Student’s Perception and Its Relevance to Clinical Practice as Compared with Traditional Ospes

.. Objectives: To assess first year MBBS students’ perceptions regarding Integrated Performance Assessment and its relevance to clinical practice as compared with traditional OSPEs. Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: Al Nafees Medical College, Isra University, Islamabad. Period: Final week of First year MBBS students’ professional exam held in November 2013. Methodology: Both interactive and static stations were developed according to predetermined assessment blueprint. Clinical scenarios were used as triggers followed by tasks relating to laboratory skills and or relevant physical examination on standardized subjects. Two to three tasks were given at each station. Checklists for standardized marking of observed stations were also developed. Feedback questionnaire was given to find out overall perception of students regarding this assessment process at the end of examination. The questionnaire comprised of 18 statements to be rated on 5-point Likert scale. Results: Almost all the students agreed that Integrated Performance Assessment was better than traditional OSPEs. 73% of students agreed that stations were well organized and 83.4% showed that the time duration for task completion was appropriate. 75% agreed that stations reflected integration of various disciplines. 64 % were of the opinion that basic science knowledge was linked to clinical practice. 72.1% were of the opinion that it involved critical thinking in clinical context. However, students suggested improving further in organization and integration of stations. Conclusion: Students perceived IPA as a better tool of assessing application of basic science concepts and its clinical relevance in integrated curriculum format.