On May 26-27, the School of Pharmacy introduced a summative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a new competency-based assessment for final-year PharmD students. This rigorous examination required students to rotate through several stations on a timed basis, encountering a variety of simulated tasks and performing specific functions at each station.
The OSCE comprised both interactive and non-interactive stations. At interactive stations, students engaged with standardized patients, carers, or healthcare professionals, with a trained examiner evaluating their performance using a standardized marking key. In contrast, non-interactive stations required written responses, which were assessed without direct observation.
The OSCE stations covered a wide range of competencies essential for pharmacy practice, including:
o Patient Care
o Professional Collaboration and Teamwork
o Ethical, Legal, and Professional Responsibilities
o Drug, Therapeutic, and Practice Information
o Communication and Education
o Drug Distribution
o Management Principles
In Hospital Clerkship I, the summative OSCE included 14 stations: 11 non-interactive and 3 interactive. For Hospital Clerkship II, the exam expanded to 19 stations: 13 non-interactive and 6 interactive. These stations were meticulously designed to test a diverse array of skills and competencies, such as:
Communication: Effectively communicate drug-related information.
Patient Counselling: Provide guidance and support to patients regarding their medications.
History-Taking: Accurately gather patient histories.
Problem-Solving: Identify drug-related problems and design appropriate pharmaceutical care plans.
Problem Identification and Prioritisation: Recognize and prioritize patient issues.
Dose Conversions and Clinical Calculation: Perform accurate dose conversions and clinical calculations, particularly in cases of renal dysfunction.
Data Retrieval: Extract relevant information from various medical charts.
Laboratory Data Interpretation: Analyze and interpret laboratory data.
Legislative and Prescribing Errors: Identify errors related to legislation and prescriptions.
Medical Device Techniques: Demonstrate the correct use of medical devices.
Ethical Dilemmas: Navigate real-world pharmacy ethical dilemmas.
Case-Based Discussion: Engage in discussions based on specific cases.
Medication Consultation: Conduct thorough medication consultations.
Medication Review: Review and assess patient medications.
Physician-Pharmacist Discussion: Collaborate with physicians to identify and resolve patient problems.