American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 200, Issue 1 , Pages 25-34, January 2009

To the point: reviews in medical education—the Objective Structured Clinical Examination

  • Petra M. Casey, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprints: Petra M. Casey, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905
    • ,
  • Alice R. Goepfert, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
    • ,
  • Eve L. Espey, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM
    • ,
  • Maya M. Hammoud, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
    • ,
  • Joseph M. Kaczmarczyk, DO, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
    • ,
  • Nadine T. Katz, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • ,
  • James J. Neutens, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN
    • ,
  • Francis S. Nuthalapaty, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, SC
    • ,
  • Edward Peskin, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
    • ,
  • Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee

Received 3 June 2008; received in revised form 19 September 2008; accepted 30 September 2008.

This article, the eighth in the To the Point Series prepared by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee, discusses the effectiveness of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for assessment of learners' knowledge, skills, and behaviors. The OSCE has also been used for the appraisal of residents and physicians undergoing licensure examinations; herein we focus on its application to undergraduate medical education. We review evidence for best practices and recommendations on effective use of the OSCE and requirements for and challenges to its implementation, including creative ways to design an OSCE program with a limited budget. We discuss its role in providing formative and summative feedback and describe learner performance on the OSCE as the OSCE relates to subsequent testing, including US Medical Licensing Examination step 1. A representative case with assessment used at the authors' medical schools is included.

Key words: assessment, Objective Structured Clinical Examination, simulation, standardized patient

 

 The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Department of Defense, the US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US government.

PII: S0002-9378(08)02002-4

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2008.09.878

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 200, Issue 1 , Pages 25-34, January 2009