Introduction of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Speech and Language Therapy Education: Student Perspectives

Abstract

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has an established history of assessing clinical competence for medical and allied healthcare professionals. No research has investigated the use of the OSCE within speech and language therapy undergraduate education. This study aimed to evaluate undergraduate speech and language therapy students’ perceptions of the OSCE and to determine if perceptions differed depending on stage of undergraduate education. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> An online survey was distributed to second- and final-year students in a 4-year undergraduate speech and language therapy university programme after completing an OSCE. Quantitative survey data were analysed descriptively and statistically using Fisher’s exact tests. Thematic analysis was used to analyse narrative survey comments. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The response rate was 80%. The students perceived the OSCE to be a fair (95%) and meaningful way (97%) of assessing clinical competencies, which provided them with greater confidence for practice (91%). The OSCE was deemed to be less stressful than a written exam (65%). No significant differences were observed between second- and fourth-year students’ perceptions. Five major themes included clarity of expectations, time allocated, consistency between examiners, influence on student learning, and personal impact. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> The survey findings suggest that undergraduate speech and language therapy students across different stages of education and different clinical contexts perceive the OSCE as a fair and meaningful assessment approach. This study provides initial evidence that the OSCE is suitable for assessing clinical competencies specific to the profession of speech and language therapist.

Dil ve konuşma terapisi lisans öğrencilerinin yatak başı yutma değerlendirilmesine yönelik bilgilerinin incelenmesi

“…Bu anket araştırmacılar tarafından alanyazın taranarak oluşturulmuştur. [12][13][14][15] Anket üç bölümden oluşmaktadır. İlk bölümde demografik özelliklere yönelik sorular yöneltilmiştir.…”

Dil ve Konuşma Terapistlerinin Yatak Başı Yutma Değerlendirmesine Yönelik Bilgilerinin İncelenmesi

“…Yutma terapisinin doğru bir şekilde gerçekleştirilebilmesi adına DKT'nin uyguladığı Yatak Başı Yutma Değerlendirmesi (YBYD) seçimi önem taşımaktadır (Pettigrew & O'Toole, 2007;Jelvani, 2013;Coyle, 2015;Quigley & Regan, 2021).…”

“…DKT'nin aletsel yutma değerlendirmesi öncesinde YBYD ile hastayı değerlendirmesi gerekmektedir. Bunun için YBYD ile ilgili doğru bilgilere ulaşması gerekmektedir(Pettigrew & O'Toole, 2007;Jelvani, 2013;Coyle, 2015; Topbaş ve ark., 2020;Quigley & Regan, 2021). Katılımcıların %50'den fazlası YBYD bilgi sorularının sekiz tanesine doğru yanıt Ebersole (2018), DKT ve hemşirelerin disfajiye müdahale sürecinde ortaklaşa hareket etmesinin önemli olduğunu ifade etmiştir.…”