Submit for Verification and Evaluator Review

An evaluator can approve an evaluation in EMCE in two ways: through their own EMCE account, or by reviewing and verifying the evaluation on the student’s device. Both paths can produce an approved evaluation. Faculty auditing is a separate step after evaluator approval.

For faculty, this explains a common surprise: a shift evaluation can appear in Done as soon as the preceptor finishes reviewing and signing it, even though no faculty member has audited it yet. That is the expected result of evaluator approval.

This guide follows a student-entered evaluation from initial entry through approval, corrections, and faculty audit. Shift evaluations provide the examples because they may include several patient encounters and a preceptor who does not have an account.

The two approval paths at a glance

	Evaluator with an active EMCE account	Evaluator without an EMCE account
Student’s usual action	Submit for Verification	Evaluator Review
Where the evaluator works	In their own EMCE account, on their own device	On the student’s device in Evaluator Review mode
What the student’s action does	Sends the evaluation to the evaluator for a later decision	Starts a review session with the evaluator present
How the evaluator verifies it	Approves it while signed in; approval electronically signs the record	Completes the review and supplies the signature or other verification permitted by the program
Is there a waiting stage before approval	Yes. It is submitted and awaiting the evaluator’s response	Starting review does not approve it, but completing verification can approve it immediately
Where the approved evaluation goes	Done	Done
Does this also record a faculty audit	No	No

These are the usual paths. Organization options can require signature or photo verification even when the evaluator has an account. Follow the explanation displayed when selecting the evaluator and the action shown on the evaluation.

Three separate meanings of approval

The word “approved” can refer to different things in EMCE:

An approved preceptor is someone your program has approved to serve as a preceptor. This controls which preceptors students can select when your program requires approved preceptors. It does not mean the preceptor has an EMCE account, and it does not approve any particular evaluation.

An approved evaluation has been verified through the evaluation workflow. This completes the evaluator approval step and places the evaluation in Done. Approval verifies the record; it does not mean every documented skill or learning objective was performed successfully. The recorded scores still describe the student’s performance.

An audited evaluation has also received the separate faculty audit. An evaluation can be approved and still need that audit under your program’s procedures.

Before either path begins

The student selects the correct evaluator and enters the evaluation details. For a shift, this includes the shift information and the patient encounters or skills documented within it.

While the evaluation is saved but unfinished, it remains work in progress. The student can return to it in To Do and continue entering information. Saving the evaluation is not the same as submitting it or completing evaluator verification.

Selecting or manually adding a preceptor creates or selects a preceptor record. Entering a name and email address does not, by itself, create an EMCE sign-in account for that person. A newly added preceptor without an account uses the on-device review path.

Use the account indicator and explanatory message in the evaluator picker to confirm which path applies. If a preceptor says they have an account but the selected record is shown as having no account, resolve that discrepancy before proceeding. See Selecting a Shift Evaluator and Managing Preceptors.

Path one with an EMCE account

The student submits for verification

When the student has finished their portion, they choose Submit for Verification.

The evaluation becomes Submitted. It appears in the student’s Submitted tab and in the assigned evaluator’s To Do list. It is waiting for an evaluator decision; the student has not approved it by submitting it.

The student can view the submitted evaluation but cannot ordinarily edit its evaluation fields while it is awaiting review. A program may separately allow later narrative edits, so the narrative can be an exception to that general rule.

The evaluator reviews it in their own account

The evaluator signs in to EMCE and opens Evaluations → To Do. They open the evaluation, check its accuracy, complete the evaluator’s scoring and required forms, and make permitted corrections.

For a shift, the review includes the patient encounters and any required Student Affect Evaluation. Required learning-objective scores depend on the student’s cohort configuration.

The evaluator then approves the evaluation or rejects it for correction. Approving while signed in electronically signs the record; the normal account-based path does not require the preceptor to draw a signature on the student’s device.

Approval moves it to Done

After approval, the evaluation leaves the pending-approval stage and appears in Done. The student can view the completed record but cannot ordinarily edit its evaluation fields.

Faculty can now review the completed evaluation and record an audit if that is part of the program’s process. It does not first need another faculty approval simply because the evaluator was a preceptor.

Typical sequence: student enters and saves → student submits → evaluator reviews in their account → evaluator approves → evaluation is Done → faculty audits.

For the detailed review procedure, see Reviewing Submitted Shift Evaluations.

Path two without an EMCE account

The student starts Evaluator Review

After entering their portion, the student chooses Evaluator Review and hands the device to the selected preceptor.

This starts the evaluator’s review on the student’s device. It does not send the evaluation to an account the preceptor can open later, and it does not approve the evaluation merely because the student tapped the button.

