General medicine refers to any and every kind of health problem.
Selective medical field refers to a specific field in medicine that a medical practitioner decides to limit his/her practice on. Examples: OB-GYN, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Cardiology, Radiology, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, etc.
Superselective or restricted medical field refers to a more specific or narrower field of medicine that a medical practitioner decides to limit his/her practice on. Examples: an OB-GYN decides to limit practice to GYN only; a General Surgery decides to limit practice to Breast Disorders; etc.
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner have to make with regards to the medical fields to practice?
Decide on the extent or scope of medical field that you want to practice initially and in the future in consideration of the following:
1.1 Goal of a medical practitioner (satisfied – happy and healthy)
1.2 Your acquired competency or training
1.3 Needs of the community where you will be practicing (whether there is lack of specialists and whether to include general medicine)
1.4 Your physical limitation or personal delimitation (whether to go to superselective or restrictive medical field or not)
Some guides:
1.1 If you are a graduate from a medical school or college – general medicine
1.2 If you are a graduate from a specialty residency training program – residency specialty (decide on whether you need to practice general medicine on top of the specialty)
1.3 If you are a graduate from a specialty fellowship training program – fellowship specialty (decide on whether you need to practice general medicine and residency specialty)
1.4 When just starting, do not restrict your practice to superselective medical field.
1.5 When you have established a practice already, that’s the time you can restrict your practice to a superselective medical field, that is, if indicated and allowable by the circumstance.
Decide on whether to publicize the limit of your practice, if you decide to limit it.
Publicize the limit of your practice if it will be to your advantage and not be to your disadvantage in terms of achieving goal of a medical practitioner, i.e., acceptable number of clients if not more, no unnecessary loss of potential clients, and no undue burden from too many clients which you will refer out anyway. Otherwise, don’t publicize, just limit your practice by referring out clients as they arrive and as necessary. In due time, the public will know the limit of your practice.
Written in 2002
From:
Primer on Starting and Establishing a Private Medical Practice in the Philippines
April 26, 2024 – I received an email from Mr. Rene Besido:
From:rene.besido@sandoz.com
To:rjoson2001@yahoo.com
Fri, 26 Apr at 12:42 am
Dear Joson,
I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out to inquire about your availability to conduct a lecture on starting a private practice. We are organizing an event in Pampanga and Cebu, tentatively scheduled on June 24 and 29 respectively. A small group of doctors, approximately 20 to 40, will be present.
We believe your expertise and insights would greatly benefit these doctors who are aspiring to establish their own private practices. Therefore, we would like to discuss the possibility of you delivering a 1-1.5 hour lecture.
If you are interested, we kindly request your professional fee for this speaking engagement. While we do have a limited budget for this speaking engagement, we genuinely value your expertise. We hope that you will be available and willing to share your knowledge with this group, inspiring and guiding them on their journey to building successful private practices.
Thank you for considering our invitation. We look forward to your response.
Best regards,
Rene J. Besido Senior Manager – Marketing
M (63) 9175049013
My reactions to this email:
Considered it as an honor and privilege.
Why I was being invited by someone whom I don’t know and how he assumed I could talk on the topic – most likely he saw my blogs on private practice in the Philippines (this stimulated me to check the Internet on who had written on the topic).
I have received such inquiry in my email before as a result of my blogs on the topic (see several emails below)
Good afternoon doctor.
Thank you very much for the articles you have written to help us newbies start our own practice here in the Philippines. I have recently passed my diplomate exams for Family and Community Medicine (2 weeks ago, to be exact).
Although the articles were posted 16 years ago, I still find your words to be true and applicable. However, the million-dollar question was not answered: How much will it cost to start a basic medical clinic here in the Philippines?
Also, are there any options for business loans for doctors? How much are we expected to spend monthly for operations? As you see, not all doctors were born with silver spoon and so financial support in opening a business such as a private clinic may be a burden to most of us newbies.
Hoping to hear from you soon. Thank you.
Estrella M. Ramirez-Lawas, MD Rivera Medical Center, Inc. | 0925-7363183
From:lishery3080@yahoo.com
To:rjoson2001@yahoo.com
Mon, 22 Jun 2015 at 6:29 pm
hi doc. i read your primer on starting a private medical practice. i would like to know what are the licenses i need to start one. thank you
Lishery A. Baladad-Lacsamana, M.D.
