Abstract
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic lockdown precluded face-to-face final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in the UK.ResultsIn response, we rapidly developed and then successfully implemented a novel Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE).ConclusionsIn this article we both describe and reflect on our experience as well as discuss the implications for future undergraduate assessment as the situation evolves.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK precluded our planned face-to-face final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)
The use of multiple stations and examiners was retained from the OSCE format for reliability purposes
Coordination and collaboration proved to be key to the smooth execution of our inaugural Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE); the circuits ran to time, with examiners maintaining a socially distanced ‘chain’ around stations
Summary
Main text The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK precluded our planned face-to-face final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE). We required a high-stakes summative clinical examination to demonstrate competence among medical students who had raised concerns in previous clinical attachments. We conceived, developed and successfully implemented a novel Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE) using videotelephony through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform (ZoomTM).
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