Context
Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is widely adopted in medical education to assess the skills of undergraduate students and in postgraduate basic surgical examinations such as MRCS. No orthopaedic exit exam worldwide includes an OSCE component.
Aims
The aim of this study was to describe validation of OSCE to assess clinical skills of final-year orthopaedic trainees appearing for the Egyptian Fellowship in Orthopaedics and Trauma (EFOT) exam.
Materials and methods
The EFOT accreditation committee developed three types of OSCE stations: history taking, clinical examination and informed consent. A pilot study was conducted in November 2011 to assess its feasibility and validity. Analysis of faculty feedback and mapping of the OSCE station bank against intended learning outcomes in the orthopaedic curriculum served as a validation tool.
Results
A total of 51 final year candidates were included in the pilot run. Sixteen faculty members, as well as candidates, participated and provided feedback. Despite introductory lectures about OSCE, only 64% of candidates and 79% of faculty agreed that they received adequate induction. Nevertheless, the majority of candidates (84–92%) and faculty (88–100%) thought that stations’ instructions were clear. As an evidence of its validity, 88% of faculty agreed that OSCE, as currently set up, adequately measured candidate performance and 94% agreed that marking sheets covered relevant aspects of performance. Mapping intended learning outcomes showed that the bank covered the nine knowledge attributes in our curriculum. Relevant attributes of the skills and attitude and behaviour domains were also covered.
Conclusion
OSCE is a valid assessment tool that can evaluate clinical skills of orthopaedic trainees at the end of their training. Appropriate candidate, faculty and patient/actor training is fundamental.