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Introduction: Whilst rarely researched, the authenticity with which Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) simulate practice is arguably critical to making valid judgements about candidates' preparedness to progress in their training. We studied how and why an OSCE gave rise to different experiences of authenticity for different participants under different circumstances. Methods: We used Realist evaluation, collecting data through interviews/focus groups from participants across four UK medical schools who participated in an OSCE which aimed to enhance authenticity. Results: Several features of OSCE stations (realistic, complex, complete cases, sufficient time, autonomy, props, guidelines, limited examiner interaction etc) combined to enable students to project into their future roles, judge and integrate information, consider their actions and act naturally. When this occurred, their performances felt like an authentic representation of their clinical practice. This didn't work all the time: focusing on unavoidable differences with practice, incongruous features, anxiety and preoccupation with examiners' expectations sometimes disrupted immersion, producing inauthenticity. Conclusions: The perception of authenticity in OSCEs appears to originate from an interaction of station design with individual preferences and contextual expectations. Whilst tentatively suggesting ways to promote authenticity, more understanding is needed of candidates' interaction with simulation and scenario immersion in summative assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychiatric interview serves as the cornerstone of psychiatric practice. It is therefore essential that we find effective ways of teaching students how to conduct a psychiatric interview. The present paper arises from two faculty members at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador considering how to improve the quality of teaching of the psychiatric interview to preclerkship undergraduate medical students, before they begin the clinical portion of their training. The interview is taught in discrete pieces initially (e.g., discussing confidentiality, screening for suicidal ideation, taking a history for depressive disorders, etc.) before being assembled into a whole interview. The sessions are led by psychiatrists and residents who play the role of the patient. They use prewritten cases but can improvise to challenge or direct the students. Students receive real time feedback. The flexibility allows for students to repeat and vary their approach in response to feedback. Anonymous course evaluations showed improvement in student satisfaction with the new psychiatry clinical skills teaching. Prior to implementing the new approach student satisfaction was at 3.9/5. With the new method scores improved to 4.7/5 and 4.5/5 in the following two years. Clinical skills OSCE scores remained stable with modest improvement following implementation. The class average was 8.5 in the year prior to implementation and were 9.1, 8.6 and 8.8 in the years following. As a side benefit, the approach lent itself well to being delivered remotely so it continued to function well during the disruption resulting from COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective clinical communication skills are essential for dietitians as it impacts patient outcomes and satisfaction across diverse clinical and public healthcare settings. Despite its importance as a core competency, many dietetics programs, including those in Taiwan, need to provide sufficient training in this area. This study aimed to develop and assess a scenario-based simulation course to improve communication skills in dietetic students. Methods: A non-randomized control group pretest–posttest design was used. The intervention consisted of a 12-week scenario-based simulation communication course divided into three units employing diverse teaching methods. One hundred nineteen third-year dietetic students from two universities were enrolled through convenience sampling, with 59 students in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. The experimental group participated in the course intervention, whereas the control group received no clinical communication skills training. Effectiveness was assessed by comparing participants' self-assessment of communication skills and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores before and after the intervention and collecting feedback on learning satisfaction. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and ANCOVA. Results: The results showed that the post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in terms of self-assessed clinical communication confidence, self-efficacy, and competence after controlling for pre-test scores. In the experimental group, the post-test OSCE scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores, except for one item related to the nutrition assessment of diabetes. The intervention course's average learning satisfaction score was above 4.4 (out of 5 points). Conclusions: This course effectively enhanced dietetic students' clinical communication confidence, self-efficacy, and communication skills. These results can provide a reference for integrating clinical communication courses into undergraduate dietetics curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The technical development of ultrasound devices based on silicon chips has revolutionized ultrasound examinations, leading to the implementation of these portable handheld devices (PUD) in different medical fields. However, training on these devices is necessary to assure appropriate use and ensure valid results. While training programs for the use of conventional standard ultrasound devices (SUD) have been described, no training program for these handheld devices has been developed thus far. Methods: A training program for obstetric ultrasound examination was modified through the addition of an extra module focusing on the use of these PUDs. After the module the students had to attend an OSCE in which their skills of using the PUD and the SUD were tested and analyzed by applying the agreement rate, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots. Furthermore, the students' ultrasound results were compared with