conclusions: Many of the proposed changes bear similarities to training structures and examination systems in Canada and the UK. It is suggested that the ‘mistakes’ of others should be learned from, and that a considered and deliberate approach is taken to the introduction of new examinations, appraising their merit and acknowledging the difficulties that change and uncertainty create.