From:duksac@gmail.com
To:rjoson2001@yahoo.com
Sun, 1 May 2011 at 12:06 am
Good pm. I was able to write you before regarding starting my own private practice. Well, i wasnt able to file my application for the diplomate exam this may and so ill try my luck next year. At present, i am jobless and still cant figure out how will i be able to start a practice. I am currently in san pablo city and would like to try starting a good practice by being a GS And while preparing for an exam next year. At present i am really lost and really having a hard time starting. It is quite frustrating, do you think going to another training is really necessary. I am thinking of going to uro, do you think it would be a good choice? All the subspecialties i had in mind are not available in our country like MIS, critical care And even vascular surgery ( i know nkti is offering this but only for a few). I am left with uro where I can still use my GS kahit konti. Do you think doing such is a good option, or should i just stick here in the province and start my own practice?
Thank you very much.
From: Arlene Duque <duksac@gmail.com> To: Reynaldo Joson <rjoson2001@yahoo.com> Cc: Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 12:36 AM Subject: Re: private practice
Dear sir
I am planning to take the hepatobiliary surgery fellowship in pgh since i have no means to take it abroad. i actually got accepted in taiwan but just been there for 5 days since i didnt like the program. I am more of a research fellow rather than clinical. Yes, i am interested too with MIS but I think it is still not available in the country and likewise its very hard to apply and be accepted, if I wish to take it abroad.
I will try to explore the moonlight thing too, thanks for the advice.
Today, May 1, 2024, I googled “private medical practice Philippines” and I found my three posts in the Internet.
There was another formal writing:
Challenges and Experiences of Young Medical Specialists in Establishing Private Clinical Practice
For all persons, what are the things in life that are nice to, useful to and must know?
For all persons, what are the things in health and well-being of a person that are nice to, useful to and must know?
For physicians-to-be and full-pledged physicians, what are the things in medical education that are nice to, useful to and must know?
For hospital administrators to be and full-pledged hospital administrators, what are the things in hospital administration that are nice to, useful to and must know?
Nobody knows everything and will be able to know everything.
There is a limit to one’s knowledge.
To be efficient, all persons living in this earth must discern which things are nice to, useful to and must know. Afterwhich, put priority on must know then useful to know and least on nice to know things.
For educators, it is impossible for students to know and learn everything in a course of study. Teachers should classify the learning of students into nice to, useful to and must know. Then, prioritize.
For educators also, it is impossible to assess and evaluate all students’ learning. So, prioritize must know and useful to know in assessment and evaluation tools. Make sure the students have mastered the must know at least.
Are these principles being implemented in every person? in daily life? in education? in medical education? in hospital administration education?
Relating the above to medical education, particularly in medical school.
Medical teachers should be wary of the 3 categorizations (nice to know, useful to know, and must know). They should have these 3 categorizations of knowledge in mind when they conduct teaching and when they conduct assessment and evaluation of students. At the very least, they should ensure teaching and learning of the must know at all times and costs. They should ensure mastery of the must know before students are allowed to graduate. The assessment and evaluation methods that should be used are the criterion-referenced ones with criteria, descriptors and scores in rating scales and not the norm-referenced ones (using mean score or grading on a curve).
Reasons why medical students should be assessed and evaluated using criterion-referenced system:
Medicine is a high-stake profession as it deals with human life and the health of human beings. Thus, students of medicine need to be judged on mastery of the professional content (the must-know knowledge; must-know attitude; and must-know skills). The best way to judge their mastery will be against a set of criteria or standards.
Use BEHAVIORAL VERBS TO COME OUT WITH BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES.
Behavioral objectives describe what the student / participant will be able to do after having attended your learning activity, something that is observable and measurable. Each objective should begin with a verb that describes an observable behavior, such as “describe, summarize, demonstrate, compare, plan, score”, etc. One can observe the student /participant and/or measure how well the objective was met.
Verbs that describe feelings, emotions, thoughts or similar things are not behavioral, because they are not observable or measurable.
Verbs in this category include “appreciate, believe, know, learn, realize, think, understand”, and so on. Steer clear of these types of words when writing learning objectives.
