How to Request an Assessment – Theator

From the case page, you can request an evaluation from an attending physician — choosing the assessment type, scope, and optionally adding a personal comment. The attending receives an email notification and can provide feedback directly in Theator.

Watch: How to Request an Assessment

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Open the Evaluations Panel

From the case page, look at the right-hand panel and click Evaluations under the Interactions section.

Evaluations panel open in the Coaching section showing a pending evaluation request and a + button

The Coaching panel will open, showing any existing evaluation requests for this case.

Step 2 — Start a New Request

Click the + button (bottom-right of the panel), or click the ⋯ actions menu on an existing request and select Ask for evaluation.

The evaluation request form will appear with fields for attending, assessment type, scope, and an optional comment.

Evaluation request form showing attending dropdown, assessment type, scope options, and comment field

Step 3 — Select Your Attending

Use the Select your attending dropdown to choose the physician you want to request feedback from. The list shows attendings associated with your institution.

Step 4 — Choose the Assessment Type

Use the Select Assessment dropdown to choose the evaluation framework. The description below the dropdown explains what the selected assessment measures (e.g., Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills).

Step 5 — Select the Assessment Scope

Choose what portion of the case you want evaluated:

Scope	What it covers
Full case	The entire recorded procedure
Select steps	Specific surgical steps from the timeline
Select specific clip	A video clip you've already created
Section you performed	The portion you personally scrubbed in for

Scope selector showing Full case, Select steps, Select specific clip, and Section you performed options, with comment field and Submit button

Step 6 — Select an EPA (Optional)

If your organization has EPA assessments enabled and has EPAs configured in its catalog, the request form includes an EPA (optional) field. Choosing an EPA lets you request entrustability feedback on a specific procedure and phase.

When the field is visible, a Suggested EPA may be pre-selected automatically if exactly one matches the procedure and has a resolvable phase. Review the field before submitting:

Open the EPA (optional) dropdown to see or change the selection.
Select an EPA. Options are grouped as Suggested (matched to this procedure), Recent, or All EPAs (other EPAs enabled for your organization).
Each entry shows its phase — Pre-op, Intra-op, or Post-op. Pick the phase that matches the portion you performed.
To submit a new request without an EPA tag, open the dropdown and explicitly choose No EPA (standard evaluation). If you are editing an existing request that already has an EPA, the EPA cannot be removed — the No EPA option is unavailable in that case.

The attending sees the EPA as a read-only label when they respond.

Step 7 — Add a Comment (Optional)

Use the Add a comment field to provide context for the attending — for example, a specific moment you'd like feedback on, or a technique you want assessed.

Step 8 — Submit the Request

Click Submit. The request is sent and the attending receives an email notification with a link to view the case and submit their evaluation.

Email notification sent to the attending showing case details and a Give Feedback button

Note: The attending can submit their evaluation directly from the email or by opening the case in Theator.

What's Next?

Theator for GME — Overview of coaching and feedback features for trainees
How to Create a Video Clip — Create a clip to attach to a specific evaluation request
How can I share a case with other users? — Share cases with colleagues inside your organization