Medical education applies a wide range of assessment methods to evaluate students’ knowledge and skills, among which the so-called objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) stands out. The methodology has been adapted at the University of Pécs Medical School since 2023, and in 2026, the OSCE provided 96 fifth- and sixth-year medical students with the opportunity to practise individually in Hungarian, English and German.
In the internationally widespread OSCE format, students can test their practical skills by completing a series of stations featuring realistic, common and/or life-threatening clinical situations, portrayed by trained laypersons known as simulated patients. The examiners follow the process as observers while evaluating the participants’ performance using an objective assessment form, then, following each scenario, they provide verbal feedback on the students’ strengths as well as the areas requiring further development. A unique and essential element of the programme is that the simulated patients also take part in the evaluation, focusing on the patient’s perspective and the doctor–patient relationship.
In 2026, the series of stations was further expanded: in addition to the clinical fields that had already been represented in previous years, students could also test themselves in common dermatology, paediatrics, infectology, psychiatry, rheumatology, obstetrics and urology scenarios. They could practise medical history taking, physical examination and procedural skills, while also receiving feedback on their differential diagnostic reasoning, emergency care skills and communication competences.
On the initiative of Dr. László Czopf, Vice-Dean for Education at the time, and following the decision of the Curriculum Committee, the completion of an OSCE examination has become compulsory for first-year students enrolled in the 2025/2026 academic year, but the examination will remain a formative element, while the intensive development of the methodology continues to be a key strategic priority of the school.
Similarly to previous iterations, the feedback on this year’s examinations was positive. According to the students, the safe and constructive environment, together with the realistic clinical situations, contributed greatly to their studies.
“I became more confident in the skills I already possessed, while the exam also highlighted those areas where I was uncertain about my knowledge, so this will help me focus more on improving those skills in the future,” one student said. Another participant emphasised that the main lesson was to take advantage of every opportunity to develop their competences, so that later they will be able to handle similar situations independently in clinical care.
The participants also provided constructive criticism, from which valuable conclusions can be drawn not only about the methodology but also about clinical education itself.
“It would be highly beneficial to practise emergency (ABCDE) cases during our studies, even as part of a compulsory course, because this is a station where time is crucial and the pressure is high, while we cannot forget about empathy either. We are not sufficiently prepared for this, unlike, for example, internal medicine, to which most of our subjects are connected,” one student commented.
The teachers also gained valuable experience.
“It is important to prepare students for complex tasks because this is also what their everyday work will be like. This exam resembles daily clinical practice while also highlighting that a physician must be versatile, flexible and adaptable,” one examiner said. Another teacher pointed out that the students’ performances provided precise and useful feedback on their education, which could immediately be incorporated into the teaching practice.
According to the simulated patients’ feedback, the programme is also useful because it prepares students for fast, professional and humane communication. They were pleased to meet many enthusiastic teachers and students. They described their participation as both an exciting challenge and a rewarding experience, while also expressing their pride in contributing to the education of future physicians and helping them become more empathetic and patient-centred.
A total of 76 teachers from numerous clinics and institutes participated in the examinations, together with 35 trained simulated patients representing the Simulated Patient Programme operating within the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication. In addition, 9 students also assisted the scenarios by acting as supporting participants.
