Assessor grades and comments: private thoughts and public judgements

Abstract

Assessment of medical trainees’ performance in the workplace aims to provide them with accurate and meaningful information and guidance on their learning and developing competence. However, in practice, such goals aren’t always achieved. Sometimes assessors find it difficult to deliver clear and consistent assessment messages to a trainee, especially when the information or judgement they have to give is negative. While this can occur for many reasons, including disagreement with or uncertainty about assessment processes, the MUM effect — the widespread human tendency to keep mum about undesirable messages — may also have relevance for the situation. With reference to this framework, thi..