After attending this activity, the participant will demonstrate the ability to:
Recognize four common causes of shoulder pain
Compare and contrast several management strategies for patients with chronic shoulder pain
Describe the current clinical practice for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors in adults
Evaluate the process of translating laboratory research into clinical trials for patients with malignant gliomas
Outline current advances in molecular biology, immune therapy, stem cell therapeutics, and drug delivery systems for brain tumors
Identify challenges caregivers face in caring for patients with brain tumors
Recognize quality of life issues for patients with brain tumors and the effectiveness of measurement tools.
Writing Behavioral Objectives – Please use this tool to aid in writing the learning objectives for your session.
What behavioral objectives ARE: Behavioral objectives describe what the participant will be able to do after having attended your activity, something that is observable and measurable. Each objective should begin with a verb that describes an observable behavior, such as “describe, summarize, demonstrate, compare, plan, score”, etc. You can observe the participant and measure how well the objective was met.
What behavioral objectives are NOT: a. Verbs that describe feelings, emotions, thoughts or similar things are not behavioral, because they are not observable or measurable. Verbs in this category include “appreciate, believe, know, learn, realize, think, understand”, and so on. Steer clear of these types of words when writing your objectives. b. What the presenter intends to do during the activity (e.g. “Present information on…”, “Show the audience how to…” are the presenter’s goals, not learning objectives. Write objectives from the perspective of what the participant will be able to do after attending the activity.
Retrieve Review Revise Rewrite Schedule Score Screen Select Separate Show Sketch Solve State Subdivide Summarize Support Tell Test Transcribe Translate Underline Use
Avoid non-measurable verbs: amplify, appreciate, be acquainted with, be aware, be(come) familiar with, explore, gain insight, improve, increase, know, learn, realize, understand
The following verbs will help to write good learning objectives for Bloom Taxonomy on COGNITIVE DOMAIN:
Knowledge and Comprehension encompass cognitive processes of remembering or explaining. Application and Analysis are at a higher level and involve using knowledge to find new solutions, or in breaking a whole into component parts. Synthesis and Evaluation are problem solving cognitive processes, usually involving the creation of a new whole, or ability to judge the value of some thing(s).
KNOWLEDGE
Cite Choose Define Label List Locate Match Name Recall Recognize Record Repeat Select State Write
Agree Allow Answer Ask Assist Attempt Choose Communicate Comply Conform Cooperate Demonstrate Describe Discuss Display Exhibit Follow Give Help Identify Locate Notify Obey Offer Participate (in) Practice Present Read Relay Reply Report Respond Select Try
VALUING
Adopt Aid Care (for) Complete Compliment Contribute Delay Encourage Endorse Enforce Evaluate Expedite Foster Guide Initiate Interact Join Justify Maintain Monitor Praise Preserve Propose Query React Respect Seek Share Study Subscribe Suggest Support Thank Uphold
ORGANIZATION
Anticipate Collaborate Confer Consider Consult Coordinate Design Direct Establish Facilitate Follow through Investigate Judge Lead Manage Modify Organize Oversee Plan Qualify Recommend Revise Simplify Specify Submit Synthesize Test Vary Weigh
The affective domain is concerned with changes (growth) in interests, attitudes and values. There are five major classes based on level of involvement.
Part of my problem-based learning in medical education (part of ROJoson OCIL in Medical Education)
Pre-study status: Familiar only of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain. There are also taxonomies of affective and psychomotor domains.
Definition and Meaning of Taxonomy:
Taxonomy is a methodology that involves systematically classifying elements in a defined hierarchical form.
Taxonomy in medical education:
Taxonomy is a set of hierarchical models that is applied to classify educational learning goals or objectives into a certain level of complexityand specificity.
Many models have been developed and implemented to suit the educational settings of schools or educational institutions around the world. Bloom’s taxonomy is a popular one and is just one of them.
