View Procedure
Educational Handover
Definitions
Assessment — The wide variety of methods that are used by faculty to measure and document the academic readiness, learning progress, and skill acquisition of residents throughout the residency program.
Competence Committee or Assessment, Evaluation and Promotions Committee — The committee responsible for synthesizing and reviewing the assessment data of postgraduate learners to determine postgraduate learner progress in achieving specialty-specific requirements of a program. Each discipline will have their own Competence Committee or Assessment, Evaluation and Promotions Committee.
Educational Handover — A process by which information about a postgraduate learner’s performance is shared with future supervisors to facilitate guidance and progress for required training experiences in other disciplines outside of their own postgraduate training program.
Postgraduate Learner — An individual registered in a postgraduate training program at Memorial University of Newfoundland (Memorial University), or a visiting Postgraduate Learner from another institution completing an elective rotation/training experience at Memorial University.
Program Director — The faculty member assigned responsibility for the overall conduct of the postgraduate training program in a given clinical discipline.
Required Training Experience — A pre-identified period of time in one (1) training program with a specified timeline that has a set of educational objectives and/or competencies to be successfully completed.
Supervisor(s) — The individual(s) (e.g., teaching staff, senior postgraduate learner) responsible for documenting their observation of a postgraduate learner’s performance when conducting a particular procedure/milestone/benchmark/Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA).
Procedure
Overview
Education Handover is described as the sharing of appropriate postgraduate learner performance information with individuals involved in postgraduate learner assessment to support ongoing training and development. Knowledge of a postgraduate learner’s current stage of progression, their learning objectives and/or competencies, as well as their areas of strength and challenges can enable supervisors to provide purposeful feedback that builds on previous observations. The handover of a learner’s progression information must be supported by the principles of transparency, fairness and mutual accountability.
Purpose
To ensure postgraduate learner educational needs are met and to outline a process for which postgraduate learner assessment information is appropriately disclosed during Educational Handover in order to facilitate targeted academic progression.
Scope
All postgraduate training programs at Memorial University (Memorial).
These guidelines only apply when a postgraduate learner is completing a required training experience in another discipline as part of their own postgraduate training program. This does
not apply to transfer of training. Electives are excluded, unless deemed necessary by the Competence Committee and/or Program Directors.
Guidelines
1.0 General Provisions
1.1 Postgraduate learner assessment information will be shared exclusively for the purpose of meeting the educational needs of a postgraduate learner to ensure they are prepared to progress to the next stage of training and to ensure patient safety. The assessment information included in an Educational Handover letter will be shared with the postgraduate learner and their supervisor(s).
1.1.1 Patient safety is of the utmost importance and takes priority over a learner’s progression, educational opportunities and any training concerns.
2.0 Type of information to be shared
2.1 The type of assessment information that can be appropriately disclosed during Educational Handover includes:
2.1.1 List of EPAs and, milestones/benchmarks expected during the required training experience;
2.1.2 Specific learning objectives and/or competencies the postgraduate learner has been encouraged to work on to ensure progression through the postgraduate training program;
2.2 The Program Director will consult with the Competence Committee to determine the necessary assessment information to be included in a postgraduate learner’s Educational Handover letter.
2.3 Decisions on the appropriate disclosure of information regarding learner needs will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
3.0 Privacy
3.1 Use of information regarding a postgraduate learner in an Educational Handover letter is authorized under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA), 2015.
3.2 Only those who need to know will have access to assessment information as outlined in Section 2.0. The information will be used by the postgraduate learner’s supervisor(s) and others, as deemed necessary, who are in the postgraduate learner’s circle of training and will be held in strict confidence and used solely for the purpose of enhancing the postgraduate learner’s educational experience. The information will not be disclosed except as authorized by law.
3.3 The supervisor(s) will ensure the Educational Handover letter and its contents are stored securely in accordance with Memorial’s Privacy Policy and Electronic Data Security Policy.
Procedure
A.0 The Program Director, in consultation with the Competence Committee determines the necessary assessment information (as outlined in Section 2.0) to be included in a postgraduate learner’s Educational Handover letter.
B.0 The Program Director (or delegate) completes and sends an Educational Handover letter to the postgraduate learner and their supervisor(s) a minimum of four (4) weeks in advance of the start of the postgraduate learner’s required training experience.
C.0 After reviewing the Educational Handover letter, the postgraduate learner and supervisor(s) can recommend modifications to the letter if the disclosed assessment information does not align with the clinical experiences the Postgraduate learner will be exposed to during the upcoming required training experience or if new learning needs are identified.
C.1. Modifications to the letter should occur prior to the start of the required training experience.
C.2. The Program Director reserves the right to approve any further changes made to an Educational Handover letter.
Related Links
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA)
Policies using this procedure:
There are no policies using this procedure