Abstract

ABSTRACT: Aim: In this study, we aimed to determine students’ perspectives about using simulated patients as an assessment tool. Simulated patients were used in examination of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, entrance to clinics of 3rd grade medical school students. Methods: Firstly, simulated patients were trained, script to be used was written, student evaluation form was prepared and students were informed about assessment tool. Following the implementation, student opinions were collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Firstly, students’ perspectives were collected through a feedback form with openended questions. Secondly, a questionnaire was formed based on the thematic analysis of these written perspectives. 144 third-year students who entered the exam, 125 of them gave written feedback and 97 responded to the questionnaire. Thematic analysis of the questionnaire has created the themes of validity, reliability, educational impact and acceptability. Results: When the students’ writing comments are classified according to the criteria determining the utility of the assessment tools and methods we determined that 74 % them were of validity, 41% of them were of reliability, 19% of them were of educational impact and 35% of them were of acceptability. Conclusion: According to the qualitative and quantitative findings of this study, we concluded that the exam performed with simulated patients in the pre-clinical period was evaluated by students as a valuable instrument of assessment in terms of validity, reliability, educational impact and acceptability

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