Bloom Taxonomy for Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor Domains
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor
Bloom Taxonomy on Cognitive Domain (revised – 2001)
There are six levels: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
REMEMBER
Definition: retrieve, recall, or recognize relevant knowledge from long-term memory
UNDERSTAND
Definition: demonstrate comprehension through one or more forms of explanation
APPLY
Definition: use information or a skill in a new situation
ANALYZE
Definition: break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and/or to an overall structure or purpose
EVALUATE
Definition: make judgments based on criteria and standards
CREATE
Definitions: put elements together to form a new coherent or functional whole; reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure
Source: Anderson, Lorin W., and David R. Krathwohl, eds. 2001. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
In formulating the learning objectives and outcomes, the teachers should specify what levels of cognitive or thinking skills of the students they want to have achieved at the end of the learning session or course of study. For medical students, they should NOT be limited to remembering and understanding but should include higher levels, such as applying, analyzing, evaluating at all times and even creating in some instances and as required by the program educational objectives and program learning outcomes.
In selecting the tools to measure students’ learning and performance on cognitive domain, the teachers should likewise choose those which are appropriate and valid for the level of cognitive or thinking skills spelled out in the session and course learning objectives and learning outcomes, program outcomes, and program educational objectives.
For examples, written tests are the least appropriate tools to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to create something. A project is more appropriate.
Tests on recalling specific facts are not appropriate to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to analyze and evaluate. Tests that are designed to assess or evaluate students’ ability to analyze and evaluate are appropriate.
Bloom Taxonomy on Cognitive Domain
The affective domain focuses on the attitudes, values, interests, and appreciation of learners. The hierarchy associated with it begins with receiving and listening to information, and extends to characterization or internalizing values and acting upon them. It focuses on helping learners understand what their own values are and how they have developed.
The affective domain involves our feelings, emotions, and attitudes, and includes the manner in which we deal with things emotionally (feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasm, motivations, and attitudes).
What are the 5 levels of affective domain examples?
Affective Domain
Receiving
Responding
Valuing
Organization
Characterization
The affective domain contains five levels, from lowest to highest:
Receiving: Willing to listen and receive knowledge.
Responding: Actively participates and engages in knowledge transfer.
Valuing: Finds value and worth in one’s learning with motivation to continue.
Organizing: Integrates and compares values, resolves conflict between these values, and orders them according to priorities.
Characterizing: Creates a value system that controls behavior. The behavior is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and characteristic of the learner.
In formulating the learning objectives and outcomes, the teachers should specify what levels of attitude of the students they want to have achieved at the end of the learning session or course of study. For medical students, they should NOT be limited to receiving and responding but should include higher levels, such as valuing and organizing and even characterizing in some instances and as required by the program educational objectives and program learning outcomes.
In selecting the tools to measure students’ learning and performance on affective domain, the teachers should likewise choose those which are appropriate and valid for the level of attitude spelled out in the session and course learning objectives and learning outcomes, program outcomes, and program educational objectives.
For examples, written tests are the least appropriate tools to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to create something. A project is more appropriate.
Tests on recalling specific facts are not appropriate to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to analyze and evaluate. Tests that are designed to assess or evaluate students’ ability to analyze and evaluate are appropriate.
Bloom Taxonomy on Psychomotor Domain
The psychomotor domain includes physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas. Development of these skills requires practice and is measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution.
In formulating the learning objectives and outcomes, the teachers should specify what levels of psychomotor skills of the students they want to have achieved at the end of the learning session or course of study. For medical students, they should NOT be limited to imitation and manipulation but should include higher levels, such as precision, articulation and even naturalization in some instances and as required by the program educational objectives and program learning outcomes.
In selecting the tools to measure students’ learning and performance on psychomotor domain, the teachers should likewise choose those which are appropriate and valid for the level of psychomotor skills spelled out in the session and course learning objectives and learning outcomes, program outcomes, and program educational objectives.
For examples, written tests are the least appropriate tools to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to create something. A project is more appropriate.
Tests on recalling specific facts are not appropriate to assess or evaluate the ability of the students to analyze and evaluate. Tests that are designed to assess or evaluate students’ ability to analyze and evaluate are appropriate.
Assessment and Evaluation of Medical Students – ROJoson TPORs
TPORs – Thoughts, Perceptions, Opinions and Recommendations
Part of ROJ-OCIL-OLETE on Medical Education
ROJ = ROJoson; OCIL = Online Collaborative and Interactive Learning; OLETE = Online cum Learning Test Exercise
Learning objectives: 1) to know the difference/s between ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION in medical education; 2) given a description of an activity or task, identify whether it is ASSESSMENT or EVALUATION being done; and 3) to know the relationship of tools to measure students’ learning to ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION.
