A comparison of two different remote OSCEs during the COVID-19 pandemic: A candidate’s perspective

Abstract

The Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) and the European Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) exams are both well-renowned specialty qualifications that assess the competency of obstetricians and gynaecologists. In this article, an exam candidate shares his perspective on the changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite changing to an online format to allow candidates to take the exam remotely, the MRCOG Part 3 exam maintained its main exam structures: (1) simulated patient task to evaluate the candidates’ interactions with well-trained patients in a tele-interview: (2) structure discussion with the clinical examiners based on some certain topics. In contrast, the EBCOG has created a brand new structure to suit the online model to assess the candidates’ core clinical skills in broader aspects. Although it is unclear whether online exam will exist in future, this has been a unique experience for candidates during pandemic.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• OSCE
• discipline
• obstetrics and gynaecology
• learning outcomes
• clinical skills
• phase of education
• postgraduate

Disclosure statement

The author reports that there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the [Zhejiang Provincial Project for Education] under Grant [Y202249319].

Notes on contributors

Zixing Zhong

Zixing Zhong, MS, EFOG-EBCOG, is associated with Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China.