Medicine Course introduces new assessment instruments

New forms of teaching also require new methodologies for assessing the apprehension and application of knowledge. OSCE, Mini-Cex and Feedback Effective are some methodologies for measuring student performance that have been used in the Medicine course at Bahiana. To find out more, check out the interview with Prof. Dr. Iêda Aleluia.

1. - What is competency assessment?
First, it is worth defining competencies, which involve a set of skills, attitudes and cognitive knowledge. Therefore, the assessment by competences is initially based on the understanding of the meaning of competences and on the use of broad and coherent assessment instruments with what one wants to assess.

2. How was this done before?
Basically, the assessment was based on cognitive content and, at some point, on skills, but attitudes and reflection were not taken into account at all.

3. Have new methodologies been introduced? How is this assessment carried out now?
New teaching methodologies were introduced, which encourage the student to integrate knowledge and new assessment techniques were introduced that can be coherent with reality and can encompass skills. We have the OSCE (structured evaluation by stations, with simulated patients, videos that allow us to assess the various skills of the student), the Mini-Cex and the Feedback effective (practical assessment in the real scenario, stimulating reflection and student commitment), use of skills laboratories and simulation techniques.

4. What is the purpose of this initiative?
Adapting the teaching method to the assessment format, expanding the assessment process and associating even more its formative power, favoring the assessment of attitudes and reflection on actions.

5. How do initiatives like this improve the quality of medical student education?
They facilitate the integration of knowledge and attitudes, stimulate reflection and the active search for knowledge, in addition to integrating thought and bringing coherence to the teaching-learning process.