Loosely used, assessment and evaluation may mean or connote the same thing in determining the amount of knowledge; level of performance of skills; and scale of attitude present or acquired by students before and after a study. In such a case, they are oftentimes used interchangeably.
Strictly speaking, however, most educators say assessment and evaluation have different connotations or meanings and should not be used interchangeably. Unfortunately, they are not unanimous in stating the differences. This is the reason for the confusion on the two terms.
I have researched on the issue and I will give my thoughts, perceptions, opinions and recommendations on the differences between assessment and evaluation and in the context of a medical school. That’s why I entitled this manuscript as Assessment and Evaluation of Medical Students – ROJoson TPORs.
In determining the amount of knowledge present or acquired by students before and after a study, also the level of performance of skills and the scale of attitude, both assessment and evaluation CAN and ARE usually used. The main question is what actions constitute ASSESSMENT and what constitute EVALUATION?
The most important thing to know and remember is that the starting point of the difference between assessment and evaluation lies within the intent of use.
If the intent is to make a judgment on the quantity and quality of the students’ learning, then EVALUATION is the right term to use. If the intent is to monitor learning, identify strengths and weaknesses, and provide feedback on areas of improvement, then ASSESSMENT is the right term to use.
To formally define each term, ASSESSMENT is process of gathering information to monitor on students’ learning / performance whereas EVALUATION is the process of analyzing, reflecting upon, and summarizing the assessment information, and then making judgment and/or decision on the quantity and quality of students’ learning / performance. Simply put, ASSESSMENT is diagnostic whereas EVALUATION is judgmental on the quantity and quality of students’ learning / performance.
If both assessment and evaluation are used, assessment comes before evaluation. Assessment is conducted during the learning process whereas evaluation is usually held at the end of the learning process such as at the end of a learning activity; a chapter; a topic; a course of study; or at end of study period such as semester/s, trimester/s, or year/s. Thus, ASSESSMENT is concerned with process or is process-oriented whereas EVALUATION focuses on product or is product-oriented.
Examples are given below for better understanding of the differences between assessment and evaluation in the context of a medical school.
A teacher gave a pretest before the formal learning activity. This pretest is ASSESSMENT. At the end of the learning activity, the teacher gave a posttest. The posttest is EVALUATION.
A teacher wanted to determine the amount of knowledge of the students acquired after a course of study over one semester or trimester. The teacher gave a written test with a predetermined passing score of 75%. What the teacher did was an EVALUATION. Those students who got a grade of 75% or higher passed the course of study whereas those, below 75%, failed. This is part of the evaluation process. There was a judgment and decision done, which students passed and which students failed.
A teacher gave a series of quizzes and tests during the course of a study over one semester or trimester. The quizzes and tests were graded. The teacher should decide whether the series of quizzes and tests would be diagnostic and formative (to monitor learning, identify strengths and weaknesses and provide feedback) or would be part of the final grade in the course. If just diagnostic and formative, then what the teacher did was an ASSESSMENT. A popular specific term for this is FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT to differentiate it from SUMMATIVE ASSESSEMENT (to be expounded below). If the scores will be part of the final grade in the course, what the teacher did was an EVALUATION. Thus, as can be seen in this example, evaluation can be done during or within the course as long as the teacher decides there is to be an accompanying judgment or decision on pass or fail on the tests to be administered.
Note there is a dichotomous term for FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT mentioned above that is commonly used by the educators and which may cause confusion on the differences between ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION (connoting overlap or seemingly can be used interchangeably). The term is SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT and this is synonymous with EVALUATION. Take note this is the only time when this kind of ASSESSMENT (SUMMATIVE) is the same as EVALUATION. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT is defined as a method of evaluation performed at the END of a learning unit or course of study that allows a teacher to measure student’s learning / performance.
