The First Experience of Conducting an OSCE for Students Specializing in Prosthetics and Orthotics in Ukraine

The quality of specialist training in the field of prosthetics and orthotics directly affects the functional independence, quality of life, and social integration of individuals with amputations and other musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, an essential component of the educational process is not only theoretical instruction but also the objective assessment of students’ practical skills.

One of the modern tools for evaluating students’ clinical competencies is the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which is widely used in medical education in many countries and has been implemented at Ternopil National Medical University since 2010.

For prosthetists and orthotists, it is particularly important that by the end of their clinical practice—in the first year, this is the “Introductory Clinical Practice (Prosthetics and Orthotics)”—students confidently demonstrate proficiency in basic professional skills. This stage is fundamental, as it is during this time that future professionals must acquire key clinical actions, principles of patient communication, basics of biomechanical analysis, measurement, modeling, and adaptation of prosthetic and orthotic devices.

Faculty members of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation developed educational and methodological materials for four OSCE stations that covered the key clinical skills required for prosthetists and orthotists. The examination was conducted at a prosthetic enterprise, providing assessment conditions that closely simulated real-life practice settings and enabled an objective evaluation of students’ preparedness.

Station 1: Assessment of stump measurement

Station 2: Standardized assessment of goniometry skills

Station 3: Analysis of gait motor patterns

Station 4: Assessment of prosthesis assembly technique

Confident mastery of these skills is a prerequisite for safe, high-quality, and effective future practice, as well as a key indicator of a student’s readiness for further clinical modules and independent work in a multidisciplinary team.

The first experience of conducting an OSCE for prosthetics and orthotics students confirmed the effectiveness of this format as a tool for objectively assessing practical skills and clinical reasoning. The use of standardized stations allowed for a unified approach to evaluation, identification of strengths and weaknesses in student training, and improvement of the educational process in accordance with international standards. This type of examination is an important step toward ensuring the quality of specialist training and enhancing the professional competence of future prosthetists and orthotists.