Review of Objective Structured Clinical Examination Practices Within Pharmacy Programs Throughout the United States

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are vital for evaluating clinical competency in healthcare professions.
• Pharmacy education in the US has seen a growing adoption of OSCEs to assess student performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document current OSCE practices in US pharmacy schools.
• To identify challenges hindering the implementation and broader use of OSCEs in pharmacy curricula.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to all accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs in the United States.
• Data collected included curricular integration, OSCE design, delivery, assessment, and barriers to implementation.

Main Results:

• 81% of surveyed programs utilize OSCEs, with significant institutional variation in implementation and frequency.
• Most programs incorporate OSCEs into specific courses, often as high-stakes assessments; resource limitations are key barriers to expansion.
• Over half of programs use OSCEs for formative learning, highlighting their dual role in assessment and education.

Conclusions:

• OSCE adoption has significantly increased in pharmacy education over the past decade.
• Widespread variability exists in how OSCEs are implemented and utilized across programs.
• Despite established best practices in other health fields, standardized OSCE best practices have not been widely adopted in pharmacy education.