BOSTON UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTIONAL
INNOVATION CONFERENCE
Friday, March 2, 2012
Presented By:
Mark S. Ferriero, BA, DDS, MAGD
Clinical Associate Professor
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental
Medicine
Department of General Dentistry
ferriero@bu.edu
Purely objective exams (e.g. case-based or context-free
MCQs) have been a constant, a staple in education for
decades. In clinically-oriented educational
environments (e.g. medical, dental, pharmacy, PT),
additional/adjunct testing styles are quite beneficial,
even necessary for success. OSCE (Objective
Structured Clinical Examination) testing, in one form
or another, has been used in medical school education
worldwide for over 100 years. In dental education, this
style of exam has been used predominantly in the
study of Gross Anatomy. Students are asked
questions based on visual cues or markers on human
cadavers (e.g. "Identify this nerve." or "What is the
insertion point of this muscle?"). In recent years, dental
education has benefited greatly from the OSCE.
By way of definition, style and design explanation,
example, and Q & A, I propose to enlighten/inspire other
educators in this testing medium. There is much to be
learned through correctly processing and responding, in a
timed fashion, to simple visual, multi-media, and medialike cues/information/stimuli (e.g. an X-ray, a song, a
phlebotomy video, a painting, National Licensure Testing
question). I have been using the OSCE for over 6 years in
my Pre-Doctoral Occlusion course in the dental school with
much positive feedback. Students' resultant clinical
comprehension and NDBE (National Dental Board
Examination) success in this discipline have greatly
improved. The National Dental Examining Board of
Canada (NDEB) utilizes the OSCE as 50% of its licensure
examination. OSCEs can be administered & evaluated on
the web (e.g. Blackboard 8)
Candidates are assessed using exactly
the same stations or cues with the same
marking scheme. Candidates get
marks/points for each step that they
perform/answer correctly. This makes
the assessment of clinical skills more
objective rather than subjective.
Stations/cues have specific tasks.
Where simulated patients are used,
detailed scripts are provided to all
candidates, including emotional data.
Instructions are carefully written/spoken
to ensure that candidates are given
specific tasks to complete or questions to
answer. The OSCE is carefully designed
to include all elements of the curriculum.
An OSCE is designed to apply
clinical and theoretical
knowledge. Where theoretical
knowledge is required,
questions are standardized.
DEFINITION:
An OSCE is a modern type of examination
often used in the health sciences (e.g.
medicine, chiropractic, PT, radiography,
nursing, pharmacy, dentistry) to test clinical
skill performance and competence in skills
such as communication, clinical
examination, medical procedures,
prescription-writing, manipulation
techniques, and interpretation of results.
6
¹ONLY 5% of Pharmacy Students in the
USA take OSCE Prep Study Courses!
An OSCE comprises a series of short, timed
stations or visual cues. Candidates respond
objectively. All candidates take the same exam.
This is an improvement over traditional exams
because stations are standardized enabling
fairer comparison. Complex procedures,
techniques, etc. can be assessed without
endangering patients (if applicable) or requiring
the use of multiple cues.
²Which of the following is the most likely anatomical
structure/diagnosis for the radiographic entity shown?
A. Normal tooth
B. Developing root apex
C. Hypercementosis
D. Tooth fracture
E. Periapical cemento-osseous dysplasia
F. Complex Odontoma
G. Dens invaginatus/dens-in-dente
H. Ameloblastoma
WHAT MANDIBULAR
POSITION IS
SEEN IN THESE FULL
DENTURES?
1. IDENTIFY THIS PIECE
OF EQUIPMENT.
2. LIST 3 OF ITS USES.
ADEA
All indicators point to the validity, efficacy, and
even necessity of the OSCE as a critically
important, versatile evaluation tool in clinical
sciences & other arenas of education. An OSCE
comprises 50% of the National Dental &
Pharmacy Boards of Canada. The State of
Minnesota now accepts the NDEB of Canada for
dental licensure. Nonetheless, OSCEs seem
mysterious and under-utilized. Competency
Based Education (CBE), as indicated by the
ADEA, is predicated on their stylized and
integrated use.