WBAs in orthodontic postgraduate education: Why and how?

WBA is not a new concept; rather it is rooted in the master-apprentice model which has been around for centuries where an apprentice performed a task until deemed competent by the master. ¹ WBAs are not the panacea we are looking for either,18 but several characteristics of WBA make it particularly appealing for assessing trainee's performance:1 fairness (ensuring that it tests what is taught through alignment with the course/examination syllabus); charting of competence development (accumulation of data over a 3-year training increases validity); use of several assessment methods and assessors reduces bias and allows development of an accurate picture of a trainee;26 assesses total professional practice including key clinical skills but also crucially important generic skills, e.g. communication/ cross-infection control; provides data for summative and formative assessment; the latter afforded immediately via feedback and can be very useful for trainee development.11 In postgraduate orthodontic education, WBA would appear to offer some advantages to compliment the assessments that already exist.18 Postgraduate orthodontic training programme directors, outside of the UK, should be cognisant of these new developments in WBA. They should recognize their potential and the challenges posed, specifically with regard to time and training, if considering implementation in their own programmes; convergence, however, rather than divergence, of training methods and assessments, is to be encouraged.