Dear Sir
I read with interest the article by Iblher et al. (Citation2015) who compared senior medical students and faculty members as examiners in an OSCE on medical emergencies. Third-year students were randomly assigned to either student-examiners or faculty-examiners in a seven-station OSCE. Higher scores were awarded by student-examiners in three stations and the “overall score”, whereas faculty-examiners awarded higher scores in one station. The authors conclude that student-examiners are feasible as assessors in a formative OSCE.
I am writing to raise concerns with certain aspects of this study. Firstly, it is unclear how the student-examiners were allocated to their respective OSCE station. Student-examiners need to revise and prepare the topic they will examine, in contrast to faculty-examiners who can rely on their experience. If allocated just prior to the OSCE, it is reasonable to assume student-examiners may have a limited understanding of their station and can only rely on previously taught knowledge. For example, in this study, faculty-examiners awarded higher scores in one station only: pediatric emergencies. Pediatric resuscitation is uncommonly taught at medical schools (Bhanji et al. Citation2011) which may have led to student-examiners being unaware of the steps involved and, consequently, awarding lower scores than warranted.
Secondly, there is little discussion as to why student-examiners awarded higher scores, compared to faculty-examiners. Student-examiners may feel that they “can’t be harsh” with their assessment of peers while they may be lenient while assessing acquaintances. It may also be a case of student-examiners avoiding criticism of their peers. Therefore, it’s worth reconsidering how useful student-examiners can be in a formative OSCE, which aim to offer a non-threatening environment for students to practice and receive honest feedback.
Although peer teaching offers significant benefits, it’s important to consider the pitfalls in using students as examiners, even in formative settings. I feel that the concept of student-examiner is simply not worth its salt.
Declaration of interest: The author reports no declarations of interest.
References
- Bhanji F, Gottesman R, de Grave W, Steinert Y, Winer L. 2011. Paediatric resuscitation training – Do medical students believe it should be a mandatory component of the curriculum? Resuscitation 82:584–587
- Iblher P, Zupanic M, Karsten J, Brauer K. 2015. May student examiners be reasonable substitute examiners for faculty in an undergraduate OSCE on medical emergencies? Med Teach 37: doi:10.3109/0142159X.2014.956056