The evaluation procedure termed the Objective
Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was first
described in the mid seventies1 and has been
increasingly recommended by medical educationists
ever since, as an objective method of assessing
clinical competence. From year 2000 the Post
Graduate Institute of Medicine in Colombo
introduced the Objective Structured Clinical
Examination for the MD (Paediatrics) entry point
examination, as a method of selecting trainees into
the programme leading to Board Certification as
paediatricians. Accepted as an educational advance
this type of clinical assessment has been incorporated
into the undergraduate courses of most medical
schools in Sri Lanka. What is the rationale behind
this form of evaluation and what challenges do
examiners and candidates face in this process?
The evaluation procedure termed the Objective
Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was first
described in the mid seventies1
and has been
increasingly recommended by medical educationists
ever since, as an objective method of assessing
clinical competence. From year 2000 the Post
Graduate Institute of Medicine in Colombo
introduced the Objective Structured Clinical
Examination for the MD (Paediatrics) entry point
examination, as a method of selecting trainees into
the programme leading to Board Certification as
paediatricians. Accepted as an educational advance
this type of clinical assessment has been incorporated
into the undergraduate courses of most medical
schools in Sri Lanka. What is the rationale behind
this form of evaluation and what challenges do
examiners and candidates face in this process?