those of trained physicians by employing the one-sample Student's t-test. After the OSCE, the students answered a survey regarding their experience and their expected use of these devices. Result: An agreement of one hundred percent was reached for basic parameters such as fetal position, placental position, fetal heartbeat and for the classification of the amniotic fluid. The ICC showed a good to moderate agreement between the results of fetal biometry achieved by SUD and PUD. The T-test results confirmed a high reliability between the physicians' results and the students' results, independent of the used device. The students remarked a good handling of the ultrasound devices and supported the use in their future specialties. Discussion: The reliability between the examinations using the SUD and PUD were high but lower than the results observed for trained physicians. Therefore, the implementation of an additional module for portable ultrasound teaches the students to reliably examine basic obstetric parameters and provides a solid basis for further training and improvement of ultrasound skills in use of PUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the differences between in-person versus virtual format of an advanced communication skills OSCE through thematic analyses of post-OSCE debrief transcripts. METHODS: Two cohorts of senior medical students participated in either a 2019 in-person or 2021 virtual advanced communication skills OSCE. Students were grouped in triads and rotated through three of five possible cases. Afterwards, students participated in a faculty-led debrief (in-person in 2019, virtual in 2021). Inductive thematic analysis was used to compare the themes and the ratio of comments related to the themes were compared between the virtual and in-person OSCEs. RESULTS: Thematic analyses for both in-person and virtual OSCEs identified the same four major themes (Case Review, Emotional Response, Feedback, and Reflection) and 11 subthemes. However, the ratio of comments related to Case Review was lower in the virtual OSCE compared to in-person (P <.0001). Analysis of subthemes within Case Review revealed the percentage of comments was higher for Content and lower for Challenges in the virtual OSCE compared to in-person (both P <.0001). There were no differences in the ratios of comments related to Emotional Response, Feedback, and Reflection, or their subthemes. CONCLUSION: A virtual advanced communications skills OSCE for medical students showed identical qualitative themes to that from a prior in-person OSCE. However, students in the virtual OSCE focused more on matter-of-fact discussions about case content and less about the challenges they experienced. The findings suggest that some medical students may struggle with experiential learning in the virtual format, and have difficulty accessing or practicing their reflective observation skills based on Kolb's learning theory. Differences may be attributable to the additional cognitive load in the virtual setting, inadequate structural safeguards, and/or other limitations of virtual communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMaterials and methodsResultsConclusionsTrial RegistrationObjective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a stressful exam assessing medical competencies. Stress coping strategies are expected to enhance students’ performance during OSCE. The objective was to determine the effect of short preventive coping interventions on performance of medical students.Double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with multiple arms and a superiority hypothesis. Enrolment was proposed to each fourth-year undergraduate medical student convened to the Lyon Est University OSCE in 2022. There was no exclusion criterion. Students were randomized to one of four groups: standardized breathing with cardiac biofeedback (BFB), mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), positive psychology intervention (PPI), or control (CTRL). Each intervention was video-guided, lasted six minutes, and occurred just before starting the OSCE. The primary outcome was the academic OSCE score, assessed through specific grids by university examiners blinded to the interventions. Secondary outcomes included specific performance scores, and student perception of the influence of the intervention on their performance.A total of 482 students were included. No difference was found between BFB (−0.17 [95%CI, −1.20 to 0.86], p = .749), MBI (0.32 [95%CI, −0.71 to 1.36], p = .540), or PPI groups (−0.25 [95%CI, −1.29 to 0.79], p = .637) on the academic OSCE score compared to the control group, nor regarding the specific performance scores. Compared to the control group, the students perceived that the intervention influenced more positively their performance (BFB +3 [95%CI, 0–8]), p < .001; MBI +4 [95%CI, 1–9], p = .040; PPI +1 [95%CI, 0–4], p = .040]).A single six-minute cardiac biofeedback, mindfulness, or positive psychology intervention performed by fourth-year medical students just before an OSCE did not improve their following academic performance. Still, students reported that the interventions helped them to enhance their performance. Future research should aim to further explore the perception of intervention on performance and potential long-term effects for students.The study protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05393219. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Workplace violence disproportionately affects healthcare workers and verbal aggression from patients frequently occurs. While verbal de-escalation is the first-line approach to defusing anger, there is a lack of consistent curricula or robust evaluation in undergraduate medical education. Aim: To develop a medical school curriculum focused on de-escalation skills for adult patients and evaluate effectiveness with surveys and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Setting: We implemented this curriculum in the "Get Ready for Residency Bootcamp" of a single large academic institution in 2023. Participants: Forty-four fourth-year medical students Program Description: The curriculum consisted of an interactive didactic focused on our novel CALMER framework that prioritized six evidence-based de-escalation skills and a separate standardized patient practice session. Program Evaluation: The post-curriculum survey (82% response rate) found a significant increase from 2.79 to 4.11 out of 5 (p ≤ 0.001) in confidence using verbal de-escalation. Preparedness improved with every skill and curriculum satisfaction averaged 4.79 out of 5. The OSCE found no differences in skill level between students who received the curriculum and those who did not. Discussion: This evidence-based and replicable de-escalation skill curriculum improves medical student confidence and preparedness in managing agitated patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the analysis of the understanding of the police (police functions) in the standards of the Council of Europe. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the police (police functions) are understood taking into account the dynamic changes that occur in the globalized world and are associated with new manifestations of crime. It is noted that the understanding of the place of the police in the system of bodies of the modern state is affected by new trends in the management sphere, which demonstrate the requirements of transparency, efficiency and depoliticization for police structures established by law. The understanding of «police activity as a public service» is defined in the following way: «The main duties of the police are to maintain public peace and order; protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, especially life; prevent and detect crimes; reduce the level of fear; and provide assistance and services to the public.» Progress towards a democratic basis for policing is achieved when there is a shift "from a control-oriented to a service-oriented approach", where the main focus of law enforcement agencies is on active crime prevention. The OSCE Strategic Concept on the elimination of threats posed by criminal activities names the following types of such activities, organized crime, in particular, the OSCE promotes specialized training in the field of criminal prosecution for law enforcement agencies and other elements of the criminal justice system, including with a view to expanding the range of methods that have proven effective in cases related to organized crime, in particular, promoting policing strategies aimed at the early detection of radicalism and violent extremism, as well as at the deradicalization and reintegration of militant extremists into society, illicit drugs and chemical precursors (development of effective and comprehensive strategies to combat drug smuggling and diversion of chemical precursors, trafficking in human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The psychiatric interview serves as the cornerstone of psychiatric practice. It is therefore essential that we find effective ways of teaching students how to conduct a psychiatric interview. The present paper arises from two faculty members at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador considering how to improve the quality of teaching of the psychiatric interview to preclerkship undergraduate medical students, before they begin the clinical portion of their training. The interview is taught in discrete pieces initially (e.g., discussing confidentiality, screening for suicidal ideation, taking a history for depressive disorders, etc.) before being assembled into a whole interview. The sessions are led by psychiatrists and residents who play the role of the patient. They use prewritten cases but can improvise to challenge or direct the students. Students receive real time feedback. The flexibility allows for students to repeat and vary their approach in response to feedback. Anonymous course evaluations showed improvement in student satisfaction with the new psychiatry clinical skills teaching. Prior to implementing the new approach student satisfaction was at 3.9/5. With the new method scores improved to 4.7/5 and 4.5/5 in the following two years. Clinical skills OSCE scores remained stable with modest improvement following implementation. The class average was 8.5 in the year prior to implementation and were 9.1, 8.6 and 8.8 in the years following. As a side benefit, the approach lent itself well to being delivered remotely so it continued to function well during the disruption resulting from COVID-19.

Abstract Background Effective clinical communication skills are essential for dietitians as it impacts patient outcomes and satisfaction across diverse clinical and public healthcare settings. Despite its importance as a core competency, many dietetics programs, including those in Taiwan, need to provide sufficient training in this area. This study aimed to develop and assess a scenario-based simulation course to improve communication skills in dietetic students. Methods A non-randomized control group pretest–posttest design was used. The intervention consisted of a 12-week scenario-based simulation communication course divided into three units employing diverse teaching methods. One hundred nineteen third-year dietetic students from two universities were enrolled through convenience sampling, with 59 students in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. The experimental group participated in the course intervention, whereas the control group received no clinical communication skills training. Effectiveness was assessed by comparing participants' self-assessment of communication skills and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores before and after the intervention and collecting feedback on learning satisfaction. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and ANCOVA. Results The results showed that the post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in terms of self-assessed clinical communication confidence, self-efficacy, and competence after controlling for pre-test scores. In the experimental group, the post-test OSCE scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores, except for one item related to the nutrition assessment of diabetes. The intervention course's average learning satisfaction score was above 4.4 (out of 5 points). Conclusions This course effectively enhanced dietetic students’ clinical communication confidence, self-efficacy, and communication skills. These results can provide a reference for integrating clinical communication courses into undergraduate dietetics curricula.

