Enhancing Clinical Competencies Through Peer Role-Play in Oncology Graduate Students: Mixed Methods Study

Clinical competency is essential for oncology students to deliver high-quality patient care. However, traditional teaching methods may not fully support the development of critical skills such as communication, empathy, and clinical judgment. Peer role-play has emerged as a promising approach to bridge these gaps by enhancing interpersonal and diagnostic competencies within clinical settings.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of peer role-play in developing clinical competencies among oncology graduate students during their clinical rotation.

This study involves 70 first-year oncology graduate students from Affiliated Cancer Guangzhou Medical University Cancer Hospital in a 3-month clinical rotation within the department of oncology from January 2022 to December 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to either a peer role-play group (n=35) or a traditional teaching group (n=35), ensuring balanced gender and baseline competencies. The role-play group engaged in a structured curriculum that included case presentation, classroom instruction, and weekly role-play sessions, with debriefing and feedback sessions following each role-play. The traditional teaching group adhered to a standard curriculum without role-play exercises. Assessments included a baseline oncology theory exam, Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise for clinical competency evaluation, and a satisfaction survey for the role-play group.

Baseline theory exam scores were comparable between the 2 groups (P=.08). However, the peer role-play group demonstrated significant improvements in doctor-patient communication, medical history taking, clinical judgment, and overall clinical competence compared to the traditional teaching group (P<.05). Furthermore, students in the role-play group reported high levels of satisfaction, citing scenario realism, communication practice opportunities, and feedback quality as key benefits.

This study indicates that peer role-play is an effective educational approach for developing clinical competencies in oncology graduate students, particularly in communication, empathy, and clinical reasoning. Role-play provides an engaging and practical learning experience, making it a valuable addition to clinical training programs aimed at enhancing patient-centered care skills in students.