Background: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is an appropriate method for assessing clinical competency among students in universities worldwide. With nowadays technological advances, there is a growing interest in virtual OSCEs (VOSCEs).

Objectives: The present study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a VOSCE for assessing anesthesia students' clinical competency.

Methods: This quasi-experiment study was conducted in six phases: (1) Defining the exam's specifications and design, (2) determining validity and reliability, (3) setting up and conducting a pilot VOSCE, (4) familiarizing students with the VOSCE, (5) administering the exam, and (6) evaluating and providing feedback. Seventy-five senior anesthesia students from Abadan University of Medical Sciences were selected by census and participated in this study between 2021 and 2023. The scores of virtual and in-person OSCEs were compared, and the correlation between the two exams was investigated. At the end of each semester, students participated in a survey related to the VOSCE. The exam results and survey data were presented at the faculty's educational development office meetings, and suggestions for amending and eliminating shortcomings were considered in the following semester. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20 by calculating means, standard deviations, and Pearson's correlation.

Results: The students' mean scores in the virtual and in-person OSCEs were 17.68 and 16.75, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the scores of the two exams. The total score of the VOSCE had a direct and significant correlation with the in-person OSCE (r = 0.861, P < 0.001), and this correlation was also observed in all stations of both exams (P < 0.05). Student surveys indicated that the VOSCE fostered a sense of empowerment, self-confidence, and enhanced learning, causing students to express strong agreement with its continuation in the future.

Conclusions: The VOSCE can be an appropriate substitute for or an integral part of the in-person OSCE. It is recommended that educational planners and instructors develop this exam as a new assessment method. Given advances in technology and the requirement for improving the quality of virtual exams, professors need to be empowered in the field of modern electronic assessment methods.

Keywords: Clinical Competency; Evaluation; Objective Structured Clinical Examination; Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

Copyright © 2025, Afra et al.

背景： 客观结构化临床考试（OSCE）是评估全球大学学生临床能力的合适方法。随着当今技术的进步，人们对虚拟OSCE（VOSCE）的兴趣日益增加。

目的： 本研究旨在设计、实施和评估一种用于评估麻醉专业学生的临床能力的VOSCE。

方法： 这项准实验研究分为六个阶段：（1）定义考试规格和设计；（2）确定有效性和可靠性；（3）建立并进行试点VOSCE；（4）让学生熟悉VOSCE；（5）实施考试；（6）评估并提供反馈。阿瓦士医科大学的75名高年级麻醉专业学生被选中参与本研究，时间跨度为2021年至2023年。虚拟和实地OSCE的成绩进行了比较，并调查了两者的相关性。每个学期末，学生们参加了一项关于VOSCE的问卷调查。考试结果和调查数据在教学发展办公室会议上展示，并考虑了下一学期改进和完善建议的意见。数据分析使用SPSS 20进行，计算平均值、标准差以及皮尔逊相关系数。

结果： 学生在虚拟OSCE和实地OSCE中的平均得分分别为17.68分和16.75分。两场考试的成绩之间没有显著差异。VOSCE的总分与实地OSCE直接且显著相关（r = 0.861, P

结论： VOSCE可以作为实地OSCE的合适替代品或组成部分。建议教育规划者和教师将其开发为一种新的评估方式。鉴于技术的进步以及改进虚拟考试质量的需求，教授们需要在现代电子评估方法领域增强能力。

关键词： 临床能力；评估；客观结构化临床考试；虚拟客观结构化临床考试。