Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Oct 25;79(8):122.
doi: 10.5688/ajpe798122.

Evaluation of Clinical and Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Elizabeth M Urteaga  1 , Rebecca L Attridge  2 , John M Tovar  1 , Amy P Witte  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Clinical and Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Elizabeth M Urteaga et al. Am J Pharm Educ. .

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate how effectively pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists communicate and apply knowledge to simulations of commonly encountered patient scenarios using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design. Second-, third-, and fourth-year pharmacy students completed an OSCE as part of their required courses in 2012 and 2013. All students in both years completed identical OSCE cases. Licensed pharmacists were recruited to complete the OSCE and serve as controls in 2012. A survey assessed student perception and acceptance of the OSCE as well as student confidence in performance. Assessment. Licensed pharmacists had significantly higher clinical and communication skills scores than did pharmacy students. Student progression in communication and clinical skills improved significantly over time. Survey results indicated that students felt the OSCE was well-structured and assessed clinical skills taught in pharmacy school; 86% of students felt confident they could provide these skills. Conclusion. Objective structured clinical examinations can evaluate clinical competence and communication skills among professional students. Implementation of OSCEs may be an effective tool for assessment of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education domains.

Keywords: assessment; clinical skills; objective structured clinical examination; student performance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of Communication and Clinical Skills Scores between Students and Pharmacists (2012 OSCE Data).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of Students Progression in Communication, Clinical Skills, and Overall Performance between Academic Years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Medina MS, Plaza CM, Stove CD, et al. Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes 2013. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(8) Article 162. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sloan DA, Donnelly MB, Schwartz RW, Strodel WE. The objective structured clinical examination: The new gold standard for evaluating postgraduate clinical performance. Ann Surg. 1995;222(6):735–42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Levine HG, McGuire CH, Nattress LW. The validity of multiple choice achievement tests as measures of competence in medicine. Am Educ Res J. 1970;7:69–82.
    1. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and guidelines for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree. http://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/FinalS2007Guidelines2.0.pdf . Accessed July 13, 2014.
    1. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation standards and key elements for the professional program in pharmacy leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree. https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016DRAFTv60FIRSTRELEASEVERSI... . Accessed November 20, 2014.

LinkOut - more resources