Mark Lee¹
Terry Hudgins² and Stephen Miller₂
1 Rocky Vista University - Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine
2 Rocky Vista University

Background
Assessment of clinical communication and professionalism continues to be challenging in medical education. Although OSCEs were developed as a method of summative assessment, it is limited by cost, frequency, and synchronous orchestration. Formative assessment through a preceptor-learner model is limited by subjectivity, content inconsistency, and paucity of standardization. There remains a need for an objective formative assessment process to facilitate training in clinical communication, while remaining sensitive to fiscal, geographic, and temporal constraints. 

Objective
To assess 3rd year medical student’s communication and professionalism skills longitudinally using a video based, Standardized Oral Presentations (SOP). 

Methods
289 3rd year medical students at Rocky Vista University School of Osteopathic Medicine, underwent six different, formative SOP assessments over an academic year. Each SOP assessment consisted of standardized clinical data and a simulated physician-patient video encounter. Students were given 24-hours to submit a self-recorded, oral case presentation. ThreetrainedevaluatorsassessedvideosusingaPatientPresentationRatingTool (PPR). 

Results
Between the period of July 2022 – May 2023, 1,436 SOP assessments were performed. Longitudinally, students’ clinical communication scores increased 46.9% and professionalism scores increased 43.1%. Inter-rater reliability scores improved through the academic year as compared to preceptor-student based evaluations. 

Discussion
The advantages of the SOP model include the ability to implement the assessment in a synchronic period, regardless of learner location. The self-directed synthesis of the clinical case enabled students to reflectively prepare their best example prior to submission. These assessments demonstrated a normal probability distribution as compared to subjective preceptor-learner assessments. Limitations of the SOP model include internet-video constraints and time to grade videos. 

Conclusion
Implementing the SOP model enabled the objective assessment of communication and professionalism competency domains as compared to preceptor-learner evaluations and is an alternative to frequent OSCE evaluations, without the limitations of cost, location, and complexity in orchestration. 

References (maximum three) 

1. Harden et al. Assessment of clinical competence using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Med Educ 1979 Jan;13(1):41-45. 

2. https://www.abp.org/publications/patient-presentation-rating-tool-oral-case- presentations