Oral ‘Board Style' Examination for Surgery Clerkship

Abstract

Evaluating medical students during surgical clerkships relies on multifactorial methods of evaluation. Clinical evaluations, combined with standardized multiple-choice exams, are often the foundation of evaluation highlighting the challenge of combining subjective and objective measurements. Oral board exams are standard amongst medical certification and employ an additional element to evaluate students more holistically. Course evaluations from years that incorporated an oral board exam were compared to a year that omitted the exam. We found course satisfaction was higher in the years that included the oral exam (3.25 /5) than years without the oral board exam (3/ 5). The oral exam adds a novel element to the evaluation of a medical student that allows for a comprehensive understanding of a student’s fund of knowledge and helps prepare them for future board certifications. Because students have an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge in a standard, more comprehensive format, they have higher satisfaction with the course.