Digital OSCEs by DOMINOS
“OSCEs test skills, but they also test nerves. DOMINOS turns that stress into confidence, making every challenge an opportunity to shine.“
Dr. Donia Bouzid, Coordinator of the DOMINOS Project
What is an OSCE?
The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a standardised assessment method widely used in medical education to evaluate students’ clinical competence. It is designed to assess not only medical knowledge, but also practical skills, clinical reasoning, communication abilities, and professional behaviour in a structured and objective manner.
OSCEs are commonly used at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and form an essential component of modern medical training and certification.
The primary objective of the OSCE is to evaluate a candidate’s ability to apply theoretical knowledge in real-life clinical situations. Unlike traditional written examinations, the OSCE focuses on performance-based assessment, ensuring that students can demonstrate essential clinical skills in a safe and controlled environment.
Through this format, OSCEs aim to:
– Promote patient-centred care
– Assess clinical competence in a standardized manner
– Ensure fairness and consistency across candidates
– Prepare students for real clinical practice
An OSCE consists of a circuit of multiple stations, each designed to assess a specific clinical skill or competency.
Key structural features include:
– A series of 10 to 20 stations, depending on the examination
– Each station lasting 5 to 10 minutes
– Clear written instructions provided before entering each station
– Timed rotations between stations, signalled by a bell or electronic system
Candidates progress through the stations sequentially, completing the required task at each one.
Clinical History-Taking
Candidates interact with trained standardised patients to obtain a focused and relevant medical history. Assessment focuses on communication skills, clinical reasoning, structure, and professionalism.
Physical Examination
Students perform targeted physical examinations, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, or neurological assessments. Examiners evaluate technique, organisation, patient safety, and accuracy.
Practical and Procedural Skills
These stations assess hands-on clinical procedures using models or simulators. Examples include venepuncture, catheterisation, and basic life support. Attention to safety, infection control, and correct technique is essential.
Communication and Ethical Scenarios
Candidates may be asked to explain diagnoses, obtain informed consent, or manage emotionally challenging situations. These stations assess empathy, clarity of communication, and ethical awareness.
Data Interpretation and Clinical Reasoning
Some stations require interpretation of clinical data such as laboratory results, imaging, or ECGs. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to identify key findings and propose appropriate management steps.
OSCEs are assessed using standardised marking schemes to ensure objectivity and consistency.
Marking typically includes:
– Structured checklists assessing key actions or competencies
– Global ratings reflecting overall clinical performance and safety
The emphasis is placed on safe practice, clear communication, and appropriate clinical decision-making rather than perfection.
OSCEs play a crucial role in medical education by encouraging the integration of knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes. They provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate readiness for clinical practice and to receive structured feedback on their performance.
By simulating real clinical encounters, OSCEs help bridge the gap between academic learning and patient care.
The OSCEs digitalisation by DOMINOS
The main purpose of DOMINOS is the digitalisation of pedagogical tools and spreding all around the world knowledge of a good quality, easily and freely accessible. The Work-Package (WP) 2 is dedicated to the digitalisation of OSCEs, also known as “Asynchronous Training”. The team is composed of 80 healthcare professionals from all over Europe and the WP2 is led by Dr. Valentine Ferré from Université Paris Cité.
Digital OSCEs follow the same rules and circuits than traditional OSCEs. One of the difference between traditional and digital OSCEs are the stations writting. DOMINOS plans the creation of a library of 400 OSCEs stations. To facilitate this intense work, DOMINOS teachers created a station blueprint for the Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy fields. The library is freely accessible to the participating and partner universities on the DOMINOS Moodle.
