‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine
Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
| Field | Value | |
| Title | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine | |
| Creator | Lahri, Sa’ad Meyer, Rhoda | |
| Description | Background: Structured oral examinations (SOEs) are essential for assessing clinical competence in postgraduate emergency medicine qualifications. The rapid shift to web-based SOEs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and their continued use warrants an exploration of their effectiveness to identify areas for improvement in high-stakes assessments.Methods: A qualitative, exploratory approach situated within an interpretivist paradigm was used to explore the perspectives of registrars and examiners who had participated in a recent web-based Fellowship of the College of Emergency Medicine Part II examination in South Africa. Six registrars and seven examiners participated in semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s approach, was used to identify key themes from the data.Results: Participants recognised the value of SOEs in assessment but also highlighted areas for improvement. Concerns included misalignment between exam content and clinical reasoning, anxiety because of the high-stakes nature of the assessment and familiarity with examiners and challenges faced by non-native English speakers. Examiners recommended targeted training in question design and bias mitigation.Conclusion: Enhancing SOEs through better examiner training and bias mitigation will strengthen their effectiveness. Integrating workplace-based assessment (WBAs) will reduce reliance on SOEs, promoting a more comprehensive approach to assessment in emergency medicine.Contribution: This study offers practical recommendations for improving examiner training, design and fairness in SOEs. Integrating WBAs with SOEs supports continuous, real-world assessment of competence. Bias-awareness training enhances equity, enabling institutions to design fairer, inclusive assessments. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2025-06-26 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/jcmsa.v3i1.206 | |
| Source | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa; Vol 3, No 1 (2025); 13 pages 2960-110X 3105-4331 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206/604
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206/606
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206/607
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206/608
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