OSCEs—those beloved (and sometimes dreaded) Objective Structured Clinical Examinations—have become a cornerstone of pharmacy education. But are they always worth the enormous investment of time, money, and faculty energy? In this episode, the Fika Crew digs into a thought-provoking paper by Gortney, Meny, and Dunn that takes a critical eye to how and when OSCEs should be used.

It’s the kind of rich, nuanced conversation that only happens when you bring together a few friends who care deeply about getting assessment right. So, grab a snack and your favorite beverage.

👏 Congratulations to Jeff Cain on receiving the prestigious Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award! 🎉

Intro and Fika Snack Sharing: 0:00 - 3:17

OSCE Discussion: 3:18

Resources

Gortney JS, Meny LM, Dunn BL. A critical eye on OSCE use: a framework for evaluating impact, efficiency, and sustainability. Am J Pharm Educ 2026;90(3):101938.

Lim A, Krishnan S, Singh H, Furletti S, Sarkar M, Stewart D, et al. Linking assessment to real life practice—comparing work based assessments and objective structured clinical examinations using mystery shopping. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2023;29(3):859-878.

Lim A, Ling YL, Wilby KJ, Mak V. What's been happening with OSCEs in pharmacy education over the past 20 years? A bibliometric review and content analysis. Curr Pharm Teach Learn 2024; 16(3): 212-220.

Sourial M, Hagler JC. A pilot study using artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and objectivity in grading pharmacy objective structured clinical examinations. Am J Pharm Educ. 2025;89(8):101455.

Sturpe DA. Objective structured clinical exams in Doctor of Pharmacy programs in the United States. Am J Pharm Educ. 2010;74(8):148.

Brock T, Deloatch KM, McDermott J, et al. Objective structured clinical examinations as an assessment tool in pharmacy curricula. J Pharm Teach. 2002; 92 (2): 1-9.

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The Pharmacy Fika podcast is a positive and compassionate “place” (a virtual community) where pharmacy and other health professions educators gather to discuss teaching, learning, scholarship, and academic life… plus the snacks that support their best work. So grab your favorite beverage and listen to the Pharmacy Fika podcast with your colleagues.

The Co-Hosts are:

Stuart T. Haines (Executive Producer), University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy – sthaines@olemiss.edu
Tina Brock, University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences - tina.brock@unimelb.edu.au
Jeff Cain, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy - jeff.cain@uky.edu
Kristin Janke, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy - janke006@umn.edu

Disclaimer (inspired by Whad’Ya Know?): All opinions expressed on the Pharmacy Fika podcast are well-reasoned and insightful. Needless to say, they are ours and our guests alone, and not those of our employing institutions.

Even though we don’t accept advertising and don’t have any sponsors, we seem to mention Trader Joe’s snacks and various water-based drinks a LOT.

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Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) - When is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?