Learner perception of oral and written examination

Authors: Sean P Kelly Scott G Weiner Philip D Anderson Julie Irish Greg Ciottone Riccardo Pini Stefano Grifoni Peter Rosen Kevin M Ban

Publish Date: 2010/02/05

Volume: 3, Issue: 1, Pages: 21-26

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Abstract

There are an increasing number of training programs in emergency medicine involving different countries or cultures Many examination types both oral and written have been validated as useful assessment tools around the world but learner perception of their use in the setting of crosscultural training programs has not been describedTwentyfour physicians in a crosscultural training program were surveyed to determine learner perception of four different examination methods structured oral case simulations multiplechoice tests semistructured oral examinations and essay tests We also describe techniques used and barriers facedThere was a 100 response rate Learners reported that all testing methods were useful in measuring knowledge and clinical ability and should be used for accreditation and future training programs They rated oral examinations as significantly more useful than written in measuring clinical abilities p  001 Compared to the other three types of examinations learners ranked oral case simulations as the most useful examination method for assessing learners’ fund of knowledge and clinical ability p  001Physician learners in a crosscultural international training program perceive all four written and oral examination methods as useful but rate structured oral case simulations as the most useful method for assessing fund of knowledge and clinical abilityMedical educators around the world have successfully used many different methods of assessing learners both written and oral 1 Multiplechoice and essay examinations have been a mainstay at every level of medical education in many countries Additionally there is a growing body of evidence that oral examinations including case simulations in particular can be important assessment tools in medical education 2 3 4

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