Plan for this review while the preceptor is available. Merely recording the preceptor’s email address does not turn this into the account-based workflow.

The preceptor reviews and verifies the record

The preceptor checks the evaluation, makes appropriate changes, completes required scoring, and reviews the associated patient encounters. For shifts, they also complete the Student Affect Evaluation if required.

The preceptor chooses Verify and completes the verification method offered by the program. This commonly means signing on the device and saving the signature. Programs may also permit photo verification.

EMCE checks required information as part of completion. Missing evaluator scores or required forms must be addressed. If information needs to come from the student, the device may need to be returned to the student for correction before the review can be completed.

The verification represents the selected evaluator’s review. Although the student supplied the device, the preceptor is the person reviewing and verifying the evaluation.

Completed verification moves it to Done

Once the preceptor completes verification, EMCE can mark the evaluation Approved and place it in Done immediately. There is no additional wait for that preceptor to sign in to an account.

The signature or other verification is retained with the evaluation. Faculty then perform their separate audit from the completed evaluations.

Typical sequence: student enters and saves → student starts Evaluator Review → preceptor reviews on the student’s device → preceptor verifies and saves → evaluation is Done → faculty audits.

This is why “the preceptor signed it and it went straight to Done” is normally expected. The preceptor has completed the approval step on the student’s device.

See Performing Evaluator Review for a Shift Evaluation.

Where faculty auditing fits

Faculty auditing records the program’s review of an already approved evaluation. It applies after either approval path.

For a program that audits every shift evaluation:

Open Evaluations → Done.
Filter to the relevant students, cohort, dates, or evaluation type, and use the audit-status filter to find completed evaluations that still need review.
Review the shift and its associated patient encounters, scores, documentation, and verification.
If the record is acceptable, use the Audit action to record the faculty review.
If the student needs to correct the record, use Reject, with a clear explanation, instead of marking it audited.

Auditing is available to administrators and instructors with the appropriate audit permission. For evaluations grouped within a shift, perform the audit on the parent shift evaluation rather than expecting an independent audit action on each child evaluation.

An audited evaluation remains completed. Done does not mean “audited,” and an unaudited evaluation in Done is not necessarily waiting for approval. Check its approval and audit information to see which step has occurred.

Reversing an audit removes the audit designation while leaving the evaluation completed. It does not return the evaluation to the student for correction. If an audited record needs correction, an authorized faculty member can reverse the audit and then use the appropriate edit or rejection action.

Faculty permissions for auditing, editing submitted evaluations, and editing completed evaluations are separate. A faculty member may be able to audit a record without having permission to edit or reject that completed record. An administrator can review those settings in Managing Faculty.

What happens when an evaluation is rejected

Rejection returns the evaluation to the student for correction. The student can find it in To Do, read the reason, and update the record. Rejection does not delete the evaluation.

The next step depends on the assigned evaluator’s account status and, for an evaluator without an account, whether fresh verification is required.

The evaluator has an active account

The student makes the corrections and chooses Resubmit. The evaluation returns to the evaluator for another review. It is pending again until the evaluator approves it.

After reapproval, it returns to Done, where faculty can perform the audit.

The evaluator has no account and fresh review is required

When rejecting an evaluation whose evaluator has no active account, the rejection dialog includes Evaluator Review Required.

Select this when the correction needs another review and verification by the preceptor. EMCE clears the existing verification signature or photo from the evaluation. The student must correct the record, return to Evaluator Review, and obtain fresh verification.

Completing the new on-device verification approves the evaluation again and returns it to Done. Faculty then review and audit the corrected record according to the program’s process.

Use this choice deliberately: it means the student must get the evaluator involved again.

The evaluator has no account and existing verification is retained

If Evaluator Review Required is left unchecked, EMCE keeps the existing signature or photo. After making corrections, the student chooses Resubmit.

The corrected evaluation is then routed to faculty for review. It appears in To Do for faculty members with the Responds to Resubmitted and Automatically Submitted Evals responsibility.

It does not simply return to Done because an earlier signature remains attached. The resubmitted record is awaiting a new approval decision. After an authorized faculty member reviews and reapproves it, it returns to Done; the faculty audit remains a separate action.

This route assumes there is existing verification to retain. If no signature or photo was obtained in the first place, leaving the checkbox unchecked does not create one or substitute for the missing evaluator verification.

After rejection	Student’s next action	Who performs the next review
Assigned evaluator has an active account	Correct and Resubmit	Assigned evaluator in their account
No active account; fresh evaluator review required	Correct and complete Evaluator Review again	Preceptor on the student’s device
No active account; existing signature or photo retained	Correct and Resubmit	Faculty responsible for resubmitted evaluations

The response responsibility determines which faculty receive these items in To Do. Their permissions also need to allow the required approval or correction actions. If a student has resubmitted but the expected faculty member cannot find the evaluation, check both the responsibility setting and the evaluation’s current status.

