Design and Implementation of a Video-based Clinical Examination

Abstract

Objectives: To (1) describe the development of a Video-based Clinical Examination (VCE) as a formal testing format to evaluate student ability to make an accurate pharmaceutical assessment and recommendation, and (2) determine student perception of the VCE testing format. Methods: Descriptive study of first-year pharmacy students. Results: One hundred and twenty-nine students were included in the study. Students perceived that the VCE testing format provided a real life/interactive environment but felt rushed as the video segments of the patient/pharmacist interaction occurred quickly. Implications: Based on the findings of this project, we will continue to pursue further research related to validity, reliability and application of VCEs. However, the University of Colorado will continue to incorporate VCEs in the performance based evaluations in the Professional Skills Development 1 course, as it appears to be an effective stepping-stone for first-year students to begin developing their active listening, higher level learning and problem-solving skills. Results of this project will be shared with the faculty and curriculum committee at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy to encourage further use and research of VCEs in other courses. Keywords: Knowledge retention, clinical competency, performance-based examination, problembased examination