OSPE (Objective structured practical examination): Perception of the faculty and students at A Public Sector Medical College in Pakistan

Objective: Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a growing way of assessing the students of medical universities particularly. This study is targeted to compare and assess different perceptions of the faculty and the students towards OSPE at a public sector medical college. Study Design: Cross Sectional Survey. Setting: Sahiwal Medical College Sahiwal. Period: 1st July 2020 to 15th July 2020. Material & Methods: The questionnaire was sent to all the participants by Whatsapp because of COVID-19 pandemic. All the undergrad students of MBBS (500) and all the faculty members (65) of clinical and basic medical sciences were included in the study. Results: The response rate of faculty members was 78.46% and that of undergraduate students was 70.80%. Out of 51 members who responded, 23 (45.10%) were males while 28 (54.90%) were female. Female students were having majority of participation (71.20%). Most of the faculty and students agreed with the fact that ‘The questions asked in the OSPE stations were appropriate and related to the curriculum’ (60.10% and 45.10% respectively). Response to a question ‘OSPE is more transparent, fair and objective as compared to traditional practical examination’ got a nod from faculty members (49%). Almost 76% of the students (strongly agreed and agreed) thought that OSPE was tiring and stressful for them but their respected faculty members thought the opposite. Conclusion: Our study concludes that there is satisfaction of both students and the faculty regarding their perceptions of OSPE at public sector medical college. In our study while comparing, the majority of both the groups were having almost same opinions.