INCREASING THE ACCURACY OF OBSERVER RATINGS BY ENHANCING COGNITIVE PROCESSING SKILLS

Ratings based on direct observation best extrapolate how the pharmacy student will perform in the actual practice setting and therefore, are a critical element in the overall assessment process. However, a revi ew of the literature reveals observation-based ratings often suffer fr om poor rater accuracy and do not always measure how the student will perform in a variety of clinical situations. Teaching raters how to av oid the common rating errors and properly use a rating form have not r esolved rater inaccuracy. This paper recommends giving attention to ra ters' cognitive processing skills and emphasizing the importance of fr equent observations. The Cognitive Processing Model described in this paper can make experiential instructors more aware of how they acquire , store, recall, and integrate information into ratings. Pharmacy scho ols are encouraged to provide their experiential faculty with a rater training program that emphasizes this model.