Change in practical exam system in medical colleges approved

LAHORE : A joint meeting of the Academic Council and Boards of Studies of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) was held on Thursday with VC Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore in the chair.

In this meeting, a unanimous approval was given to change current practical examination system in medical colleges from traditional viva voce exam to Objective Structured Viva Examination (OSVE).

Now the Oral/Practical/Clinical examination will be conducted through Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE), Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and Objective Structured Viva Examination (OSVE). The OSVE has been introduced as a reliable approach to assess the students especially for their concept understanding and professional expression. UHS has introduced the test format based on a circuit of ‘stations’. At each station, a specific learning objective is tested. OSPE and OSCE were previously being used, however, OSVE is being used for the first time in Pakistan. OSVE is employed successfully for assessment in other countries already. It was decided that under the new modular curriculum of the university, first professional MBBS candidates will be assessed through 12 observed stations in practical exam of each subject from this year onwards. Out of these 12 stations, seven will be reserved for OSPE, three for OSCE, and two for OSVE. Each station will have external examiners, and during the exams, medical students' own teachers will not be present as internal examiners.