4. Implementation and challenges of Objective Structure Clinical Examination after clinical clerkship / 医学教育

<p>　The author is involved in the management of Objective Structure Clinical Examination (OSCE) for Common Achievement Tests to be implemented prior to a clinical clerkship. In this study, we discuss how to develop questions for students who will receive OSCE after a clinical clerkship, as well as potential challenges in the introduction and management of its examination system. Finally, we consider the short-term future of clinical education, given the actual situation where a specialty-specific accreditation system has been introduced according to global standards, and medical education focused on medical professionalism is being offered.</p>

Fatigue among Medical Students in a Trial of Computer-based Testing for Common Achievement Tests / 医学教育

We investigated the degree of fatigue among medical students during the second trial of the Common Achievement Tests, which use a computer-based testing (CBT) method. A revised questionnaire for subjective fatigue symptoms proposed by the Industrial Fatigue Research meeting of the Japan Society for Occupational Health was used to examine the degree of fatigue. The CBT examinee group (n=41) sat for the examination for 6 hours using video display terminals. Significant changes were seen in 19 of the 25 items for subjective symptoms. At the end of the test period, significant differences between the CBT examinee group and the lecture participant group (n=50) were found for 15 of the items for subjective symptoms. Subjective symptoms were classified into 5 categories: sleepiness, instability, displeasure, feeling languid, and blurred vision. In the CBT examinee group, rates of symptoms increased significantly in all 5 categories. The increase in the rate of “blurred vision” was especially marked.

A Preliminary Validation of Computer-Based Testing by the Common Achievement Tests Organization in Japan: An Early Report / 医学教育

The Common Achievement Tests Organization performed the first nationwide trial of computer-based testing (CBT) used to assess students entering the clinical phase of medical education. Seventy-seven medical schools participated in the trial. We compared performance on the national CBT with performance on preclinical tests administered at Gifu University School of Medicine. Despite some methodologic differences between the national CBT and our system, the overall results correlated well. Students who did poorly on the national CBT also did poorly on Gifu University's preclinical test. Correlation of these two performance scales suggests that nationwide CBT could be used to accurately assess preclinical skills.