| Description |
ix, 244 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Summary |
The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was invented in 1975 for the assessment of medical students at the University of Dundee. This examination was radically different from anything that had been utilized before. During OSCEs, students were observed interacting with a series of patients in fixed-interval "stations" and scored by observers on standardized measures. Some of the patients were actors called "simulated patients". Assessment with OSCEs and simulated patients represented a new direction in examination of competence that emphasized 'standardization' and 'objectivity'.The research reveals three discourses related to OSCEs: performance, psychometrics and production. Each discourse is associated with characteristic statements, modes of expression and models of legitimation; each has brought into existence specific roles for individuals to occupy; and each augments the power of different types of institutions.Analysis of these discourses reveals the extent to which they have become dominant, or conversely are resisted, at different times and in different locations. These differences in legitimacy are, in turn, related to larger socio-historical contingencies such the emergence of neo-liberal capitalism; the unequal distribution of power and opportunity on the basis of gender and ethno-racial origin; and the general adoption of governmental technologies of surveillance for social control.Subsequently, OSCEs were adopted by medical schools around the world and for national medical licensure in Canada and the United States. OSCEs were also adopted for midwives, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, police and massage therapists in North America and the UK and in Asia, South America and Africa OSCE projects were launched in order to 'meet international standards'.Why did this simple examination spread so quickly into every aspect of education and assessment? In the research presented here, a Foucauldian genealogy is undertaken to address this question. The objective is to identify different discourses that are linked to the legitimation and uptake of OSCE technology. The "archive" from which these discourses are sought includes over 600 published articles, interviews with 25 key informants in Canada, the UK and the USA and visits to institutions that have been central in promoting the use of OSCEs |
| Notes |
Published on demand |
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Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2354 |
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2007 |
| Bibliography |
Bibliography: leaves 224-239 |
| Subject |
Education -- Standards -- Social aspects.
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Medical students -- Examinations -- Social aspects.
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Medicine -- Study and teaching -- Social aspects.
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Physicians -- Training of -- Social aspects.
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| ISBN |
0494281081 |
|
9780494281086 |
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