The use of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for formative and summative assessment in a general practice clinical attachment and its relationship to final medical school examination performance

The general practice attachment appears to upgrade those clinical skills measured by the pre- and post-attachment OSCE, however, there was no control group of students. Problem-solving and focused physical examination skills need to be targeted by all undergraduate clinical departments. The department's post-attachment OSCE and total assessment results are predictors of final examination OSCE and total results. The use of pre- and post-attachment OSCEs facilitates both students' formative learning processes and the department's evaluation of its educational programme.