A Collaborative Objective Structured Clinical Examination Project at Three Medical Schools in Mexico

Abstract

Purpose: The logistical and human resource challenges of implementing Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) impede its widespread use in resource-constrained medical schools. The goal of this study is to describe a multi-school collaboration, its processes and scholarly products.
Methods: Three Mexican medical schools obtained a grant from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Latin American Awards Program. The project involved the development of a formative OSCE to assess clinical competence in undergraduate medical students at the end of internship, and to obtain validity evidence for its use. A formal consortium was created to develop and share OSCE stations. Faculty development workshops were implemented.
Results: A nine-station OSCE was designed by the three schools’ consortium. A total of 81 examiners and 36 standardized patients were trained. A rubric was developed, and a software application created to capture the data. The test was used with 93 medical students. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94 and G-coefficient 0.80. Several scholarly products were created.
Conclusions: In resource-limited countries, the shared development and use of OSCE stations is a viable option for medical schools. International organizations can be successful catalyzers for implementing complex testing methods in developing countries. The products can be shared with other medical schools in the country and Latin America.