DEVELOPMENT OF AN OBJECTIVE STRUCTURED SKILL EXAMINATION IN PHYSIOLOGY EDUCATION

Abstract

The efficacy of objective structured skill examination (OSSE) was evaluated as a new and useful examination. The second grade students at Kinki University Faculty of Medicine were prospectively eligible. Students took problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials in addition to classroom lectures and laboratory practice in each session. The sessions were on: cardiac, circulation, hematological, and renal systems. At the end of each session, students took the paper examination as a part of conventional evaluation. After all sessions, OSSE was performed to evaluate the students’ performance. The technical skills evaluated in OSSE were as follows: electrocardiogram recording, blood pressure measuring, use of centrifuge, pipette technique, hematocrit measurement, urinary specific gravity determination, and measurement of urine volume. One order sheet and the experimental apparatus for OSSE were positioned at each station and students terminate the maneuver in 2 min. The score from OSSE was compared to that from the conventional evaluation. Significant positive correlation was not observed. More than half of the students considered OSSE to be meaningful. In conclusion, we developed a new structured examination to objectively assess the students' technical skills in laboratory practice. Key words: curriculum reform, laboratory practice, objective structured skill examination, physiology.