Malaysian pharmacy students’ perspectives on the virtual objective structured clinical examination during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated pharmacy students’ perceptions of various aspects of virtual objective structured clinical examinations (vOSCEs) conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Malaysia.Methods: This cross-sectional study involved third- and fourth-year pharmacy students at the International Islamic University Malaysia. A validated self-administered questionnaire was distributed to students who had taken a vOSCE a week before.Results: Out of the 253 students who were approached, 231 (91.3%) completed the questionnaire. More than 75% of the participants agreed that the instructions and preparations were clear and helpful in familiarizing them with the vOSCE flow. It was found that 53.2% of the respondents were satisfied with the flow and conduct of the vOSCE. However, only approximately one-third of the respondents believed that the tasks provided in the vOSCE were more convenient, less stressful, and easier to perform than those in the conventional OSCE. Furthermore, 49.7% of the students favored not having a vOSCE in the future when conducting a conventional OSCE becomes feasible again. Internet connection was reported as a problem hindering the performance of the vOSCE by 51.9% of the participants. Students who were interested in clinical pharmacy courses were more satisfied than other students with the preparation and operation of the vOSCE, the faculty support, and the allocated time.Conclusion: Students were satisfied with the organization and operation of the vOSCE. However, they still preferred the conventional OSCE over the vOSCE. These findings might indicate a further need to expose students to telehealthcare models.

Students’ and Examiners’ Experiences of Their First Virtual Pharmacy Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Students who were interviewed all indicated less anxiety during virtual OSCEs, which was consistent with the survey results, where only 20% of the students agreed that they felt more anxious during the virtual OSCEs compared to face-to-face OSCEs. Studies in other countries also found that students were less anxious in online OSCEs [ 19 , 20 ], while traditional face-to-face OSCEs have always been intimidating and stressful [ 21 ]. The decreased stress levels expressed by the students in our study could potentially be due to a result of being in the comfort of their home surroundings and, in some cases, the absence of peer anxiety.…”

Perceptions of Pharmacy Students on the E-Learning Strategies Adopted during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

“…In general, students showed a positive perception of online education in the evaluated specific courses/activities. However, only around half of the pharmacy students presented a positive perception of the adopted e-learning strategies [6]. Students declared to prefer in-person over online activities, although they agreed with the offer of remote health system activities in the future [43].…”

“…OSCE courses seems to be feasible and easily implemented. Students' perceptions were positive about this type of courses [6,48,49].…”

“…Globally, diverse limitations were identified regarding medical and pharmacy online education, such as lack of equipment, the high costs of Internet bundles, or difficulties in providing practical and clinical teaching. The adoption of e-learning was difficult in some countries due to a lack of internet access, such as Africa, where internet coverage is limited [2,3,6].…”

Empirical analysis comparing the tele-objective structured clinical examination and the in-person assessment in Australia

“…The implementation of an online format signals a further departure from its historical design. Recent efforts to deliver the tele-objective structured clinical examination (teleOSCE) and online OSCE orientation have been acceptable to students and examiners respectively [ 8 , 9 ]. A systematic review summarized the various attempts in the literature to incorporate an online element and discovered that while there is generally good validity and reliability, there is a need for systemic research to guide the ideal teleOSCE format [ 10 ].…”