Overdue shift evaluations

If your program enables Auto-submit if deadline reached, an overdue shift evaluation can be automatically submitted when the student attempts to view or edit it.

An active evaluator account sends that overdue evaluation to the evaluator. If the evaluator has no active account or cannot be resolved, it is sent to faculty instead. Faculty with the Responds to Resubmitted and Automatically Submitted Evals responsibility receive the faculty-routed items in To Do.

Automatic submission does not automatically approve an evaluation, create a preceptor signature, or audit the record. It moves overdue work into a review queue. The reviewer must still address missing information and decide what to do with the evaluation.

See Setting a Submission Deadline for Shift Evaluations for deadlines and options for later narrative edits.

Patient encounters within a shift

A shift may contain patient evaluations with the same evaluator as the shift or with a different evaluator. Review the entire shift, including required patient scores, before completing it.

An incomplete patient evaluation assigned to a different evaluator may need that person’s separate review. EMCE can flag these evaluations during validation and may offer an evaluator correction where appropriate. Do not assume the shift preceptor has verified every encounter simply because their name appears on the parent shift.

If completion is blocked, open the listed patient evaluation and check its assigned evaluator, required scores, and review status. Correct an evaluator assignment only when it accurately reflects who evaluated the student.

How approval affects student progress

For skill and patient requirements, EMCE distinguishes pending evaluations from completed evaluations. An evaluation that matches a requirement can appear as pending before approval. Once approved, it can contribute to completed progress when it meets that requirement’s criteria. The requirement calculation does not wait for a faculty audit.

This applies to qualifying patient and skill evaluations recorded during a shift as well as to other qualifying evaluations. It explains why a student’s progress can increase after preceptor verification, before faculty have reviewed the completed work.

If faculty later reject a counted evaluation, it is no longer completed and the corresponding completed progress can decrease when recalculated. After correction and approval, it can count again if it still meets the requirement. Changes to scores or other information can also change which requirements it satisfies.

Recording an audit does not award a second attempt or an additional patient encounter. The audit records faculty oversight of the existing evaluation.

Shift hours and attendance reports are separate from skill and patient requirement counts. When investigating “credit,” first identify whether the question concerns shift hours, pending work, completed skill or patient requirements, or faculty audit status. These describe different aspects of the student’s record.

If your program’s policy is that work is not finally accepted until faculty review it, communicate that distinction to students and maintain an audit process for completed evaluations. A completed-progress total alone does not certify that faculty have audited every contributing evaluation.

Common faculty questions

Why is a signed evaluation already in Done when faculty have not reviewed it

The preceptor’s completed verification approved it. Faculty review belongs to the separate audit step. Use Done and the audit-status filter to locate approved evaluations that still need your program’s review.

Why is an evaluation in Submitted instead of Done

Submission requested approval; it did not provide it. Check the assigned evaluator and whether the item was submitted or resubmitted to the evaluator or to faculty.

Does approving a preceptor give them an account

No. Program approval of a preceptor and the existence of that person’s EMCE account are separate. An approved preceptor can still need to review evaluations on students’ devices.

Does adding the preceptor email mean an email reply will approve the evaluation

No. The approval paths described here are approval in the evaluator’s EMCE account or verification on the student’s device. Entering an email address is not itself a verification action. Use the evaluation’s status and the appropriate To Do list to determine whether review is still pending.

Must every corrected evaluation get another preceptor signature

For evaluators without accounts, that depends on the rejection choice. Evaluator Review Required removes the old verification and requires fresh review. Keeping existing verification allows the student to resubmit the corrected record to designated faculty. Choose the route appropriate to the correction and your program’s procedures.

Can faculty review completed work even if it never appeared in their To Do list

Yes. A preceptor’s completed on-device verification can move the evaluation directly to Done. Faculty should use the completed-evaluation list for auditing. To Do is not a list of every evaluation the program may still wish to audit.

Does Done mean the student met a requirement

Done identifies a completed evaluation. Whether it contributes to a particular requirement depends on the recorded performance and the requirement’s criteria. Evaluator approval, faculty audit, and successful performance are different facts.

“If your evaluator has an EMCE account, submit the evaluation so they can review and approve it in their account. If they do not have an account, start Evaluator Review and have them review and verify it on your device. Once the evaluator approves it, it goes to Done. Faculty then audit the completed record. If it is returned for correction, read the rejection reason and follow the action EMCE shows, because some corrections require another preceptor review and others go back to faculty.”