Virtual Learning and Assessment in Rheumatology Fellowship Training: Objective Structured Clinical Examination Revisited

Abstract

ObjectiveWith the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, an annual multi‐institutional face‐to‐face rheumatology objective structured clinical examination (ROSCE) was transformed into a virtual format. The educational goals of the virtual ROSCE (vROSCE) were to reproduce the educational value of the previous in‐person ROSCE, providing a valuable formative assessment of rheumatology training activities encompassing the 6 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies for fellows‐in‐training (FITs). This article describes the novel design, feasibility, and stakeholder value of a vROSCE.MethodsThrough an established collaboration of 5 rheumatology fellowship training programs, in February 2021, a vROSCE was created and conducted using a Zoom platform. Station development included learning objectives, FIT instructions, faculty proctor instructions, and a checklist by which to provide structured formative feedback. An anonymous, optional web‐based survey was sent to FIT participants to evaluate the experience.ResultsTwenty‐three rheumatology FITs from 5 institutions successfully rotated through 6 stations in the vROSCE. Immediate feedback was given to each FIT using standardized rubrics structured around ACGME core competencies. A total of 65% of FITs (15 of 23) responded to the survey, and 93% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the vROSCE was a helpful educational activity and identified individualized opportunities for improvement.ConclusionA vROSCE is an innovative, feasible, valuable, and well‐received educational technology tool. The vROSCE enriched rheumatology FITs’ education and offered collaborative learning experiences across institutions.