Student Dietitians' Perceptions and Experiences of Objective Structured Clinical Examination to Assess Communication...

Area of Science:

• Dietetics Education
• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Communication skills are fundamental for effective dietetic practice.
• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used for teaching and assessing these skills.
• Student dietitians' experiences with OSCEs are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate student dietitians' perceptions and experiences of OSCEs used for communication skills assessment.
• To identify specific domains of the OSCE experience that require improvement.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was administered to student dietitians before practice-based learning.
• The survey assessed five domains: preparedness, environment, fairness, authenticity, and assessment for learning using a Likert scale.
• Data from 130 students across four academic years were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Overall, student dietitians reported highly positive experiences with OSCEs, especially regarding assessment for learning (83.3%) and authenticity (80%).
• Fairness received the lowest positive experience score (50%).
• Younger students reported lower preparedness scores (60%) compared to older students (80%).

Conclusions:

• Student dietitians generally perceive OSCEs positively for communication skills assessment.
• Experiences are not uniformly positive across all domains, highlighting areas for development.
• Strategies to enhance preparedness and reduce anxiety associated with OSCEs in dietetics are necessary.