Twelve tips for conducting a virtual OSCE

Recently many medical schools have faced the challenge of redesigning their existing assessments to run in a virtual format. We ran a virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for a group of final year students assessing clinical communication skills, written communication, practical skills, examination skills and professionalism. OSCEs provide the opportunity to test skills that written papers cannot, so it was important to include such a clinical exam in the portfolio of assessments for graduating students. The virtual OSCE ran smoothly and was successful at discriminating between candidates. In this article, we share twelve practical tips from our experience and the small body of literature on how to successfully design and deliver a virtual OSCE. This format provides an opportunity to run similar assessments in the future if remote assessments or assessments of telemedicine skills are required.

Automated summary

Many medical schools are redesigning assessments to fit a virtual format, with virtual OSCE exams offering a comprehensive evaluation of students' clinical skills. This article shares practical tips for designing and delivering successful virtual OSCE exams, providing opportunities for similar assessments in the future.