Research Fellow talks about her experience working at the Medical Council of Canada
Last September, the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) welcomed its first Post-doctorate Fellow, Dr. Christina St-Onge. Dr. St-Onge obtained her Ph.D. in 2007 in administration and evaluation in education with a specialization in measurement and evaluation from the Faculty of Education at Université Laval. She has worked with the Educational Research and Development Unit of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) where she developed an interest in medical education while working with examination committees on the development and analysis of their certifying examinations.
The purpose of the MCC fellowship is to provide new graduates with practical experience before they establish themselves in a permanent career. Dr. Timothy Wood, Manager of the Research and Development Directorate in which Dr. St-Onge worked during her fellowship, elaborates, “the immediate goal of the post-doctoral fellowship is to provide a recent Ph.D. with the chance to learn about assessment in a high-stakes examination setting.” While working as a Post-doctorate Fellow at the MCC, Dr. St-Onge has been exposed to a wide range of testing and measurement activities related to the field of assessment. For example, she attended several MCC test committee meetings to learn about creating examination questions, standard setting, and quality assurance measures. She collaborated with research teams that investigated the development of new testing formats, the application of generalizability theory to analyze an examination, and the application of different equating protocols for an examination. This experience has enabled her to learn the entire examination process including design, development, administration, and evaluation. The most memorable and interesting aspect of the fellowship for Dr. St-Onge has been, “the opportunity to work with and learn from respected leaders in the medical field on a day-to-day basis.”
The fellowship is offered to candidates with a recent Ph.D. in measurement or a related field and with an interest in medical education, particularly measurement and assessment. For Dr. St-Onge, the fellowship has provided “a transition towards a career in medical education research in an academic setting”, and she believes that people aspiring to the same type of career can benefit greatly from the MCC fellowship position.
Dr. St-Onge offers this advice to future Fellows: “Know your goals and do some homework. Learn about the MCC beforehand and identify what you want to take from the position. Recognize it as a learning experience and take advantage of the opportunity”. The program has proven to be a success as it helps develop and shape the future leaders in medical education. The MCC will be offering further fellowship opportunities in September 2008. To learn more, please visit the job posting for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program or contact the Research and Development Directorate of the Medical Council of Canada (grants@mcc.ca.)
