Development and Implementation of a Virtual Clinical Skills Examination in General Psychiatry

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry Training
• Digital Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote administration of medical education assessments.
• Psychiatry programs adopted videoconferencing for Clinical Skills Evaluations (CSEs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of virtual CSEs in psychiatry residency programs.
• To assess participant perceptions of virtual CSEs for skill evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Virtual CSEs were conducted with 11 general psychiatry residents using teleconference software.
• Surveys with Likert scale questions assessed resident and faculty perceptions before and after the evaluations.

Main Results:

• All virtual CSEs were completed successfully, with high participant agreement on appropriateness for assessing patient health and resident skills.
• Most participants found that key interview components and risk assessments (suicidal/homicidal) were adequately evaluated.
• While initial training perceptions differed, most participants later found training adequate, and convenience increased, especially for faculty.

Conclusions:

• Virtual CSEs are a feasible and appropriate method for psychiatry residency training.
• Further research is recommended to identify specific skills for virtual CSEs and their limitations/benefits.