Platinum Planner aims to provide a seamless experience in tracking student skills through two primary categories: formative and competency skills.
- Formative Skills: These are the foundational skills that students develop through practice and instruction. They require direct supervision and feedback by the instructor or preceptor while performing the skill.
- Competency Skills: These skills enhance and build upon the foundational skills. They can be performed with little or no input or correction by the instructor or preceptor while performing the skill.
For best practice to avoid errors in documentation, we recommend:
- Approving student documentation regularly
- Frequent reviews of student progress to mitigate any errors in documentation early
- Schedule a Planner Review session, and a trainer can help propose solutions if you’re experiencing issues or frustrations.
Sequencing Options:
When a course is created, the administrator can choose the desired level of sequencing, which affects how students move from formative skills to competency skills. We offer three levels of sequencing and an additional sequencing option, Max Value.
Do Not Enforce Sequencing: Students may document any skill as formative or competency at any point during the course.
- Pros: This allows for the greatest flexibility when documenting.
- Cons: Students may continue to document skills as formative even after they are ready to begin documenting competency or may document them as competency before completing the minimum formative skills and/or mastering the skill.
Require Prerequisites Before Capstone: This option ensures the Capstone Prerequisites (simulation requirements) are completed before Capstone documentation begins.
- Pros: This option ensures the required simulations are completed before the student moves on to the Capstone Field Internship, which is required for accredited paramedic courses.
- Cons: Same as “Do Not Enforce Sequencing”: This option allows students to document any formative or competency skill at any point during the course.
Require Prerequisites Before Capstone and Formative Before Competency: This is the highest level of sequencing. All prerequisites (simulations) must be completed before Capstone documentation can begin, and all formative skill minimums must be met before competency documentation can begin.
- Pros: This option ensures a structured progression requiring 1) lab skills be completed before simulation or clinical skills can be documented, 2) all formative minimums have been met before allowing documentation of competency skills, and 3) the Capstone Prerequisites (simulations) are completed before Capstone documentation.
- Cons: This option may cause student frustration if documentation is not approved on time, which will result in students being unable to continue with their documentation.
Require Prerequisites Before Capstone and Formative Before Competency AND use the Max Value option: The Max Value option is often used for the formative minimums. Once the minimum number of formative skills is achieved, the formative option will lock, and the student can then only document competency.
- Pros: The rules for student documentation are rigid. Students must document lab before simulation or clinical, all formative before competency, and all Capstone Prerequisites before Capstone.
- Cons: Once the Max Value has been met, the student can no longer document that skill. This will force the student to document only competency, even if they are not yet competent.