Evaluation of Virtual Assessment for a High Stakes' Clinical Examination-Physician Assistant Students' and Their Examiners' Perspectives.

PURPOSE: This case study emerged from the necessity to reschedule an in-person long case examination to an online platform for physician assistant students' final clinical examination during COVID-19 restrictions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the experiences of students and examiners for a high stakes' clinical examination online. METHODS: This was an evaluation research study using the Context, Input, Process, Product model, which provided a framework to establish the effectiveness and/or success of an online format for a high stakes' clinical examination. All students and examiners were invited to take part in virtual interviews. RESULTS: The results suggest that both students (n = 5) and examiners (n = 7) agree that, although the stress of a face-to-face examination was lessened for the student, this was balanced by a new stressor of potential Internet problems. All agreed that a virtual setting for a high stakes' assessment is not transferable, with both groups citing the lack of opportunities to "read the patient" and "showcase their physical examination skills" as challenging. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that, in the context of balancing the risks of the pandemic with graduating health care professionals, the online clinical examination format met the required assessment criteria. Recommendations suggest that the long case could be planned so that students and patients are in the same setting to perform a physical examination, confirming the finding that questions on "how to" examine a patient are no substitute for "doing."

Are We Ever Going Back? Exploring the Views of Health Professionals on Postpandemic Continuing Professional Development Modalities.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered the ways in which health care professionals engage with continuing professional development (CPD), but the extent to which these changes are permanent remains unknown at present. This mixed-methods research aims to capture the perspectives of health professionals on their preferences for CPD formats, including the conditions that inform preferences for in-person and online CPD events and the optimum length and type of online and in-person events. METHODS: A survey was used to gain a high-level perspective on health professionals' engagement with CPD, areas of interest, and capabilities and preferences in relation to online formats. A total of 340 health care professionals across 21 countries responded to the survey. Follow-up semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 respondents to gain deeper insights into their perspectives. RESULTS: Key themes include CPD activity before and during COVID, social and networking aspects, access versus engagement, cost, and time and timing. DISCUSSION: Recommendations regarding the design of both in-person and online events are included. Beyond merely moving in-person events online, innovative design approaches should be adopted to capitalize on the affordances of digital technologies and enhance engagement.

Exploring Medical Students' Learning Around Uncertainty Management Using a Digital Educational Escape Room: A Design-based Research Approach.

Introduction: Medical professionals meet many transitions during their careers, and must learn to adjust rapidly to unfamiliar workplaces and teams. This study investigated the use of a digital educational escape room (DEER) in facilitating medical students' learning around managing uncertainty in transitioning from classroom to clinical placement. Methods: We used design-based research to explore the design, build, and test of a DEER, as well as gain insight into how these novel learning environments work, using Community of Inquiry (CoI) as a guiding conceptual framework. This study represented a mixed methods pilot test of a prototype DEER. Twenty-two medical students agreed to participate, and data were collected through qualitative (i.e., focus groups, game-play observations) and quantitative (i.e., questionnaires) methods. Results: Eighty-two per cent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the DEER supported their learning around uncertainty. Participants offered diverse examples of how the game had facilitated new insights on, and approaches to, uncertainty. With respect to the learning environment, multiple indicators and examples of the three domains of CoI - cognitive, teaching and social presence - were observed. Discussion: Our findings suggested that DEERs offer a valuable online learning environment for students to engage with complex and emotion-provoking challenges, such as those experienced at transitions. The study also suggested that CoI can be applied to the design, implementation, and evaluation of DEER learning environments, and we have proposed a set of design principles that may offer guidance here.