Exploration and Application of the Five-Station OSCE Assessment Model in Higher Vocational Traditional Chinese Medicine Major

Abstract

Objective: Aiming at the problem that traditional assessment methods for higher vocational Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) majors are difficult to comprehensively evaluate students’ clinical comprehensive abilities, a five-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) model was constructed to align with qualification examinations and grassroots job requirements. Methods: Based on competency-based theory, the Delphi method was adopted to establish an evaluation system, and an OSCE model covering 5 stations (medical history collection and case analysis, TCM diagnosis and communication, acupuncture and tuina, physical examination, Western medicine skills and communication) was designed. A total of 63 students from Grade 2019 and 82 students from Grade 2020 majoring in TCM were selected as research objects. The model was implemented in the graduation assessment, and reliability, validity, and discrimination analysis of the assessment results were conducted. Results: The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient of the assessment was 0.812, indicating good construct validity; the difficulty coefficient of each station ranged from 0.62 to 0.78, and the discrimination index was all > 0.25. The average score of students was 82.4 points with a pass rate of 100%. The assessment revealed teaching shortcomings such as syndrome differentiation and treatment thinking, humanistic communication, and Western medicine skill operation. 92% of students recognized that OSCE could truly reflect their clinical level. The passing rate of practical skills in the TCM Practicing Assistant Physician Examination for the two cohorts of students was approximately 80%. Conclusion: The five-station OSCE model is scientific, standardized, and highly operable. It can objectively evaluate students’ clinical comprehensive abilities, guide teaching reform, and provide a promotable scheme for the evaluation of clinical skills in higher vocational TCM.