Assessing clinical competencies using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in psychology training

ABSTRACT

Objective

Accurate and reliable assessment of clinical competencies in clinical psychology training requires the use of a range of assessment methods. In addition to traditional written assignments, exams, and clinical supervisor ratings, there is a growing recognition that objective and structured performance-based exams are also required. The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a well-established assessment method that involves a series of assessment stations in which students perform structured clinical tasks, mostly with simulated patients (SPs), while being independently rated by examiners. Several clinical psychology programmes in Australia have started conducting OSCE but descriptions of clinical psychology OSCE are lacking.

Method

In this paper, we describe the OSCE in four universities.

Results

Challenges, limitations, and practical issues of this form of assessment, in addition to similarities and differences between OSCE are explored. To promote best practice in the assessment of clinical competencies, we offer seven tips to clinical psychology trainers on setting up an OSCE for their programme.

Conclusion

The OSCE has the potential to improve the reliability, validity and authenticity of competency assessments in clinical psychology programmes. We hope these OSCE descriptions and tips will encourage programmes to introduce the OSCE and spur further research into this form of assessment.

KEY POINTS

(1) The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a well-established assessment method that can be applied to the clinical psychology training context.

(2) Four OSCE applied to clinical psychology training programs in Australia are described.

(3) Seven tips are offered to promote best practice in the assessment of clinical competencies using OSCE.

KEYWORDS:

• Authentic assessment
• clinical psychology training
• competency assessment
• objective structured clinical examinations
• OSCE
• standardised patients

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2021.1932452.

Additional information

Funding

The paper was partly supported by a Learning and Teaching Grant from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University.