On assessment and evaluation of skills of students. A teacher used continuous or intermittent observation with a checklist and rating scales to determine the levels of performance of skills of students. He decided that he would continuously or intermittently give feedback to the students on their levels of performance with scores on the checklist and rating scales being used. Doing so, the teacher is doing an ASSESSMENT (monitoring level of performance, identifying weaknesses and strengths, providing feedback, etc.). If at the end of the course of learning, the teacher decided to give one last act of observation with one final score or grade, then he is now doing an EVALUATION.
On assessment and evaluation of attitude of students. A teacher used continuous or intermittent observation and analysis using a combination of a checklist and rating scales, reflection papers or projects to determine the scale of attitude of the students. At the time that the teacher is asked to give a final judgment on the attitude of the students, usually at the end of the observation period, the score or grade that he will give constitutes an EVALUATION. Before the EVALUATION time, the scores that he was giving during the observation and analysis period constitute an ASSESSMENT. During ASSESSMENT, he was monitoring and providing feedback to the students on their attitude.
The medical school administered a comprehensive examination at the end of the second year and fourth year of medical school. The passing score is 75%. These comprehensive examinations are considered EVALUATION. There were some students who failed, some passed. There was a judgment and decision made on which students could be promoted to the third year and which students would be allowed to graduate.
At the end of the medical study, the medical school administration determined who would pass and who would not be allowed to graduate. The medical school administration determined the ranking of the students and decided which students would be given awards and recognized with honors. All the above actions constitute judgment and therefore, EVALUATION, and NOT ASSESSMENT. However, take note that EVALUATION make use of all ASSESSMENT information from start to end of medical study, to make judgment and decision.
A last word on relationship of tools or procedures in measuring students’ learning to ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION.
TESTS, EXAMINATIONS and QUIZZES are popular terms. Just as there may be confusion and interchangeable usage on ASSSESSMENT and EVALUATION, tests, examinations, and quizzes at times are used also interchangeably with both ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION. Again, there is or are differences among TOOLS OR PROCEDURES IN MEASURING STUDENTS’ LEARNING (which are exemplified by TESTS, EXAMS, QUIZZES), ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION.
Tools or procedures in measuring students’ learning are not limited to tests, exams and quizzes. By the way, quizzes connote smaller or shorter tests and exams. Tests and exams can be synonymous but examination is a more formal term.
Basically, there are at least three categories of tools or procedures in measuring students’ learning. These are: 1) Tests; 2) Observation; 3) Projects. There could be more categories.
Examples of common TESTS being done are written tests (paper-pencil or digital / online) and oral exams (face-to-face or tele /online).
Examples of common procedures being done under OBSERVATION are the practical exams; the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and observation of performance skills and attitude using checklists and rating scales.
Examples of PROJECTS being done to measure students’ learning are case study and discussion; management of actual problem-solving situations; research projects; and learning and reflection portfolios; etc.
Statements or policies describing the relationship of tools or procedures in measuring students’ learning to ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION are the following:
The tools or procedures for measuring students’ learning are not always for ASSESSMENT nor for EVALUATION. They can be used in both ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION.
The objective of the tools or procedures has just has to be spelled out whether they will diagnostic and formative or judgmental and summative.
Interns or intern doctors are either prospective doctors in their last year of basic medical education (as in those in a 7-year medical curriculum such as in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine) or graduate doctors of a basic medical education who are engaged in another year of additional year of clinical training before they are eligible to take the Philippine Board of Medicine Exam or Physician Licensure Examination.
Internship is the period of training (usually one year) interns or intern doctors undertake to become eligible for the Physician Licensure Examination in the Philippines.
Residency or residents or resident doctors
Residents or resident doctors are medical doctors in training. They have graduated from medical school, been awarded an M.D. degree, and now are training to be a particular type of doctor — such as a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, or a type of surgeon.
Residency is the period of training resident doctors undertake to become a particular type of doctor, such as a pediatrician or a surgeon (specialists after completing the basic medical education).
Fellowship or fellows or fellow doctors
Fellows or fellow doctors are medical doctors in training who have completed their residency and elected to do additional training in a specific subject area (subspecialty of a specialty completed in residency).
Fellowship is the period of training fellow doctors undertake to become subspecialists in the specialties completed in residency.
Medical education – art and science of medical teaching and learning.
Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., residency, fellowship, and continuing medical education).