The host clinics, examiners and simulated patients of the 2026 OSCE were the following:
Department of Primary Health Care: dr. Ágnes Csikós, dr. Balázs Fülöp, dr. Éva Pozsgai, dr. Péter Varga, dr. Réka Várnai
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Oncodermatology: dr. Tamás Bancsók, dr. Máté Bognár, dr. Zsuzsanna Lengyel, dr. Csongor Németh, dr. Annamária Rózsa
Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication: dr. Alexandra Csongor Szántóné, dr. Katalin Lepenye Eklicsné, Renáta Halász, dr. Anikó Kőhalmi Hambuchné, dr. Rita Kránicz
Department of Otorhinolaryngology: dr. Kinga Harmat
Department of Paediatrics: dr. Orsolya Lakatos, dr. Zoltán Nyul, dr. Barnabás Rózsai
1st Department of Medicine: dr. Zsófia Feiszt, dr. Szilárd Gódi, dr. Roland Hágendorn, dr. Anita Kacsó, dr. Ágnes Kappéter, dr. Katalin Koltai, dr. Klára Magyar, dr. Éva Németh, dr. Dániel Pécsi, dr. Zoltán Péterfi, dr. Kinga Tótsimon, dr. Péter Varjú, dr. Péter Vén, dr. Áron Vincze
2nd Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Diabetology Centre: dr. Viktória Bekő, dr. Márton Mohás, dr. Erika Ortmann, dr. Judit Sebők, dr. Zsófia Sütő
Department of Behavioural Sciences: dr. Béla Birkás, dr. Boróka Gács
Department of Neurology: dr. Márk Harmat, dr. Zsófia Karádi, dr. Mirtill Rohonczi, dr. Renáta Rozgonyi, dr. Dalma Tényi
Department of Oncotherapy: dr. Szabolcs Bellyei, dr. Emőke Papp
Medical Skills Education and Innovation Centre (MediSkillsLab): dr. Viktor Bacher, Mónika Nagyházi Hauckné, dr. Zsuzsanna Németh, Lídia Rendek-Forró, dr. Zoltán Sándor
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy: dr. Borbála Pethő, dr. Mária Simon, dr. Tamás Tényi
Department of Rheumatology and Immunology: dr. Kristóf Filipánits, dr. Gabriella Nagy, dr. Cecília Varjú
Department of Surgery: dr. Gábor Szalai, dr. Zalán Szántó
Department of Emergency Medicine: dr. Balázs Cséke, dr. Lajos Szakó
Heart Institute: dr. Máté Hajdu, dr. András Komócsi, dr. Attila Kónyi, dr. Zsófia Meiszterics
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: dr. Bálint Farkas, dr. Eszter Hantosi, dr. Sándor Rácz, dr. Lóránt Péter Vida
Urology Clinic: dr. Máté Mészáros, dr. Ákos Pytel, dr. László Rumi, dr. Donát Péter Sarlós, dr. Martin Schön
Simulated Patient Programme: Brigitta Bocz, Lívia Breuer, Christel Dürr, Corina Kappen, Gyöngyvér Czimber, Péter Csatlós, Szilvia Dargó, Márk Dömötör, Borbála Egregyi, Judit Fekete, János Flódung, Mária Flódung, Csilla Földes, Ildikó Frank, Guillermo Gastiaburu, István Hottó, Jonas Standke, Csaba Komáromi, Leah Stanzel, Katalin Major, Beáta Mézes, Zsófia Pásztor, Anita Pintér, Lili Porkoláb, Piroska Pőgl, Vince Ronczyk, Ildikó Russay, Sayadi Nia Mahan, Shaw Cameron, Simon Wintermans, György Szabó, Gergely Szép, Thea Müller, Janka Zöldvölgyi
Student demonstrators and MediSkillsLab supporting participants: Kristóf Ádám, Éva Anna Andor, Eszter Bodrogvári, Ákos Kollárovics, Anna Müller, Fruzsina Prohászka, Márk Szabó, Anetta Tóth, Diána Zóra Tóth
The work of the participating organisational units was coordinated by Dr. Judit Sebők, teacher at the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Diabetology Centre as the medical director of the project, and by Dr. Gergely Csaba, a member of the Division of Medical Education Development and Communication at the Department of Behavioural Sciences, as the organiser of the programme.
The coordination and preparation of the simulated patients were carried out by the teachers of the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication: Dr. Anikó Kőhalmi Hambuchné, Ildikó Frank, Dr. Katalin Lepenye Eklicsné, Renáta Halász, Dr. Rita Kránicz and Dr. Alexandra Csongor Szántóné, who also participated in the assessment of the students during the examination as communication specialists.
The infrastructure and modern simulation equipment were provided by the specialists and technicians of the Medical Skills Education and Innovation Centre.
The coordination of the students was led by Dr. Eszter Édes, resident physician at the Department of Oncotherapy, while demonstrator students Anetta Tóth and Levente Blakney, together with other demonstrator students under their supervision, helped prepare the participants for the methodology.
Colleagues interested in the OSCE can learn more about the methodology in various teacher training courses, including the assessment module of the course “Learning about modern teaching methods and developing teaching skills”, and the “Educational Bytes” materials on the topic are also available on the POTEPedia platform.
Students interested in simulation can also experience the role of patients themselves, about which further information is available on the Simulated Patient Programme website.
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Photos:
Kornélia Bálint