Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) including critical simulation: Evaluation of medical student competence

ObjectivesTo develop an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) station to assess the evaluation skills of medical students in applying evidence and appropriate treatment options in critical situations with a simulated patient. To assess the results using discrimination and reliability comparison of standardized and simulated patient stations.Materials and MethodsOSCE performance scores of 58 7th-year medical students at the University of Tzu-Chi School of Medicine were analyzed from April 10, 2011 to April 11, 2011 using descriptive statistics and item discrimination. Thirteen OSCE cases were identified for evaluation; we compared the results of all the stations to those of the station with the critical clinical scenario.ResultsDiscrimination statistics indicated that only the critical scenario station prepared with a high-fidelity simulator was effective in distinguishing between high-scoring and low-scoring medical students.ConclusionFailure to design a skill assessment tool is a missed opportunity to understand more fully and apply the results of the clinical performance of medical students.