The Effects and Challenges of Clinical Skills Assessment in the Korean Medical License Examination

의사면허 실기시험 제도의 성과와 과제

Clinical skills assessment was recently introduced to the Korean Medical License Examination to test medical school graduates' competencies in clinical skills. Various measures, including research and rehearsals, had been undertaken to prepare for the assessment for several years before the clinical skills assessment was first implemented. The assessment has been repeated annually for about 3,500 examinees over the course of 50 days per year for the past 4 years. The introduction of the assessment had significant effects on education in Korea's medical schools. Many schools have established clinical skills labs and the teaching of clinical skills has also been strengthened. The residents who have taken the clinical skills exam now express more confidence in caring for patients. To improve the quality of the assessment, it should be performed on a year-round schedule and a pilot test and various forms of the items should be introduced.