BACKGROUND: This study determined the degree to which ward evaluations, the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE), and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) provide equivalent information about intern performance. METHODS: Twenty-two general surgery interns completed both the ABSITE and a 17-problem, 35-station OSCE. Faculty members completed several 12-item ward evaluations for each intern. Pearson product-moment correlations were employed to determine the degree of association among the various evaluation measures. RESULTS: The total OSCE score correlated with both the total ABSITE score and the overall ward evaluations, but the latter two measures did not correlate with each other. The ward evaluations identified the performance of 1 of the 22 interns (5%) as deficient, the ABSITE identified 9 (41%) as deficient in knowledge, and the OSCE 8 (36%). CONCLUSIONS: In the future, performance-based testing methods such as the OSCE should become more important as an evaluative parameter in assessing the clinical performance of postgraduate surgical trainees.
BACKGROUND: This study determined the degree to which ward evaluations, the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE), and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) provide equivalent information about intern performance. METHODS: Twenty-two general surgery interns completed both the ABSITE and a 17-problem, 35-station OSCE. Faculty members completed several 12-item ward evaluations for each intern. Pearson product-moment correlations were employed to determine the degree of association among the various evaluation measures. RESULTS: The total OSCE score correlated with both the total ABSITE score and the overall ward evaluations, but the latter two measures did not correlate with each other. The ward evaluations identified the performance of 1 of the 22 interns (5%) as deficient, the ABSITE identified 9 (41%) as deficient in knowledge, and the OSCE 8 (36%). CONCLUSIONS: In the future, performance-based testing methods such as the OSCE should become more important as an evaluative parameter in assessing the clinical performance of postgraduate surgical trainees.
Authors: Robin Klein; Nneka N Ufere; Sowmya R Rao; Jennifer Koch; Anna Volerman; Erin D Snyder; Sarah Schaeffer; Vanessa Thompson; Ana Sofia Warner; Katherine A Julian; Kerri Palamara Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2020-07-01