Purpose: Promotion of professionalism/communication (P/C) is a strategic initiative within the American Board of Medical Specialties; however, reliable assessment of this competency in the certification process is lacking. Herein we present the findings of the American Board of Urology's (ABU) P/C Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) which was implemented on the 2023 and 2024 certifying exams., Methods: The certifying exam was administered to 694 candidates (335 in 2023 and 359 in 2024). Each candidate was administered two 5-item OSCEs and four 10-item Standard Oral Examinations (SOEs). One OSCE focused on P/C with simulated patient (SP) actors and one on diagnosis/imaging. SP actors interacted with examinees on the 10-minute P/C OSCE. A criterion-referenced standard was used for pass/fail decisions and the Rasch model was used for scoring., Results: The candidate's mean score and protocol difficulty did not differ significantly from 2023 to 2024. Reliability with the P/C and diagnostic OSCEs was similar both years. In 2023, the diagnostic OSCE had a higher average score than the P/C OSCE with both OSCEs scoring higher than the SOEs. In 2024, the average diagnostic OSCE score was higher than the P/C OSCE and SOEs which had similar scores. There was low correlation between the OSCEs and SOEs both years., Conclusion: The initial experience of P/C OSCEs on the ABU certification examination showed acceptable scoring, reliability, and low correlation with standard protocols. Initial data suggests that the P/C OSCE is a distinct construct from SOEs which specifically assesses P/C skills in the oral certification process.

Objectives: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a key tool in healthcare education, assessing clinical skills and competencies. This study explores OSCE's impact on pharmacists' competence, confidence, and practice readiness, focusing on its role in professional development and long-term practice improvement., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Qatar University pharmacy graduates with at least a year of practice experience. The survey included 10 items on a 4-point Likert scale to capture quantitative data, along with open-ended questions for more detailed reflections and qualitative insights. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, and qualitative data were thematically analyzed through an inductive approach, with two researchers independently coded responses and identifying themes., Key Findings: Out of 75 eligible pharmacists, 46 responded (61.3% response rate). Over 85% reported that OSCE improved communication and interprofessional collaboration skills, and 80% felt it helped apply essential professional skills effectively. However, opinions varied on making OSCE a licensure requirement. Six main themes emerged: (i) Enhanced Interprofessional Collaboration Skills, (ii) Application of Professional Skills, (iii) Practical Application of Pharmacy Education, (iv) Adaptability for Evolving Healthcare Challenges, (v) Enhancement of Patient-Facing Communication Skills, and (vi) Identification of Personal Strengths and Weaknesses., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that OSCEs enhance pharmacists' clinical skills, communication, and practice readiness. Pharmacy programs should continue integrating OSCEs alongside other assessments for comprehensive evaluation. Policymakers are encouraged to explore OSCEs for licensure, ensuring standardization and evaluator training. Future research should assess OSCE's long-term impact on pharmacists' career development and patient outcomes., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Rationale: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used for assessing clinical competence, especially in high-stakes environments such as medical licensure. However, the reuse of OSCE cases across multiple administrations raises concerns about parameter stability, known as item parameter drift (IPD). AIMS & OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate IPD in reused OSCE cases while accounting for examiner scoring effects using a Many-facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) model., Method: Data from 12 OSCE cases, reused over seven administrations of the Internationally Educated Nurse Competency Assessment Program (IENCAP), were analyzed using the MFRM model. Each case was treated as an item, and examiner scoring effects were accounted for in the analysis., Results: The results indicated that despite accounting for examiner effects, all cases exhibited some level of IPD, with an average absolute IPD of 0.21 logits. Three cases showed positive directional trends. IPD significantly affected score decisions in 1.19% of estimates, at an invariance violation of 0.58 logits., Conclusion: These findings