title: Fifty years of clinical examinations at the University of the West Indies.
abstract: The University of the West Indies was founded at Mona, Jamaica, in 1948. After fifty-two years, the format of the final Bachelor of Medicine clinical examination in Medicine and Therapeutics has been radically revised. The change from the traditional to an evidence-based, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was undertaken in November/December 2000. Assessment drives learning and both the methods chosen for assessment and the manner in which they are applied determine how students learn. The philosophical underpinnings of the change in format are discussed in this paper.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Paediatrics, University of the West Indies, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, Trinidad and Tobago. skills@carib-link.net
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teelucksingh
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Denbow
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Nicholson
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D012577:Schools, Medical; D014900:West Indies