Touchstone Institute Annual Report 2014/2015

2014/2015's Message from the CEO:

As competency evaluation experts, we are experienced in designing and implementing assessments for other professionals. When it comes to our own work, we rely on solid frameworks to provide the structure needed to guide our activities and assess our achievement.

This year, our annual report highlights the methodologies and processes that we continually develop and employ in each of our individual programs. Our departments – Assessment, Education, Communication Competency and Standardized Patients – are interdependent and united by these processes. Whether designing an educational curriculum or a highstakes assessment, clear organizing principles are essential, as they are embodied in every facet of our work.

In the past year, we have been applying frameworks throughout our programs: the CanMEDS framework is the foundation for our physician education programs, which have gone through considerable review and expansion; competency blueprints provide the frames for designing assessments for optometry, nursing and dietetics; and communication competency is assessed against established language benchmarks. All our exams and education programs are administered according to standardized protocols designed to support candidates and ensure the long-term reliability, validity and effective delivery of our services.

While these organizing structures guide our work, they alone do not provide assurance or guarantee exceptional results. The essential ingredient is implementation by a highly motivated, dedicated and extremely nice team of skilled professionals.

The theme, “Frameworks for Assurance,” is timely and apt. We have had a productive year, not only in what has been delivered, but also in how we have grown and re-structured as an organization. We are more integrated with each other, clearer on our processes and better at what we do.

I am privileged and proud to lead this team.