COMPASS

Following recommendations made by the Clinical Assessment Workgroup after over two years of work, the University of Washington School of Medicine will be transitioning to a competency-based medical education (CBME) model, including pass/fail grading for required Patient Care core clerkships, beginning in Spring 2026. The new Competency Mapping and Programmatic Assessment System (COMPASS) framework aims to address concerns about inequities within the current tiered grading system and to better align educational practices with patient needs and competencies in ongoing medical education. Look for the compass icon to identify changes associated with this new program of assessment:

In preparation for this significant shift, we will be piloting workplace-based assessments (WBAs) during the 2025-2026 academic year. This pilot will focus on required Patient Care core clerkships and will help us understand how WBAs can be effectively integrated into our current curriculum. Input and collaboration from faculty, students, and staff will be invaluable as we refine our approach ahead of the full implementation.

WBA Pilot

WBAs are brief, formative assessments completed by a preceptor after a clinical encounter that rate a student’s performance and provide feedback for that specific encounter. Many clerkships already provide feedback similar to WBAs that are not currently recorded or systematically tracked, making it difficult to gauge students’ progress toward achieving competency in each of the School’s 32 medical education program objectives (MEPOs).

The Toolkit for Students is designed to support students throughout the Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) Pilot and will be updated regularly.

  • WBA Pilot One-Sheet: A concise overview to help you understand the key components of the WBA Pilot.
  • WBA Pilot Slide: A PowerPoint slide that highlights key details about the pilot year, including specific requirements and the grading bonus structure.
  • WBA Pilot Infographic: A visual guide that that highlights key details about the pilot year, including specific requirements and the grading bonus structure.
  • WBA Checklist: A printable (8.5 x 11) step-by-step checklist to ensure you’re completing all necessary tasks.
  • WBA Guide for Students: A detailed guide that walks you through each step of collecting WBAs.
  • Qualtrics User Guide: A job aid for submitting WBA forms in Qualtrics.
  • WBA Video Walkthrough: A video that highlights key aspects of changes and provides guidance on how to complete a WBA.
  • Prepare to ADAPT: GME resources related to the ADAPT framework for asking for, receiving, and providing feedback in the clinical learning environment.

The Toolkit for Clerkships is designed to support faculty and staff throughout the Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) Pilot and will be updated regularly.

  • WBA Pilot One-Sheet: A concise overview to help you understand the key components of the WBA Pilot.
  • WBA Pilot Slide: A PowerPoint slide that highlights key details about the pilot year, including specific requirements and the grading bonus structure.
  • WBA Pilot Infographic: A visual guide that that highlights key details about the pilot year, including specific requirements and the grading bonus structure.
  • WBA Checklist: A printable (8.5 x 11) step-by-step checklist to ensure you’re completing all necessary tasks.
  • WBA Guide for Preceptors: A detailed guide for preceptors that outlines your responsibilities at each stage of collecting WBAs.
  • Qualtrics User Guide: A job aid for submitting WBA forms in Qualtrics.
  • WBA Video Walkthrough: A video that highlights key aspects of changes and provides guidance on how to complete a WBA.
  • Prepare to ADAPT: GME resources related to the ADAPT framework for asking for, receiving, and providing feedback in the clinical learning environment.

We want to hear from you!

Your engagement is critical in helping the school transition successfully to this new educational framework. Click here or scan the QR code below to share your experiences and suggestions. Complete the survey anonymously or provide your contact information if you would like the team to follow up on your response.

WBA Requirements

Beginning in Spring 2025, all students enrolled in the six required Patient Care core clerkships (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Surgery, and Pediatrics), including WRITE clerkships, will be required to complete additional WBA requirements. Students will need to submit WBAs for the following six required activities:

  1. Gather a history
  2. Perform a physical examination
  3. Prioritize a differential diagnosis following a clinical encounter
  4. Recommend appropriate diagnostic and screening tests
  5. Interpret common diagnostic and screening tests
  6. Provide an oral presentation of a clinical encounter

For 3-week and 6-week clerkships: Students will need to complete at least two WBAs per week and at least one assessment for each of the six required activities over the course of the clerkship.

