Resources

What is the ECTV?

External clinical teaching visits (ECTVs) are a key teaching and formative assessment method in Australian GP training. They are a highly valuable educational activity for registrars. As well, they act as a ‘second set of eyes’, and thus are an excellent way to review alignment between supervisor and training program assessments of a registrar’s progress.

What is Programmatic Assessment (PA) and Workplace-Based Assessments (WBA)?

ECTVs are a Workplace Based Assessment (WBA) activity and part of Programmatic Assessment. There has been a shift towards programmatic assessment in medical education, focussing on the importance of multiple low-stakes assessments throughout training, as opposed to a single high-stakes summative assessment at the end. WBA are core to PA, in authenticating learning and developing skills such as managing uncertainty and maintaining professionalism.

Is the purpose of the ECTV teaching or assessment?

ECTVs are designed as both a teaching and assessment method, but there is a potential conflict inherent in this which needs to be carefully managed.

How can the educational value of the ECTV be enhanced?

GPSA has developed a ‘How to…’ guide for supervisors on maximising the educational value of the ECTV. It covers five areas and is intended to be a practical guide. These areas include:

• Planning for the visit
• Interacting with the teaching visitor
• Reviewing the ECTV report
• Discussion with the registrar
• Follow-up