Use of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess intern performance in an advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) Ambulatory Care rotation

PharmD students experiences on end year clerkship evaluation using objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) method at JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysuru, India

Objectives

To assess the PharmD student's experiences about end year clerkship evaluation conducted using Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) format at JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysuru, India.

Methods

The student's experiences were captured using a newly developed, 14-item, 5-point Likert's scale feedback form. The results were analyzed and presented descriptively. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the Likert's scale responses between the sex, entry level for PharmD and performance in the end year exam, whereas the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test was used to measure the strength of association between the Likert's' scale responses and these variables. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Thirty-seven students of fifth year PharmD attended the end year clerkship evaluation and provided their feedback. Out of the 14-items, the most frequent response in eleven items was strongly agree and in three items it was agree. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed statistically significant differences between regular and postbaccalaureate students with respect to Likert's scale responses in all the domains (p < 0.02). The Spearman's rank correlation test revealed no association between the students' performance and their experiences with OSCE as an assessment tool for the end year clerkship exam.

Conclusions

The study results demonstrate that OSCE is an alternative and preferred method of evaluating the clinical skills and competencies of fifth year PharmD students in their end year clerkship exam in India.

Innovation

For the first time in India, the JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysuru, had successfully implemented the OSCE method for evaluating PharmD students' clerkship in their end year exam and had assessed their experiences about OSCE as an assessment tool.

A Cycle of Reinforcing Challenges and Ideas for Action in Experiential Settings

Evidence suggests that both pharmacy students and preceptors are struggling in the experiential setting. Underlying this phenomenon is a potential interconnected and cyclic set of behaviors being reinforced between students and preceptors. These behaviors can contribute to or are the result of higher levels of burnout and a decrease in the development of student clinical skills and subsequent performance on rotation. In this review, the authors investigate various challenges commonly encountered in the experiential environment. These challenges can range from an observed decrease in student engagement, motivation, and critical thinking skills to an increase in preceptor burnout and culture shifts in the clinical practice environments. These factors all ultimately impact patient care and overall student performance. For each challenge identified, strategies will be presented that can be implemented by students, preceptors, and pharmacy programs to break the cyclic pattern identified.

What's been trending with OSCEs in pharmacy education over the last 20 years? A bibliometric review and content analysis

BACKGROUND

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) remain an integral part of pharmacy education. This study aimed to characterize key researchers, areas, and themes in pharmacy education OSCEs using a bibliometric review with content analysis.

METHODS

A bibliometric review was conducted on literature from over 23 years from January 2000 to May 2023. Articles focusing on any type of OSCE research in pharmacy education in both undergraduate and postgraduate sectors were included. Articles were excluded if they were not original articles or not published in English. A summative content analysis was also conducted to identify key topics.

RESULTS

A total of 192 articles were included in the analysis. There were 242 institutions that contributed to the OSCE literature in pharmacy education, with the leading country being Canada. Most OSCE research came from developed countries and were descriptive studies based on single institution data. The top themes emerging from content analysis were student perceptions on OSCE station styles (n = 98), staff perception (n = 19), grade assessment of OSCEs (n = 145), interprofessional education (n = 11), standardized patients (n = 12), and rubric development and standard setting (n = 8).

IMPLICATIONS

There has been a growth in virtual OSCEs, interprofessional OSCEs, and artificial intelligence OSCEs. Communication rubrics and minimizing assessor variability are still trending research areas. There is scope to conduct more research on evaluating specific types of OSCEs, when best to hold an OSCE, and comparing OSCEs to other assessments.