Note: Common connotation of medical education is basic medical education. It should go beyond to postgraduate medical education (residency and fellowship) and continuing professional development.
Side notes:
Residency or residents or resident doctors
Residents or resident doctors are medical doctors in training. They have graduated from medical school, been awarded an M.D. degree, and now are training to be a particular type of doctor — such as a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, or a type of surgeon.
Residency is the period of training resident doctors undertake to become a particular type of doctor, such as a pediatrician or a surgeon (specialists after completing the basic medical education).
Fellowship or fellows or fellow doctors
Fellows or fellow doctors are medical doctors in training who have completed their residency and elected to do additional training in a specific subject area (subspecialty of a specialty completed in residency).
Fellowship is the period of training fellow doctors undertake to become subspecialists in the specialties completed in residency.
Evaluation, assessment, and testing are three terms that are commonly used interchangeably in medical education and other fields of education. These three terms are commonly and loosely used to denote a determination of degree of learning achieved by the students after a teaching-learning session, several sessions or after a course of study. Commonly heard are these statements: “let’s evaluate the students’ learning”; “let’s assess the students’ learning;” and “let’s test the students’ learning.”
Most educators would say that there are the differences among the three terms. However, there are no universal agreement from these educators on the differences. Some would say that there exist similarities among the three terms despite the presence of the differences.
I will try to summarize the differences as well as similarities cited by most educators based on what I have read and from my experience as a medical educator.
The verb evaluate means to form an idea of something or to give a judgment about something. According to Weiss (1972), evaluation refers to the systematic gathering of information for the purpose of making decisions. It is not concerned with the assessment of the performance of the students per se but rather with forming an idea of the program or the system of determining the learning outcomes of the students and making a judgment about it. This judgment is made based on some kind of criteria and evidence. The purpose is to make decisions about the worth of the program or system of determining the learning outcomes of the students which may extend to the instructions, courses, or even the whole curriculum. Evaluation is thus larger and may include an analysis of all the aspects of the educational system.
EVALUATION often collocates with terms such as:
the effectiveness of an educational system
a program
a course
instruction
a curriculum
ASSESSMENT
Assessment is the process of collecting information about students from diverse sources so that educators can form an idea of what they know and can do with this knowledge. While evaluation is concerned with making judgments about program or the system of determining the learning outcomes of the students, assessment is concerned with the students’ performance itself. In other words, one assesses an individual but evaluates a program.
Assessment occurs when judgments are made about a learner’s performance, and entails gathering and organizing information about learners in order to make decisions and judgments about their learning.
ASSESSMENT often collocates with terms such as:
skills
abilities
performance
aptitude
competence
Assessment is thus the process of collecting information about learners using different methods or tools (e.g. tests, quizzes, portfolios, etc).
Educators assess their students for a variety of purposes:
To evaluate learners’ educational needs
To diagnose students’ academic readiness
To measure their progress in a course
To measure skill acquisition
There are different types of assessment:
Formative assessment: It is process-oriented and is also referred to as an ‘assessment for learning.’ It is an ongoing process to monitor learning, the aim of which is to provide feedback to improve teachers’ instruction methods and improve students’ learning.
Summative assessment: It is product-oriented and is often referred to as an ‘assessment of learning.’ It measures student learning progress and achievement at the end of a specific instructional period.
Alternative assessment: It is also referred to as authentic or performance assessment. It is an alternative to traditional assessment that relies only on standardized tests and exams. It requires students to do tasks such as presentations, case studies, portfolios, simulations, reports, etc. Instead of measuring what students know, the alternative assessment focuses on what students can do with this knowledge.
TESTINGOR TEST
TESTING or TEST refers to a tool, technique, or method that is intended to measure students’ knowledge or their ability to complete a particular task. In this sense, testing can be considered as a form of assessment. Tests should meet some basic requirements, such as validity and reliability.
Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
Reliability refers to the consistency of test scores when administered on different occasions.
TESTING or TEST often collocates with terms such as:
Examination
Select types of tests (multiple choice, true or false, matching, etc.)
