Assessment of medical students

Abstract

Assessment of medical students plays a central role in their education and comprises a key function of medical schools. Assessment may be defined as a process of data gathering aiming at controlling educational procedures and positively influencíng student education. Assessment should cover ali relevantfeatures and invoive methods of undisputable validity, reliability and feasibility. Comprehensive assessment of medical students must include cognitive aspects and clinical skilis composing overali medical competence, as well as attitudes and personal characteristics. Modern methods, such as O.S.C.E. - Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Clinical Performance Examination and the use o Standardized Patients now permits valid, reliable and feasible measurement of clinical competence of medical students. In many medical schools, excessive emphasis in cognitive aspects and in summative examinations aiming at reward some and punish other students have contributed to a negative public image of assessment procedures. More extensive use of formative modalities of evaluation, together with a more judicious choice of valid and reliable techniques may be instrumental in the replacement of assessment in its more genuinous educational function.