Develop the knowledge, judgement and assessment skills needed to complete workplace competency assessments following epilepsy, seizure first aid and buccal midazolam training. This course is designed for experienced healthcare, social care and education professionals who have responsibility for determining whether staff can safely apply their learning in practice.
The programme supports assessors to use structured ESNA and IBME competency assessment tools to observe practice, question staff, review evidence, provide constructive feedback and make safe, evidence-based competency decisions.
This is a Competency Assessor Course, not a Train the Trainer Course. Successful completion of this programme enables suitable participants to undertake workplace competency reviews and assessments within the scope agreed by their organisation.
If you need to teach and assess epilepsy and buccal midazolam training, you should instead complete our Level 4 Award in Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Instructor – Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Train the Trainer Course.
The distinction is important: the Competency Assessor / Reviewer Course enables suitable staff to assess whether a worker can safely apply previously taught knowledge and skills in the workplace, whereas our Level 4 Instructor / Train the Trainer Course develops and assesses the specialist subject knowledge, teaching competence and assessment skills required to deliver epilepsy and buccal midazolam training. If you aren’t sure which is necessary for your operation, please get in touch.
Completing a training course does not, by itself, demonstrate that somebody is competent to carry out a task safely in their workplace. Training develops knowledge and skills.
Competency assessment considers whether the person can apply that learning safely, consistently and appropriately in practice. For staff supporting somebody who has epilepsy and may require emergency seizure medication, competency may include the ability to:
A competency assessor therefore needs more than a checklist. They must be able to gather suitable evidence, distinguish safe from unsafe practice and make defensible professional judgements.
Buccal midazolam may be prescribed as an emergency seizure rescue medicine for certain prolonged or repeated seizures. Staff responsible for supporting an individual must understand their particular seizure presentation, prescribed instructions, emergency management plan and escalation requirements.
However, staff can lose confidence or practical familiarity over time, particularly if seizures or emergency medication administration occur infrequently. Workplace competency assessment identifies whether a staff member can safely translate their training into practice. A structured competency review can identify:
The purpose is not simply to produce a signed competency form. It is to support safe, person-centred and evidence-based practice.
Competence involves more than demonstrating how to administer a medicine. Assessors must consider the person’s knowledge, practical skills, professional judgement and behaviour.
Depending on the worker’s role and the organisational competency framework, assessment may explore areas such as:
The team member should understand relevant information about the individual they support, including their seizure presentation and the information contained within their current care and emergency management plans.
The team member should be able to explain and demonstrate an appropriate response to a seizure, including maintaining safety, monitoring the person and recognising when escalation is required.
Staff must be able to locate, understand and follow the person’s current prescribed instructions and emergency seizure management plan.
Assessment should consider whether the worker can complete the required medication checks and safely demonstrate the administration of the prescribed buccal or oromucosal midazolam preparation.
The worker should understand what monitoring is required following administration and when emergency assistance or further clinical support is required.
Competence includes completing appropriate documentation and reporting the seizure, medication administration and subsequent observations in accordance with organisational requirements.
Where this forms part of the worker’s responsibilities, the assessor should consider whether emergency medication is stored, accessed, checked and managed appropriately.
A member of staff would normally undertake appropriate epilepsy, seizure first aid and buccal midazolam training before being assessed for workplace competence. The competency assessor’s role is not to repeat the training course. Instead, the assessor gathers evidence to determine whether the person can safely apply what they have learned.
A structured assessment may include:
Prepare → Review previous learning → Assess knowledge → Observe practice → Use professional discussion and questioning → Review relevant documentation → Provide feedback → Make a competency decision → Agree an action plan → Reassess where necessary
If one part of this is skipped or rushed, it can put the health of service users at risk, which is why assessments are so important.
This approach helps organisations move away from competency assessment being treated as a simple observational tick-box exercise.
This programme prepares participants to undertake structured competency assessment following contemporary expectations for epilepsy and emergency seizure medication practice. Participants explore the use of ESNA and IBME Competency Assessment Tools and the principles that underpin safe competency decisions.
The programme emphasises that competence should be based on sufficient evidence rather than attendance at training or completion of a checklist.
Assessors will consider evidence relating to:
Participants will also explore how different assessment methods complement one another.
For example, observation can demonstrate what somebody does, while questioning and professional discussion can explore why they are doing it and how they would respond to situations that cannot safely or practically be reproduced during an assessment.
During our programme, participants will explore:
A focused review of the knowledge required to make appropriate competency judgements, including seizure recognition, seizure first aid, prolonged and repeated seizures, emergency escalation and individualised care.
Review of the principles of safe emergency medication administration, including prescribed instructions, medication checks, administration technique, monitoring, adverse effects, storage, recording and escalation.
