‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine
Background: Structured oral examinations (SOEs) are essential for assessing clinical competence in postgraduate emergency medicine qualifications. The rapid shift to web-based SOEs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and their continued use warrants an exploration of their effectiveness to...
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AOSIS
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206 |
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| author | Sa’ad Lahri Rhoda Meyer |
| author_facet | Sa’ad Lahri Rhoda Meyer |
| author_sort | Sa’ad Lahri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Structured oral examinations (SOEs) are essential for assessing clinical competence in postgraduate emergency medicine qualifications. The rapid shift to web-based SOEs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and their continued use warrants an exploration of their effectiveness to identify areas for improvement in high-stakes assessments.
Methods: A qualitative, exploratory approach situated within an interpretivist paradigm was used to explore the perspectives of registrars and examiners who had participated in a recent web-based Fellowship of the College of Emergency Medicine Part II examination in South Africa. Six registrars and seven examiners participated in semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s approach, was used to identify key themes from the data.
Results: Participants recognised the value of SOEs in assessment but also highlighted areas for improvement. Concerns included misalignment between exam content and clinical reasoning, anxiety because of the high-stakes nature of the assessment and familiarity with examiners and challenges faced by non-native English speakers. Examiners recommended targeted training in question design and bias mitigation.
Conclusion: Enhancing SOEs through better examiner training and bias mitigation will strengthen their effectiveness. Integrating workplace-based assessment (WBAs) will reduce reliance on SOEs, promoting a more comprehensive approach to assessment in emergency medicine.
Contribution: This study offers practical recommendations for improving examiner training, design and fairness in SOEs. Integrating WBAs with SOEs supports continuous, real-world assessment of competence. Bias-awareness training enhances equity, enabling institutions to design fairer, inclusive assessments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26dfa0cbe24e483caa28e6f91918cdde |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2960-110X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa |
| spelling | doaj-art-26dfa0cbe24e483caa28e6f91918cdde2025-08-20T03:28:20ZengAOSISJournal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa2960-110X2025-06-0131e1e1310.4102/jcmsa.v3i1.20670‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicineSa’ad Lahri0Rhoda Meyer1Division of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownDepartment of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownBackground: Structured oral examinations (SOEs) are essential for assessing clinical competence in postgraduate emergency medicine qualifications. The rapid shift to web-based SOEs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and their continued use warrants an exploration of their effectiveness to identify areas for improvement in high-stakes assessments. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory approach situated within an interpretivist paradigm was used to explore the perspectives of registrars and examiners who had participated in a recent web-based Fellowship of the College of Emergency Medicine Part II examination in South Africa. Six registrars and seven examiners participated in semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s approach, was used to identify key themes from the data. Results: Participants recognised the value of SOEs in assessment but also highlighted areas for improvement. Concerns included misalignment between exam content and clinical reasoning, anxiety because of the high-stakes nature of the assessment and familiarity with examiners and challenges faced by non-native English speakers. Examiners recommended targeted training in question design and bias mitigation. Conclusion: Enhancing SOEs through better examiner training and bias mitigation will strengthen their effectiveness. Integrating workplace-based assessment (WBAs) will reduce reliance on SOEs, promoting a more comprehensive approach to assessment in emergency medicine. Contribution: This study offers practical recommendations for improving examiner training, design and fairness in SOEs. Integrating WBAs with SOEs supports continuous, real-world assessment of competence. Bias-awareness training enhances equity, enabling institutions to design fairer, inclusive assessments.https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206online-structured oral examinationsemergency medicineworkplace-based assessmentsweb-based structured oral examinationshealth professions education |
| spellingShingle | Sa’ad Lahri Rhoda Meyer ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa online-structured oral examinations emergency medicine workplace-based assessments web-based structured oral examinations health professions education |
| title | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| title_full | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| title_fullStr | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| title_short | ‘We’re getting there’: Registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| title_sort | we re getting there registrar and examiner perspectives on structured oral examinations in emergency medicine |
| topic | online-structured oral examinations emergency medicine workplace-based assessments web-based structured oral examinations health professions education |
| url | https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/206 |
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