Medical student experience as simulated patients in the OSCE

Abstract

Sydney Medical School has recently introduced a practise, formative five-station Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for junior medical students, where senior medical students act as simulated patients (SPs). We sought to evaluate students' experiences and perceptions of acting as SPs in the practise OSCE. The study took place over 3 years from 2010 to 2012, with three cohorts of year-3 students invited to participate as SPs (n = 172). Student SPs took part in the OSCE, where stage-2 students (n = 169) were examined, and year-4 students acted as examiners. The student SPs completed a questionnaire regarding their experiences. Over the 3-year period, a total of 43/172 (25%) of all year-3 students took part in the programme. Student questionnaire results indicated a high level of engagement with their SP experience. Students perceived the activity to reinforce knowledge, provide insight into examination technique and develop professional attributes. Acting as SPs was perceived by students to provide a useful and engaging learning experience. It also has the potential to reduce logistical demands and costs on clinical schools with limited resources to run practise examinations.