For 12-week clerkships: Students will need to complete at least two WBAs per week and at least two assessments for each of the six required activities over the course of the clerkship.

Grading Bonus

Completion of new WBA requirements will add a bonus of up to 2% to the final clinical grade in all required Patient Care core clerkships, not to exceed 100%. Students will receive credit for all submitted assessments as a proportion of the total number/type of WBAs required, as follows:

  • For each WBA submitted (up to a maximum of 2/week), students will earn 1/6 of 1% for 3-week clerkships, 1/12 of 1% for 6-week clerkships, or 1/24 of 1% for 12-week clerkships.
  • For each activity submitted, students will earn 1/6 of 1% for 3-week and 6-week clerkships (up to a maximum of 1/activity) or 1/12 of 1% for 12-week clerkships (up to a maximum of 2/activity).

UPDATE: A few students on their OB/Gyn and Surgery clerkships have reached out with important feedback about their ability to complete WBAs in the operating room setting. In consultation with the clerkship directors for Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynecology, a new activity – Prepare effectively for operative cases – is now available for students taking these two clerkships to allow them to meet the 2 WBAs/week requirement. To submit a WBA for this new activity:

  1. Select OB/Gyn or Surgery. The new activity is only available for these two clerkships.
  2. Select Operating Room as the site of care.
  3. Complete the remainder of the WBA as usual.

Completion of this new activity will count towards the 2 WBAs/week portion of the grade bonus, but will not count toward the required activities portion. Students will still need to complete at least one assessment for each of the six required activities over the course of the Ob/Gyn and General Surgery clerkships to receive credit for that portion of the grade bonus.

Completing WBAs

To complete a WBA, a student requests to be assessed on one of the six required activities for a clinical encounter. During the activity, the preceptor observes the student’s actions, decisions, and interactions. Afterward, the student reflects on their performance and discusses it with the preceptor, who provides feedback and helps set measurable goals for development.

Preceptors will be asked to provide brief feedback (1-2 sentences) on what the student did well and what they can do to improve. They will also provide a rating for the encounter utilizing the following entrustment scale:

  1. “I stepped in and did it, they observed”
  2. “I talked them through it”
  3. “They mostly did it, I directed them from time to time”
  4. “I was available just in case and I checked their work”

Watch the video below to learn more about WBAs, including guidance on how to complete a WBA. Practice submitting a sample WBA form as you watch to familiarize yourself with the process.

How to Submit

During the pilot year, UWSOM will be utilizing Qualtrics to collect WBA data with the following functionality:

  • The assessment form, accessible through the student’s unique link or QR code, can be completed by either the student or the preceptor.
  • Both the student and preceptor will receive a copy of the assessment after it is submitted.
  • Preceptors will be prompted to review submitted assessments for accuracy and can make changes, if needed. Preceptors can also report assessments submitted in error.
  • Students can track their progress toward achieving WBA requirements and review feedback on their dashboard.
  • Clerkships can access WBA completion data for students currently rotating in their department to track students’ progress and determine final grades. Clerkships will not have access to students’ WBA data from other departments or to the content of WBA forms.

FAQs

WBAs are brief, formative assessments completed by a preceptor after a clinical encounter that rate a student’s performance and provide feedback for that specific encounter. Some examples of WBAs include:

• Entrustable professional activities (EPAs)
• Mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX)
• Direct observation of procedural skill (DOPS)
• Clinical encounter card (CEC)
• Acute case assessment tool (ACAT)
• Consultation observation tool (COT)
• Observed history & physical (H&P)
• Case-based discussions (e.g., Aquifer cases)
• Direct observation, assessment, and feedback

In practice, a WBA might involve tasks such as conducting a patient interview, performing a physical examination, or managing a specific clinical procedure. For example, a student might be assessed on their ability to conduct a thorough history and physical exam on a patient. The preceptor would observe the student during this process, assessing their communication skills, clinical reasoning, and professionalism. If the student meets the established criteria, the preceptor would then “entrust” them to perform this activity with less supervision in future clinical settings, thereby confirming their competence in that area.