suggest that while OSCE cases demonstrate sufficient stability for reuse, continuous monitoring is essential to ensure the accuracy of score interpretations and decisions. The study provides an objective threshold for detecting concerning levels of IPD and underscores the importance of addressing examiner scoring effects in OSCE assessments. The MFRM model offers a robust framework for tracking and mitigating IPD, contributing to the validity and reliability of OSCEs in evaluating clinical competence., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess the benefits of simulation for advancing knowledge and assisting healthcare staff in optimization of procedures when managing severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (sPE/E)., Methods: A randomized educational trial was conducted with two groups: Group I received theoretical training, while group II received the same training along with simulation scenarios based on the management of sPE/E. The study involved 199 healthcare providers, including physicians, midwives, skilled birth attendants, and nurses. The study analyzed the percentage of correct answers on both the multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and the objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) to evaluate theoretical knowledge and clinical skills objectively., Results: Statistically significant differences were found immediately after training between groups I and II, whose mean percentages were 65.0% (±11.2) versus 71.0% (±9.8) (P < 0.001). A statistically significant reduction in the percentage of correct answers was found in both groups and demonstrated a discrepancy between immediate post-training test and post-training test at 3 months scores of 11.6% (±1.3) in group I versus 7.2% (±0.6) in group II. OSCE1 and OSCE2 scores were significantly higher in group II than in group I (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Simulation combined with theoretical training would appear to be an interesting method of training for advancing knowledge and improving skills of healthcare providers in their management of sPE/E. Our goal is for this method to be used to reduce real-life maternal mortality in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo., (© 2024 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Background Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are a crucial part of medical school assessments, evaluating core clinical skills such as history-taking and communication. As medical school cohorts grow, delivering these resource-intensive examinations becomes increasingly challenging for educators. Students are known to have anxiety when facing OSCEs. This can be lessened with increased bedside teaching and clinical practice opportunities, which can be limited for students in the pre-clinical phase of medical school. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL), including affordable 360-degree video simulations, offers a viable alternative to face-to-face training. This study aims to demonstrate the non-inferiority of 360-degree resources compared to traditional teaching for OSCE preparation, providing an effective independent study tool. Methods Pre-clinical medical students were recruited (n=16) and randomly assigned to the virtual reality (VR) or control group. The virtual reality group utilised 360-degree videos. The control group received a traditional PowerPoint for OSCE preparation. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires measuring self-perceived confidence and anxiety were completed by both groups. Students in the virtual reality group participated in focus groups to share their experiences. Results There was a statistically significant increase in confidence for OSCEs in both groups (n=12), demonstrating the non-inferiority of the virtual reality resource. The virtual reality group showed a significant increase in self-reported confidence (p=0.0117), and although their anxiety decreased, this was not statistically significant (p=0.1019). Thematic analysis highlighted the benefit of video in reducing anxiety and creating an immersive learning environment. Conclusion VR resources such as 360-degree videos show promise as a tool to prepare pre-clinical medical students for OSCEs, improving confidence and preparedness whilst reducing anxiety. The resource is especially promising in improving the diversity of patient cases. Whilst there is room for improvement in optimising the VR experience and expanding access, the findings support the inclusion of immersive technologies in medical education., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. University of Leicester College of Life Sciences Ethical Approval Committee issued approval 30173. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2025, Khan et al.)

