Psychology students’ experiences of the objective structured clinical examination as an assessment of professional skills in psychologyShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Psychology Learning and Teaching, ISSN 1475-7257, Vol. 23, no 3, p. 390-404Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
A challenge for professional psychology programs is the assessment of students’ professional competence. Despite its potential, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has not gained widespread use in the psychological field. However, at Umeå University and Örebro University in Sweden, the OSCE has been introduced at the Clinical psychology programs to assess professional competence. The aim of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of whether and how, preparing for and performing the OSCE benefits their professional learning and prepares them for clinical practice. A web-based questionnaire was administered to 88 psychology students who completed the OSCE and field training. Most of the students perceived the OSCE as a valuable experience that benefits their learning. The OSCE prepared them for clinical practice through practical hands-on training, and by providing essential experience in client interaction, increasing students’ confidence in the role as a psychologist. Students also reported that feedback from the OSCE was crucial for their ongoing learning, but that the authenticity of the examination can be improved. Based on these findings, recommendations for future OSCEs in professional psychology include appropriate preparations, providing constructive feedback as well as striving for high authenticity in the tasks of the OSCE stations.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024. Vol. 23, no 3, p. 390-404
Keywords [en]
Assessment methods, formative assessment, professional education, professional psychology training, summative assessment
National Category
Applied Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-231234DOI: 10.1177/14757257241267101ISI: 001326592700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85205705647OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-231234DiVA, id: diva2:1908624
Funder
Umeå University, FS 2.1.6-344-192024-10-282024-10-282025-04-30Bibliographically approved