Use of the objective structured clinical examination for assessment of vocational trainees for general practice.

General practice training schemes currently have no structured methods of assessment and most rely on a variety of subjective ratings of performance. In West Cumbria the ;objective structured clinical examination' has been used to assess training performance in areas covered by small group teaching during the preceding terms. Consultation skills, interpretation of clinical data and a number of aspects of practice management were tested. The examination was conducted in the local postgraduate centre and assessed 20 trainees. Each trainee received feedback of his performance on each problem set and also an overall comparison with his peers.This method of assessment appeared to be well received by trainees and was practicable within the limited resources available. In addition, the variety of problems set allowed for a broad range of trainees' performances to be assessed.