Clinical Examination in Speech and Language Therapy Education: Student Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract Introduction & Aims: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has an established history of assessing clinical competence for medical and allied health care professionals. No research has investigated the use of the OSCE within speech and language therapy (SLT) undergraduate education. This study aimed to evaluate undergraduate SLT students’ perceptions of the OSCE and to determine if perceptions differed depending on stage of undergraduate education. Methods: An online survey was distributed to second and final year students in a four-year undergraduate SLT university programme after completing an OSCE. Quantitative survey data were analysed descriptively and statistically using Fischer’s exact tests. Thematic analysis was used to analyse narrative survey comments. Results:The response rate was 80%. Students perceivedthe OSCE to be a fair (95%) and meaningful way (97%) of assessing clinical competencies, which provided them with greater confidence for practice (91%). The OSCE was deemed to be less stressful than a written exam (65%). No significant differences were observed between second-and fourth-year students’ perceptions. Five major themes included clarity of expectations, time allocated, consistency between examiners, influence on student learning, and personal impact. Discussion: Survey findings suggest that undergraduate SLT students across different stages 18of education and different clinical contexts perceive the OSCE as a fair and meaningful assessment approach. This study provides initial evidence that the OSCE is suitable for assessing clinical competencies specific to the profession of SLT