Introduction: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) serve as a reliable assessment tool for clinical and competency evaluation. Traditional OSCEs, involving live patients, present logistical challenges and evoke student anxiety. In an effort to create a comprehensive clinical series of examinations, electronic OSCEs (e-OSCEs) were developed for assessing clinical competencies in prosthodontics at a large dental school. This manuscript aims to describe e-OSCEs as a competency assessment., Methods: The e-OSCEs were implemented for the graduating classes from 2014 to 2023, covering categories of Single-unit Crowns and Fixed Partial Dentures, Implants, Removable Partial Dentures and Complete Dentures. A digital library of clinically relevant questions was developed to simulate chairside scenarios. Competence in any area was defined as scoring a 100% where questions were taken from a pool that represented the full scope of the clinical procedure., Results: Ten-year retrospective data indicate sustained student performance over the years, with the majority achieving competence after three e-OSCE attempts., Discussion: Advantages of the e-OSCE include standardised assessments, reduced examiner bias and adaptability to external disruptions in addition to fair and relevant evaluations, cost-effectiveness and test security. Evaluation of e-OSCE outcomes allows ease of analysis for curriculum enhancement and modification., Conclusion: The e-OSCE method of clinical assessment offers a standardised, clinically equivalent and efficient process for assessing dental students' competencies. The assessment methodology aligns with US accreditation standards and can be easily adapted by other institutions with different grading parameters for comprehensive clinical assessments. This approach provides a feasible and effective method for assessments in dental education., (© 2025 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate dental students' competencies and self-confidence in performing common oral surgical procedures. It further aimed to assess potential correlations among levels of competence and confidence with student gender., Methods: Final-year undergraduate students from Mosul Dental School in Iraq were enrolled in a summative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess their competence in core skills and knowledge in oral surgery (OS). The students were also invited to participate in the ABAOMS self-assessment questionnaire to assess self-perceived confidence in performing OS procedures. Gender correlation with competence and confidence was computed via the Pearson Chi-square test (p ≤ 0.05)., Results: A total of 272 students were evaluated for OS competence. Students' highest competence was in dental anatomy (91.1%), while history-taking and tooth extraction scored the highest failure levels (56.1%) and (39.1%), respectively. For self-confidence, students felt adequately prepared to carry out several clinical procedures although they indicated low confidence in performing minimally practiced procedures. No significant correlation was detected in the total confidence versus competence except for the management of post-extraction complications. Results also showed no significant correlation between students' competence-confidence-gender; except for the administration of local anesthesia among females (p-value 0.007 ≤0.01)., Conclusion: The findings of this study show that the competence and self-perceived confidence of final-year students were generally satisfactory for a range of clinical and affective skills. However, several areas of weakness were identified which underscore the need for modification of the current curriculum to improve the preparedness of undergraduate dental students as safe beginners in OS., (© 2025 American Dental Education Association.)

Introduction: The OSCE has been a robust tool for assessing clinical skills in medical education, adaptable across various clinical domains and stages. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, posed significant challenges to traditional assessment methods. This led to the development of the OSVE as an alternative., Objective: This study aimed to correlate OSVE results with MCT scores and Grade Point Average (GPA) of clerkship., Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 129 clerkships. It compared two OSVEs and two MCTs, covering content from the 5th and 6th years of the curriculum, against final graduation grades., Results: The score of GPA was 8.13 ± 0.43. The authors compared OSVE-5th (7.13 ± 0.93) and OSVE-6th (7.23 ± 0.83, NS), MCT-5th (7.08 ± 0.91) vs. MCT-6th (7.68 ± 1.21, p < 0.001), OSVE-5th (7.13 ± 0.93) and MCT-5th (7.08 ± 0.91, NS), OSVE-6th (7.23 ± 0.83) and MCT-6th (7.68 ± 1.21, p < 0.001) OSVE-5th (7.13 ± 0.93) and MCT-6th (7.68 ± 1.21, p < 0.001), OSVE-6th (7.23 ± 0.83) and MCT-5th (7.08 ± 0.91, NS), OSVE-5th (7.13 ± 0.93) and GPA (8.13 ± 0.43, p < 0.001), OSVE-6th (7.23 ± 0.83) and GPA (8.13 ± 0.43, p < 0.001), MCT-5th (7.08 ± 0.91) and GPA (8.13 ± 0.43, p < 0.001), and MCT-6th (7.68 ± 1.21) and GPA (8.13 ± 0.43, p < 0.001). There were positive correlations between OSVE-5th and OSVE-6th (R = 0.418, p < 0.05), OSVE-5th and MCT-5th (R = 0.475, p < 0.05), MCT-5th, OSVE-6th and MCT-6th (R = 0,180, p < 0.05), MCT-6th (R = 0.227, p < 0.05), with OSVE-6th and MCT-5th (R = 0.478, p < 0.05), OSVE-5th and GPA (R = 0.481, p < 0.05), OSVE-6th and GPA (R = 0,439, p < 0.05), MCT-5th and GPA (R = 0.681, p < 0.05) and MCT-6th and GPA (R = 0.195, p < 0.05), no correlation was found between