A Standardized Oral Examination for Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkships

Introduction This training program was developed to help educators train obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) faculty in becoming oral examiners and to implement a consistent process for oral examination in order to assess medical student knowledge and clinical reasoning skills at the end of their core OB-GYN clerkship. Methods The slide presentation is utilized to introduce faculty to the clerkship so they understand how the oral examination fits into the overall assessment of student performance. Videos are then used to familiarize faculty with the performance of students at different levels and how to use the evaluation form. The oral examination sample questions and answers further familiarize faculty with how to ask students standardized questions based upon student case topic selections and how to differentiate students at different levels. Results From 2011–2014, 609 students took the oral examination. Two faculty members graded the students, and a composite of these two grades was used. This was done so that if the faculty differed in their ratings, both grades are accounted for in the final oral examination grade. Thirty-three percent of the learners received two Honors with Distinction grades, 32% received an Honors with Distinction and an Honors grade, and 23% received two Honors grades. Discussion The oral examination has been part of the Harvard Medical School Obstetrics and Gynecology Core Clerkship assessment for over a decade, and a common format for its use at all sites was developed. The implementation of this module has resulted in a standardized assessment across multiple sites.