Assess and evaluate are words closely enough related to be used in defining each other. However, there are differences in educational assessment and evaluation processes. When assessing students, instructors gather, summarize, and interpret data to determine which strategies to implement to further enhance the learning experience. They assess students’ readiness to learn, preferred learning styles, past experiences with content and barriers to learning. Assessment sources may be both subjective (self-assessment checklist) and objective (pretest). Assessment may be structured (interview) or informal (questions during lecture).
Through assessment, the instructor understands the cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning needs of the student in order to determine the next educational steps. When evaluating students, instructors gather, summarize, and interpret data to determine the student’s mastery of content and the effectiveness of the teaching strategies. They evaluate students’ understanding of new concepts, ability to perform certain skills and the evolution of values. As a formal process, evaluation occurs at preset time intervals throughout the course and curriculum. Evaluation criteria are set and agreed upon by all instructors before implementing educational activities. Students must know in advance when to expect evaluation and what criteria will be evaluated.
Through evaluation the instructor determines the effectiveness of the educational activities. The process of evaluation provides the instructor with valuable information to guide feedback to the student. The difference between assessment and evaluation lies within the intent of use. Choose assessment when you wish to determine educational strategies. Use evaluation when you want to understand your students’ performance so you can shape knowledge, belief and behavior.
ASSESSMENT is the determination of degree of learning or level of competencies achieved by the students after implementation of formal teaching-learning activities facilitated by a faculty or several faculty guided by prescribed learning objectives and outcomes.
EVALUATION is the determination of the quality of the management system in the assessment of students particularly in terms of the policies and procedures inand continual improvement.
TESTING (the other term is EXAMINATION) is a tool, technique, or method that is intended to measure students’ knowledge or their ability to complete a particular task. the tool, technique or method is called the TEST. Thus, tests measure students’ performance on a given learning activity (one specific activity or a comprehensive cumulative activity).
TESTING can be considered as one form of assessment and refers to procedures used to measure a learners’ learning at a specific point in time and often involves collecting information in numerical form.
Assessment covers a broader range of procedures than testing and includes both formal and informal measures.
Tests should meet some basic requirements, such as validity and reliability.
Testing is an event; assessment is a process.
Common forms of tests are multiple choice questions and essay examinations. In English classes, teachers also need to assess their students’ learning to determine the effectiveness of their teaching and of the materials they use. Assessment refers to any of the procedures teachers use to do this, which may include interviews, observations, administering questionnaires and reviewing students’ work.
A test or quiz is used to examine someone’s knowledge of something to determine what he or she knows or has learned. Testing measures the level of skill or knowledge that has been reached.
Evaluation is the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence.
Assessment is the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs, usually in measurable terms. The goal of assessment is to make improvements, as opposed to simply being judged. In an educational context, assessment is the process of describing, collecting, recording, scoring, and interpreting information about learning.
When Are They Done?
Typically tests are done at the end of a unit, at the end of a semester or at the end of a year. Yearly and bi-yearly tests are done in public schools to ensure that all students around the country are learning the same information at the same rate. Assessments, on the other hand, can be done at any time. Teachers do assessments after a lesson, after they teach a specific skill or at the same time tests are done.
Different Formats
Assessments and tests have different formats. Tests usually follow a general format, where questions are asked and students answer them. They might be essay questions, multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, or true-and-false questions, but the overall format is the same. Assessments can have different formats. They might require a student to answer questions. Or, an assessment might be a teacher talking to a student about what they know. Another assessment could be a teacher’s observation of a student working or talking about a subject. Assessments might also be graded assignments, presentations or classwork that helps a teacher get an idea of what a student knows and doesn’t know.
Show Different Results
Assessment and testing also show different results. Testing might show the student’s ability to memorize facts and figures, instead of a true understanding of those facts and figures. However, an assessment done informally in the classroom might show that a student actually understands facts and figures, or a specific process. Often, students who do not score well on formal tests might still understand what they are being tested on, but might have test anxiety. A good teacher will use both assessments and tests so she can know whether a student has failed a test because he isn’t a good test taker, or whether he really doesn’t understand the material.
Assessment is to test the value of something using various tools. Testing is when something is put through a series of trials to determine its value.
It’s essential here to mark the difference between assessments and tests. An assessment is not a test; however, a test is an assessment.
Testing is actually one of the ways to assess something.
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