Preparing candidates for a Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)

  • Cullen, K. (Contributor)
  • Laura Shannon (Presenter)
  • Caroline Lavery (Contributor)
  • Andrew Walker (Contributor)

Activity: Talk or presentation typesOral presentation

Description

Presenter(s): Dr Laura Shannon, Dr Caroline Lavery Author(s): Dr Laura Shannon, Queens University, Belfast; Dr Andrew Walker, Queens University Belfast; Dr Caroline Lavery, Queens University Belfast; Dr Kathy Cullen, Queens University Belfast

OSCEs are an objective tool used to assess medical student competencies in a simulated environment2, 3. Through emulating the clinician’s role they act as a conduit for students to simulate medical scenarios in a safe environment. We present a suite of resources aiming to help prepare students for the Clinical and Professional Skills (CPSA) aspect of the UK Medical Licensing Assessment by familiarising themselves with the format, environment and expected level of performance1.We have expanded existing resources, dictated by student feedback, to increase preparedness for assessments and provide vital clinical experience. Background: Junior doctors with an interest in medical education have been volunteering to tutor small groups of final-year students at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) for almost 50 years. In 2022, the QUB OSCE Library was first ‘opened’. Using a clearly-structured, standardised OSCE template, junior doctors designed and authored stations. These were submitted to the Lead Internal Medical Trainee (IMT) doctors for editing and subsequent addition to an online repository of stations, accessible by any QUB medical student. Content, relevance and structure were checked by the Final Year Assessment Lead. Results/Conclusion: In 2023, a further dimension was added. Several CPSA-level OSCE stations have been recorded using simulated patients with junior doctors enacting the roles of the ‘student’ and ‘examiner’. These additions to the OSCE Library will allow students to have a greater insight into what to expect in their CPSA.1 UK universities must demonstrate how they prepare students for the CPSA.1 We present the OSCE Library as a useful tool. Reference(s): 1. General Medical Council. (2019). Requirements for the MLA Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment. [Online]. GMC. Available at: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/mla-cpsa-requirements-_pdf-84742729.pdf | 2. Gormley, G. (2011). Summative OSCEs in undergraduate medical education. Ulster Med J. 80 (3), 127–132 | 3. Zayyan, M. (2011). Objective Structured Clinical Examination: The Assessment of Choice. Oman Med J. 26 (4), 219–222
Period12 Jul 2023
Event titleAssociation for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) July 2023 Conference: Developing a diverse workforce
Event typeConference
LocationUnited KingdomShow on map
Degree of RecognitionNational