OSCEs in Japanese postgraduate clinical training Hiroshima experience 2000—2009

AbstractBackground:  Hiroshima University Hospital used the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a formative and summative assessment tool to evaluate trainees’ competence.Aim:  To reflect on Hiroshima University Hospital experience of OSCEs in postgraduate training in terms of OSCE structure and trainees’ perception of the OSCE they attended.Methods:  A total 27 OSCEs implemented in Hiroshima University Hospital from 2000 to 2009 were examined. The OSCE in postgraduate training, Hiroshima University Hospital, was influenced by many factors from organisational and pedagogical perspectives, and changed to meet social and curriculum needs. At each OSCE, all examinees were required to answer an anonymous questionnaire, which consisted of ten checklists, just after their experience of OSCE.Results:  Five hundred and forty trainees who attended each OSCE were required to answer a questionnaire and 510 were returned (94.4%). In the comparison between formative and summative OSCEs, the number of trainees who answered “the OSCE is meaningful” in formative OSCE was significantly higher than that in summative OSCE (P < 0.001). In the comparison between before and after the 2006/2007 academic year, trainees who indicated that OSCEs were meaningful increased after 2006/2007 (P < 0.05), and trainees who felt they were evaluated appropriately by these OSCEs increased after 2006/2007 (P < 0.01).Conclusion:  Trainees viewed OSCEs positively and appreciated their effectiveness from a pedagogical perspective, and OSCE positively affected the trainees’ approach to learning. A ten‐year process of OSCE change has helped with educational reforms because of its adaptability. Flexible attitudes to change are necessary for stakeholders to achieve the desired reforms.