Exploring the difference between:
Participants learn how to prepare for, structure and document a competency assessment using recognised assessment tools.
Using structured observation to gather reliable evidence of practical performance while avoiding assumptions or unsupported judgements.
Developing questions that explore understanding, reasoning and decision-making rather than simply testing recall.
Participants practise weighing different sources of evidence and reaching decisions that are:
Exploring common sources of assessment bias and how standardisation, clear criteria and appropriate evidence improve consistency between assessors.
Providing constructive feedback following assessment and agreeing appropriate actions where further development is required.
Assessors explore how to respond when evidence does not demonstrate safe competence, including:
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
Our Buccal Midazolam Competency Assessor / Reviewer Course uses an interactive, applied approach.
Rather than relying solely on presentations, participants work with realistic assessment situations and competency evidence.
Learning will include:
Participants must demonstrate that they can make safe and appropriately evidenced assessment decisions.
Following successful completion of the programme and its required assessment activities, participants will receive certification as a Buccal (Oromucosal) Midazolam Competency Reviewer / Assessor.
The certificate confirms successful completion of the competency assessor programme and is valid for 2 years.
This programme is intended for experienced staff responsible for assessing the workplace competence of colleagues after those colleagues have received appropriate epilepsy and buccal midazolam training. It may be suitable for:
It may support organisations including:
This course is not the appropriate programme for somebody who needs to become an epilepsy and buccal midazolam trainer. Completing the Competency Assessor / Reviewer Course does not provide the educational, clinical or practical trainer preparation required to teach epilepsy, seizure first aid and emergency seizure medication administration.
If your role will include delivering epilepsy and buccal midazolam courses, please see our: Level 4 Award in Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Instructor – Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Train the Trainer Course
Participants should normally have appropriate experience relevant to the staff and people they will be assessing. They should have sufficient existing knowledge and experience of epilepsy, seizure first aid and buccal midazolam to make safe competency decisions. Organisations should also consider:
Guardian Angels Training specialises in health and social care education, competency assessment and clinical skills development. Our approach recognises that training and workplace competence are related but different. Staff should not be considered competent simply because they attended a course.
Equally, competency assessment should not become a tick-box exercise based on one isolated practical demonstration.
Our programme therefore develops assessors who can gather appropriate evidence, ask effective questions, make defensible decisions and recognise when further development or escalation is required.
Guardian Angels Training holds the Skills for Health Quality Mark and is a Skills for Care Quality Assured Learning Service. Our epilepsy and buccal midazolam programmes are regularly reviewed against current clinical, educational and competency-assessment expectations.
No. This is a workplace competency assessor/reviewer course. It prepares suitable participants to assess the competence of staff who have already undertaken appropriate epilepsy, seizure first aid and buccal midazolam training. It does not qualify you to deliver that training. If you need to become a trainer, see our Level 4 Award in Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Instructor.
A trainer teaches staff the required epilepsy, seizure first aid and emergency medication knowledge and skills.
A competency assessor determines whether a member of staff can safely apply previously taught knowledge and skills within their workplace.
Some appropriately qualified and authorised professionals may perform both roles, but completing this competency assessor course alone does not qualify somebody to become a trainer.
No. Successful completion does not authorise you to teach epilepsy awareness, seizure first aid or buccal midazolam administration.
You would need an appropriate trainer-development pathway such as the Level 4 Award in Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Instructor.
Successful completion demonstrates that you have met the requirements of this programme. Your employer must still determine whether you have the appropriate occupational competence, role, experience and organisational authorisation to undertake workplace competency assessments.
No. Training provides learning and an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills. Workplace competency assessment considers whether the person can safely and consistently apply that learning in practice. Employer authorisation may also be required before the person undertakes the activity independently.
The assessor should clearly identify and document the areas that have not met the required standard.
Depending on the issue, actions might include further supervision, practice, learning, refresher or repeat training, clinical review, management escalation and reassessment.
A person should not be signed off as competent where the available evidence does not support a safe competency decision.
The programme applies structured competency assessment principles and supports assessors to use ESNA and IBME Competency Assessment Tools, alongside their organisation’s own governance, policies and assessment requirements.
Yes. The programme may be appropriate for healthcare, social care, supported-living, education and other organisations whose staff support people with epilepsy and where suitably experienced personnel are responsible for workplace competency assessment.
If your organisation needs to develop staff who can undertake structured workplace competency assessments following epilepsy and buccal midazolam training, contact Guardian Angels Training to discuss your requirements.
If you are instead looking to develop staff who can deliver epilepsy and buccal midazolam training, please visit our Epilepsy and Buccal Midazolam Train the Trainer – Level 4 Instructor Programme.
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