Lowy F H, Prosen H
Can Psychiatr Assoc J. 1979 Jun;24(4):292-301. doi: 10.1177/070674377902400403.
Although there has been much criticism of specialty certification examinations there is general agreement that they are an important safeguard of competence in medical specialties where the consumer cannot judge this. The Canadian Royal College has made strenuous attempts to improve certification techniques but these have not been heretofore widely reported. This paper reports on the rationale for the replacement of the essay examination by multiple choice questionnaires, the problems associated with MCQ, and the efforts made to improve the fairness, validity and reliability of the clinical (oral) examination. These efforts have been in the areas of selection of examiners, training for examiners, standardization of marking and the conduct of the examination. A description is given of the conduct of the examination and what the examiners look for in the candidate's performance. The development and increasing importance of the In-Training Evaluation are discussed. The publication of A Resident's Guide to Psychiatric Education with multinational participation advances the possibility of future reciprocity in psychiatric examinations conducted in several English speaking countries.
尽管对专业认证考试存在诸多批评，但人们普遍认为，在消费者无法判断能力的医学专业领域，这些考试是能力的重要保障。加拿大皇家学院已做出巨大努力来改进认证技术，但此前这些努力并未得到广泛报道。本文报告了用多项选择题问卷取代论文考试的基本原理、与多项选择题相关的问题，以及为提高临床（口试）考试的公平性、有效性和可靠性所做的努力。这些努力体现在考官选拔、考官培训、评分标准化和考试实施等方面。文中描述了考试的实施过程以及考官在考生表现中所关注的要点。还讨论了培训期间评估的发展及其日益重要性。《住院医师精神科教育指南》在多国参与下出版，增加了未来几个英语国家在精神科考试中实现互惠的可能性。
