Abstract
Aims and objectives: In this article we aim to sharing and exchanging experiences at all levels of applying objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), to reduce trial and errors cost inefficiencies and to help and accelerate the acceptance the new comers to this assessment tool.
Setting and Methods: The department of surgery, faculty of medicine, Umm-Alqura University Makkah adopting OSCE as an essential tool of assessment in fourth, fifth and sixth years, from the first batch of the students (1420H/1999/2000).
It was first held in may 2000 (batch I-21 students) and the numbers gradually increasing, till it reached 146 students in 2007 (batch 7). During these seven years experience of running the examinations we have run till now more than twenty five consecutive OSCE examinations, and sometime quadruplicated, which have been continuously evaluated and reviewed with the help of our external examiners. We are always refining the process and content with some development of new and innovative implementation, the department has improved the process and contents of OSCE.
Lessons learned and conclusions: A well-organized OSCE requires significant investment in terms of planning, resources and enthusiasm, but can have potentially beneficial impacts on the assessments tools especially in big number of candidates. However OSCE is a very good adjunct tool of assessment, and can be used in multicentric ways for big number of candidates, but also has its limitations and should be combined with other forms of assessment, which may be more valid and comprehensive to test competencies not easily tested within the OSCE format.