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Introduction: Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is used globally in obstetrics to conduct real time bedside ultrasound scans to answer a clinical question, and it may be conducted by a non-sonography healthcare practitioner. The College of Midwives of Ontario expanded the scope of practice in 2018 to allow registered midwives to perform POCUS during clinical assessments. In response, a POCUS training curriculum for practicing midwives was developed. This paper reports on the perceptions of learners about the impact of this training on their clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand learner perceptions. Data collection included surveys at four time points over a year, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and qualitative analyses used a constructivist approach to grounded theory. Results: The frequency of POCUS use within antenatal care increased among learners, with common applications including assessment of fetal presentation and confirmation of viability. POCUS was seen to holistically aid practitioners care by providing additional skills and knowledge to improve care quality and access to care, particularly for remote areas where ultrasounds are not easily available. However, participants articulated a need for clearer regulatory guidelines outlining how this technology should be applied in midwifery. Equipment purchasing and maintaining costs were a barrier for many midwives. Conclusions: Participants who had access to a device are continuing to use sonography within their clinics to provide comprehensive midwifery care informed by real-time ultrasound assessments. POCUS scans were seen to offer many benefits to improve patient care.
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INTRODUCTION: Competency-based medical education (CBME) led to the widespread adoption of workplace-based assessment (WBA) with the promise of achieving assessment for learning. Despite this, studies have illustrated tensions between the summative and formative role of WBA which undermine learning goals. Models of workplace-based learning (WBL) provide insight, however, these models excluded WBA. This scoping review synthesizes the primary literature addressing the role of WBA to guide learning in postgraduate medical education, with the goal of identifying gaps to address in future studies. METHODS: The search was applied to OVID Medline, Web of Science, ERIC and CINAHL databases, articles up to September 2020 were included. Titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers, followed by a full text review. Two members independently extracted and analysed quantitative and qualitative data using a descriptive-analytic technique rooted in Billett's four premises of WBL. Themes were synthesized and discussed until consensus. RESULTS: All 33 papers focused on the perception of learning through WBA. The majority applied qualitative methodology (70%), and 12 studies (36%) made explicit reference to theory. Aligning with Billett's first premise, results reinforce that learning always occurs in the workplace. WBA helped guide learning goals and enhanced feedback frequency and specificity. Billett's remaining premises provided an important lens to understand how tensions that existed in WBL have been exacerbated with frequent WBA. As individuals engage in both work and WBA, they are slowly transforming the workplace. Culture and context frame individual experiences and the perceived authenticity of WBA. Finally, individuals will have different goals, and learn different things, from the same experience. CONCLUSION: Analysing WBA literature through the lens of WBL theory allows us to reframe previously described tensions. We propose that future studies attend to learning theory, and demonstrate alignment with philosophical position, to advance our understanding of assessment-for-learning in the workplace.
