Assessing Competence of Undergraduate Paramedic Student Practice: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Australasian Paramedic Competency Assessment Tool

Abstract

Introduction With the recent introduction of registration for paramedics, and an absence of assessment tools that align undergraduate paramedic student practice to competency standards, this pilot study undertook to develop and evaluate a competency assessment tool designed to provide a standardised approach to student competency assessment. This paper reports the first part of a two-part enquiry evaluating the efficacy of the Australasian Paramedic Competency Assessment Tool (APCAT) to assess the practice competency of undergraduate paramedic students. Methods With a focus on gathering professional opinion to evaluate the usability of the tool and inform its development, a mixed methods methodology including a survey and open-ended questions were used to gather data from paramedic educators and on-road assessors in Australia and New Zealand. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results The outcome of the evaluation was positive, indicating that 81% agreed or strongly agreed that the tool was user-friendly; 71% believed that expectations of student performance and the grading system was clear; 70% found year level descriptors reflected practice expectations; and 66% believed that the resource manual provided adequate guidance. Conclusion The APCAT is simple and aligns student practice expectations with competency standards. Results indicate the support for a consistent approach for assessment of undergraduate paramedic student competence. Further research will be undertaken to determine the efficacy of using this tool to assess students in the clinical setting.

Undergraduate paramedic student competency assessment: A grounded theory study explaining how assessors in Australia and New Zealand determine student competency to practice

“…As a substantive theory, the PAP has implications for the assessment of competence generally as the profession moves to apply practice standards across the service. PAP highlights situations that raise concern about assessment practices that may compromise the rigour and validity of assessment outcomes, 53,54,59 and exposes the delicate balance between the participants' views and expectations surrounding safe practice, competency assessment practices, the environment in which assessment takes place, and the impact that the realities of practice have on assessment outcomes. 1,34 PAP contributes to paramedic professional knowledge by providing insights into current practices and increasing understanding about how students are assessed, and which may provide direction and inform policy and procedure development.…”

“…44 As literature is considered a source of data, it is methodologically appropriate that in this study it has been woven into the substantive theory and is reported here in conjunction with the Paramedic Assessment Process. 19 Our sample included lecturers and sessional staff at universities, and on-road paramedics involved in the summative competency assessment of final-year paramedic students in New Zealand and Australia. For the purposes of this enquiry, an assessor is defined as those individuals who assess undergraduate students in universities and ambulance services in Australia and New Zealand.…”

“…For the purposes of this enquiry, an assessor is defined as those individuals who assess undergraduate students in universities and ambulance services in Australia and New Zealand. 19 We conducted recruitment through professional networks and utilised the process of snowballing. In total, n = 22 participants volunteered to participate in the study, eight (8) were university staff and fourteen (14) were on-road paramedics.…”

“…While moderating assessment, procedures and outcomes instigated by regulatory bodies 38 has put in place a framework to facilitate reliable assessment outcomes, and the literature provides insight into the type of assessments used to assess the competence of undergraduate student paramedics, how assessors in academia and industry manage the complexity of the assessment processes and construct professional judgements about competence are not clear. 13,19 Against this background, the purpose of this enquiry was to discover how paramedic assessors in academia and ambulance services determine the professional competence of undergraduate paramedic students in Australia and New Zealand. The specific objectives were to investigate how:…”

“…18 However, there is a lack of agreement on the essential attitudes and values needed for safe medical practice, as well as a lack of consensus on the definition of competence. 19 This lack of clarity has led to confusion and differing perspectives about assessment practices. Some suggest that the confusion arises from differing philosophical positions and over-definition of competence.…”