During Transition to Clerkships, you will receive an initial email from the UWSOM COMPASS Team (somdata@uw.edu) with your unique Qualtrics link. You will receive a second email from the UWSOM COMPASS Team (somdata@uw.edu) 1-2 business days after your receive the initial email with a easy-to-remember short link and QR code.

Students not attending Transition to Clerkships will receive an email containing their unique Qualtrics link at least 4 weeks prior to their first Patient Care rotation start date.

The short link and QR code are also available at any time on your Student Performance Dashboard.

If you cannot locate the email containing your unique link and/or the short link and QR code do not appear on your Student Performance Dashboard, email somdata@uw.edu.

Email somdata@uw.edu with a screenshot of the error you are receiving. Please include whether the error is associated with your QR code or with your short link.

Beginning Spring 2025, new WBA requirements will only be required in the six required Patient Care core clerkships (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Surgery, and Pediatrics), including WRITE clerkships.

The Student Performance Dashboard will update by April 14th to include the WBA tracking data. If you are concerned about meeting the requirement, you may email somdata@uw.edu for a confirmation of received submissions.

You will receive credit for all submitted assessments as a proportion of the total number/type of WBAs required.

1% of the bonus is for submitting the correct number of WBAs. For each WBA submitted (up to a maximum of up to 2/week) students will earn 1/6 of 1% for 3-week clerkships, 1/12 of 1% for 6-week clerkships, or 1/24 of 1% for 12-week clerkships.

The other 1% of the bonus is for submitting across all required activities. For each activity submitted, students will earn 1/6 of 1% for 3-week and 6-week clerkships (up to a maximum of 1/activity) or 1/12 of 1% for 12-week clerkships (up to a maximum of 2/activity).

Example: You complete 2 WBAs/week every week of a 6-week clerkship and obtain at least one assessment for 4 of the 6 required activities. You will receive a 1.67% (1/12 * 12 + 1/6 * 4) bonus to your clinical grade in that clerkship, not to exceed 100%.

Example: You complete 2 WBAs/week for 3 weeks of a 6-week clerkship and 1 WBA/week for the other 3 weeks and obtain at least one assessment for 5 of the 6 required activities. You will receive a 1.58% (1/12 * 9 + 1/6 * 5) bonus to your clinical grade in that clerkship, not to exceed 100%.

If you are having difficulty finding opportunities to be assessed for a particular activity or finding preceptors willing to assess you, please contact the Clerkship Director.

WBAs are most effective when focused around a single activity, and WBA requirements have been designed with this in mind. Before requesting multiple WBAs, talk to your preceptor about whether they feel the activities can be adequately assessed in a single encounter.

If you are having difficulty finding opportunities to be assessed for a particular activity or finding preceptors willing to assess you, please contact the Clerkship Director.

Forward the confirmation email you received from somdata@uw.edu. The UWSOM COMPASS Team will send your preceptor an email with the link to confirm submission.

During the pilot year, you will receive credit toward the WBA requirement regardless of whether a preceptor confirms the assessment.

If you are having difficulty getting an assessment confirmed by a preceptor who assessed you, please contact the Clerkship Director.

WBAs are intended as opportunities for formative assessment. However, preceptors will receive copies of WBAs they submit and may reference them when providing comments to the Clerkship Director about your performance.

More information about CBME, the Clinical Assessment Workgroup, and changes coming to UWSOM in Spring 2026 can be found on the Clinical Assessment Workgroup page. To sign up for notifications about the Clinical Assessment Workgroup, email Mary Sargent.

 

Additional Resources

Still have questions? Email somdata@uw.edu.