Reliability, validity, and generalizability of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for assessment of entry-to-practice in pharmacy

This paper describes the evaluation of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and the assessment outcomes for reliability, validity and generalizability for the entry-to-practice context in pharmacy in Canada.  A total of 190 participants were involved: 153 entry-to-practice candidates and 37 pharmacists who were already licensed. Two balanced forms of an OSCE were developed, consisting of 26 stations (18 interactive and 8 non-interactive stations). Descriptive analysis for all data was undertaken, and detailed analysis of data from Form I of the OSCE (including generalizability and dependability studies) are reported. Based on findings of this study, conclusions were made regarding OSCEs for entry-to-practice assessment in pharmacy. A key finding of this study was that a 15-station OSCE, using one pharmacist-assessor per station, yielded consistent and dependable scores when holistic scoring was used to assess both qualifying candidates and practising pharmacists.