The Integration of Child Psychiatry into a Psychiatry Clerkship OSCE

Objective: To integrate child psychiatry into a psychiatry clerkship Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Method: Child psychiatry OSCE stations were designed to evaluate clerks' skills in the identification of 4 common conditions. Child psychiatrists wrote case scenarios and checklists and supported standardized patient (SP) training for these stations. A bank of 4 child psychiatry OSCE stations is now available for use in the psychiatry OSCE. Child psychiatry faculty have been trained as examiners for ongoing administration of this OSCE. Results: This bank of child psychiatry OSCE stations has examined 402 clerks. Mean student scores for content were 68% to 86% and for process were 69% to 76%. Station reliability and examiner feedback were acceptable. Conclusions: Child psychiatry has been successfully integrated into a psychiatry clerkship OSCE. Although the commitment in terms of monetary and faculty costs has been considerable, the accompanying educational benefits of such integration warranted this expense.