Structured Long Interview and Clinical Examination (SLICE) as Formative Assessment Tool in Clinical Clerkship:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment
• Formative Assessment

Background:

• Structured long interviews and clinical examinations are used for formative assessment in medical education.
• Understanding student perspectives on these assessment methods is crucial for optimizing their effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate medical students' views on structured long interviews and clinical examinations as a formative assessment tool.
• To identify student perceptions regarding the purpose, learning impact, timing, relevancy, and fairness of these assessments.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative, exploratory study involving final-year medical students at Islamic International Medical College, Pakistan.
• Four focus group discussions were conducted across Paediatrics, General Medicine, General Surgery, and Gynaecology and Obstetrics clerkships.
• Verbatim transcription of discussions followed by manual thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Thirty-two students participated, with eight in each of the four focus groups.
• Five major themes emerged: Purpose, Learning, Timing, Relevancy, and Fairness.
• Student feedback provided insights into the perceived strengths and areas for improvement of the assessment method.

Conclusions:

• Students generally perceived the structured long interview and clinical examination as effective for enhancing clinical skills learning.
• There was a consensus that these assessments should be conducted more frequently.
• Minor adjustments to the current format were suggested to further optimize the learning experience.