OSVE-6th and MCT-6th (R = 0.070, NS)., Conclusions: The correlations between the assessments revealed mild to moderate, suggesting that the assessments can be used interchangeably in the context of formative assessment. These results indicate the feasibility of using both OSVE and multiple-choice tests as effective tools to enhance intern training and monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 HCFMUSP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are a widely recognized and accepted method to assess clinical competencies but are often resource-intensive., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR)-based station (VRS) compared with a traditional physical station (PHS) in an already established curricular OSCE., Methods: Fifth-year medical students participated in an OSCE consisting of 10 stations. One of the stations, emergency medicine, was offered in 2 modalities: VRS and PHS. Students were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 modalities. We used 2 distinct scenarios to prevent content leakage among participants. Student performance and item characteristics were analyzed, comparing the VRS with PHS as well as with 5 other case-based stations. Student perceptions of the VRS were collected through a quantitative and qualitative postexamination online survey, which included a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (minimum) to 5 (maximum), to evaluate the acceptance and usability of the VR system. Organizational and technical feasibility as well as cost-effectiveness were also evaluated., Results: Following randomization and exclusions of invalid data sets, 57 and 66 participants were assessed for the VRS and PHS, respectively. The feasibility evaluation demonstrated smooth implementation of both VR scenarios (septic and anaphylactic shock) with 93% (53/57) of students using the VR technology without issues. The difficulty levels of the VRS scenarios (septic shock: P=.67; anaphylactic shock: P=.58) were comparable to the average difficulty of all stations (P=.68) and fell within the reference range (0.4-0.8). In contrast, VRS demonstrated above-average values for item discrimination (septic shock: r'=0.40; anaphylactic shock: r'=0.33; overall r'=0.30; with values >0.3 considered good) and discrimination index (septic shock: D=0.25; anaphylactic shock: D=0.26; overall D=0.16, with 0.2-0.3 considered mediocre and <0.2 considered poor). Apart from some hesitancy toward its broader application in future practical assessments (mean 3.07, SD 1.37 for VRS vs mean 3.65, SD 1.18 for PHS; P=.03), there were no other differences in perceptions between VRS and PHS. Thematic analysis highlighted the realistic portrayal of medical emergencies and fair assessment conditions provided by the VRS. Regarding cost-effectiveness, initial development of the VRS can be offset by long-term savings in recurring expenses like standardized patients and consumables., Conclusions: Integration of the VRS into the current OSCE framework proved feasible both technically and organizationally, even within the strict constraints of short examination phases and schedules. The VRS was accepted and positively received by students across various levels of technological proficiency, including those with no prior VR experience. Notably, the VRS demonstrated comparable or even superior item characteristics, particularly in terms of discrimination power. Although challenges remain, such as technical reliability and some acceptance concerns, VR remains promising in applications of clinical competence assessment., (©Tobias Mühling, Verena Schreiner, Marc Appel, Tobias Leutritz, Sarah König. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 10.01.2025.)

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is widely used in health programs and has been applied in medical education to enhance clinical knowledge and help build clinical competence and confidence. It is carried out in different clinical stations that simulate real clinical situations and scenarios and helps prepare students for clinical training and practical applications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in professional identity and self-efficacy of occupational therapy students after applying OSCE utilizing simulated learning. A pre-post study design was used. The participants were 48 occupational therapy university students at 1 university in Saudi Arabia. Total scores and subscale scores for professional identity and self-efficacy were compared before and after OSCE using the Wilcoxon signed- rank test. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated to examine the relationship between professional identity and self-efficacy. There were significant increases in both professional identity and self-efficacy total scores after OSCE ( P  < .05). Most items in the professional identity, such as choosing occupational therapy again ( P  < .01) and improving occupational therapy skills ( P  < .01) and the self-efficacy, such as doing very well in class ( P  < .01) and ability to learn the material for class ( P  < .01) increased significantly. OSCE utilizing simulated-based learning plays a supportive role in forming occupational therapy students' identities as clinicians and can potentially enhance their overall self-efficacy, professional identity and growth. It is a beneficial teaching and learning strategy for occupational therapy educators and considered important steppingstones for students transitioning to real life occupational therapy practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.