Objective and subjective consequences of pandemic-related study program changes for the perception of the practical year - a comparison of medical students in Germany with and without a second national board examination.

Background: Due to SARS-CoV-2, the Bavarian Ministry of Health decided in April 2020 to postpone the second national board examination in human medicine and to bring forward the start of the practical year (in German: Praktisches Jahr, further abbreviated with PJ) from May to April 2020. The different tertial times made it necessary for affected students to reorganise the PJ and rendered the preparation for the national board examination that had already taken place obsolete. As a result, students had to prepare for it again after the PJ and take it together with the third national board examination. Research question: How do students affected by the early PJ differ in their perception of the practical year and in their psychological well-being from the comparison groups with a regular PJ schedule? Methodology: The study is based on quantitative data from the Dean of Studies Office of the Medical Faculty of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and an online survey. The sample consists of LMU students who started the early PJ in April 2020 (n=86) and two comparison groups: The cohort of LMU students who started their PJ regularly in May 2019 (n=50), and students from other German universities who started their PJ regularly in May 2020 (n=98) and took the second national board examination in human medicine in spring 2020. Results: For students affected by the early PJ, there were measurable negative effects on the choice of training institutions, the quality of the PJ content, preparation for the national board examinations, and career planning. Compared to regular students from other federal states, affected students reported higher psychological stress, with comparable resilience. Conclusion: It can be assumed that the insights gained apply to the entirety of medical students in the affected federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. As a conclusion, we make the recommendation to include the position of the students in decisions of great consequence.

Assessing the online objective structured clinical examinations in urology qualifying exam for urology residents in Indonesia during COVID-19 time.

This project aimed to assess the Online National Board of Urology Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) feasibility in evaluating candidates simultaneously from five urology training centers in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from two online OSCE simulation trials and the Online National Board of Urology OSCE. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess examiners and candidates' perception. The average final score of the Online OSCE was compared to previous face-to-face OSCE results. All candidates and examiners (100%) heard and saw clearly the audio-visual in both OSCE simulation trials. None of the candidates had a failing score on the mock exam from all stations. There was a statistically significant difference between the online OSCE and December 2019 face-to-face OSCE. The Online National Board Urology OSCE was feasible and comparable to face-to-face OSCE in evaluating urology candidates. It may be beneficial for the future OSCE method in the medical education system.•Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) which assesses a broad range of urology candidates' high-level clinical skills, is a more valid and reliable assessment instrument than the traditional oral examination•The Online National Board of Urology OSCE method can help evaluate urology candidates, especially during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis of Results After Introduction of X Type Questions / 医学教育

X type questions have been used for the national medical licensing examination since 1997. At Tsukuba University, X type questions have been used since 1996. We compared X typeand K type questions on the basis of the percentage of correct answers and discrimination power. The average percentage of correct answers was 68.2% for K type questions and 53.1% for X type questions. However, the average discrimination power was +0.227 for K type questions and +0.257 for X type questions. These results indicate that X type questions are more difficult and are suitable for achievement tests. The estimated knowledge quantity was 2.04 for K type questions and 2.32 for X type questions. This suggests that the person writing the questions decreased the essential difficulty of X type questions.

Neurology Teaching in Nursing Education / 医学教育

Integration of instruction and more well-rounded curriculum are needed owing to the increasing specialization of nursing education.<BR>In this study we evaluated the teaching of clinical neurology in nursing education from various viewpoints.<BR>1) The clinical neurology curriculum at the Tokyo Women's Medical College School of Nursing for the past 20 years and the results of examinations given at the school.<BR>2) The frequency of test questions on basic and clinical neurology in the past 15 years on the national nursing license examination.<BR>3) Questionnaires on the teaching of clinical neurology filled out by student nurses. Conclusions:<BR>Most nursing students consider the neuroanatomy and pathophysiology of neurologic disorders to be extremely important subjects, while others feel that clinical neurology is difficult to understand.<BR>In the future, the number of elderly persons will increase more rapidly, and highly specialized neurologic teaching will be required in nursing schools.

Qualitative Analysis of the Objective "X2 Type" Question in the New National Board Examination of Japan / 医学教育

It is well known that even examinees with incomplete knowledge can figure out the correct answer on an objective test. The Examination Committee of the Ministry of Health concluded that objective tests using answer code (K type questions) can not adequately evaluate an examinee's knowledge. For this reason, the Committee recommended using X2 or X3 type questions on the national board examination instead of K type questions. The X2 type question is a multiple true-false method of testing with 2 true and 3 false items.<BR>I believe that the Committee has been mislead, since the X2 type question is really a test with ten answer codes, and an examinee with incomplete knowledge can still figure out the correct answer for it.

Quantitative Analysis of the Objective "X2 Type" Question in the New National Board Examination of Japan / 医学教育

The X2 type question consists of a multiple true-false method of testing, with 2 true and 3 false items. Its standard score rate is 56.6%, and its accidental score rate is 10%. Since the standard score rate of the present national board examination is almost 71%, the number of unsuccessful examinees will increase when the X2 type question is used while maintaining the same passing mark. Quantitative analysis shows that the score rate of X2 type questions is determined mostly by correct thinking on the most difficult true item and the most difficult false item. These results are important to the development of future examinations using X2 type questions.