Afra Arghavan, Seneysel Bachari Shima, Ban Maryam
Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran.
Department of Anesthesia, School of Nursing, Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran.
Anesth Pain Med. 2025 Jan 18;15(1):e155251. doi: 10.5812/aapm-155251. eCollection 2025 Feb 28.
The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is an appropriate method for assessing clinical competency among students in universities worldwide. With nowadays technological advances, there is a growing interest in virtual OSCEs (VOSCEs).
The present study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a VOSCE for assessing anesthesia students' clinical competency.
This quasi-experiment study was conducted in six phases: (1) Defining the exam's specifications and design, (2) determining validity and reliability, (3) setting up and conducting a pilot VOSCE, (4) familiarizing students with the VOSCE, (5) administering the exam, and (6) evaluating and providing feedback. Seventy-five senior anesthesia students from Abadan University of Medical Sciences were selected by census and participated in this study between 2021 and 2023. The scores of virtual and in-person OSCEs were compared, and the correlation between the two exams was investigated. At the end of each semester, students participated in a survey related to the VOSCE. The exam results and survey data were presented at the faculty's educational development office meetings, and suggestions for amending and eliminating shortcomings were considered in the following semester. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20 by calculating means, standard deviations, and Pearson's correlation.
The students' mean scores in the virtual and in-person OSCEs were 17.68 and 16.75, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the scores of the two exams. The total score of the VOSCE had a direct and significant correlation with the in-person OSCE (r = 0.861, P < 0.001), and this correlation was also observed in all stations of both exams (P < 0.05). Student surveys indicated that the VOSCE fostered a sense of empowerment, self-confidence, and enhanced learning, causing students to express strong agreement with its continuation in the future.
The VOSCE can be an appropriate substitute for or an integral part of the in-person OSCE. It is recommended that educational planners and instructors develop this exam as a new assessment method. Given advances in technology and the requirement for improving the quality of virtual exams, professors need to be empowered in the field of modern electronic assessment methods.
客观结构化临床考试（OSCE）是评估全球大学生临床能力的一种合适方法。随着当今技术的进步，人们对虚拟OSCE（VOSCE）的兴趣日益浓厚。
本研究旨在设计、实施和评估一种用于评估麻醉专业学生临床能力的VOSCE。
本准实验研究分六个阶段进行：（1）确定考试规格和设计，（2）确定有效性和可靠性，（3）设置并进行VOSCE试点，（4）让学生熟悉VOSCE，（5）进行考试，（6）评估并提供反馈。从阿瓦士医科大学选取了75名高年级麻醉专业学生进行普查，他们于2021年至2023年参与了本研究。比较了虚拟OSCE和现场OSCE的成绩，并研究了两次考试之间的相关性。在每个学期末，学生参加了一项与VOSCE相关的调查。考试结果和调查数据在学院教育发展办公室会议上公布，并在接下来的学期考虑修改和消除缺点的建议。使用SPSS 20通过计算均值、标准差和皮尔逊相关性来分析数据。
学生在虚拟OSCE和现场OSCE中的平均成绩分别为17.68和16.75。两次考试成绩之间未观察到显著差异。VOSCE的总成绩与现场OSCE有直接且显著的相关性（r = 0.861，P < 0.001），并且在两次考试的所有考站中也观察到了这种相关性（P < 0.05）。学生调查表明，VOSCE增强了自主感、自信心并促进了学习，使学生强烈同意在未来继续采用。
VOSCE可以是现场OSCE的合适替代方式或其组成部分。建议教育规划者和教师将此考试开发为一种新的评估方法。鉴于技术进步以及提高虚拟考试质量的要求，教授们需要在现代电子评估方法领域获得授权。
