Amy Price
School of Medicine
The Assessment of Post-Graduate Medical Professionalism using the MSRA : A Critical Appraisal
The Multi-Speciality Recruitment Assessment ( MSRA ) is a recruitment tool utilised by numerous post-graduate medical speciality training programmes in the United Kingdom . Eight training programmes used the MSRA as part of their 2020 recruitment cycle , including General Practice training . Candidates MSRA scores were used in a variety of ways by different specialities , from shortlisting candidates for interview to offering direct employment onto the training programme . The assessment is comprised of a clinical problem-solving paper , testing medical knowledge at the level expected of a foundation programme doctor , and a professional dilemma paper which aims to assess professional attributes using a situational judgement test ( SJT ). Here , three components of the Van Der Vleuten utility formula have been used to appraise the use of the MSRA in assessing medical professionalism . Evidence shows that the MSRA is an objective measure of professional attributes and is widely accepted amongst candidates . In addition , questions are linked to the General Medical Councils definitions of professionalism . Further research is required to gain insight into whether MSRA results predict trainee performance . Females consistently perform higher on SJTs , and therefore further research to understand this bias is required to improve the validity of the MSRA in assessing medical professionalism .
Postgraduate Conference 2020 Page 33