IACC assessor briefing webinar

All trainees are required to present a valid item of photographic I.D., we suggest a passport or driving licence. An NHS Photo-I.D. card is acceptable if no other form of identification is available.

The trainees must also confirm that that they are aware of the IACC Examination Regulations on the School website (a link has been provided to them), are alone, and do not have access to any additional materials or access to any additional electronic devices.

The trainees have been informed of the pre-assessment checks. All the requirements have been detailed during the Trainee briefing and via the School website. A recording of the briefing has been uploaded and made accessible for anyone who was not able to attend the live event

All trainees have been instructed to bring the ID with them to their interview and to contact the School in advance of the interview if they have any concerns.

As part of the trainee feedback a tick box confirming I.D. was checked by the panel, should be completed.

As part of the Lead Assessor script issued by the School, a check list will be provided to ensure all criteria are completed prior to interview.

The School have allocated 10 minutes per trainee for the pre-assessment check. This is considered a generous amount of time and enables the panel to contact their support person within the School should any concerns arise. The additional time has been included in the trainee and assessor schedules.

An acceptable dress code is considered that of a professional work environment, or attire in line with a regulatory work environment.

The Lead Assessor will be responsible for timing the interview. They must state the start time, so all present are aware and inform the panel when the time has concluded.

Trainees have been instructed not to arrive early to their interview, otherwise they may jeopardise the conduct of their own interview. The timing of the interviews means it is very unlikely a panel will still have a trainee with them, but may still be discussing feedback as the next assessment begins. As a panel, we ask they are conscious of the arrival time of their next candidate during their post panel discussion.

A team of professional, trained support staff will be available at all times. One member of support staff will be allocated to two panels each day and you will be informed at the morning briefing of who you have been allocated to and how to contact them throughout the day. A team of Senior School staff will also be available throughout the day should any matters require escalation for resolution.

A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel will be opened for each panel to gain instant access to their support staff. An emergency contact number and email address will also be available in order to contact Senior School staff.

As the National School of Healthcare Science has now fully merged with NHS England, our systems allow automatic access to Microsoft Teams events to anyone who has an NHS email address. We are unable to allocate people to lobbies and have tried to mitigate the access issue by scheduling interviews in a way that minimises the chance of a trainee arriving at an incorrect time.

An examiner briefing will be held every morning of the IACC. All assessors will be briefed on the day’s activities and made aware of any issues from the previous day that they need to be aware of. Reasonable adjustments will be covered in detail, where appropriate, with panels during this time.

Any suspicion that a trainee may be cheating should be recorded using the existing incident report process. These are reviewed prior to the Exam Board and can be discussed at the Exam Board if needed. Where an incident report can clearly demonstrate evidence of some form of cheating, the School can use its ‘Training and Assessment Misconduct Policy’. This policy does require that evidence of misconduct is provided, therefore the assessor panel would need to evidence their concerns.

Reasonable Adjustments have been applied where necessary and details of how the adjustment(s) affect the IACC will be communicated directly to the panel. Adjustments do vary but are typically either additional time across the assessment, rest breaks, or the ability to take notes during the assessment. Where reasonable adjustments are required the IACC will usually be scheduled at the end of the day to enable the extended time.