Assessing Physician Assistant Student Electronic Health Record Competency Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination

PurposeEvaluate didactic year physician assistant (PA) student competency in electronic health record (EHR) communication and data management.MethodsThis study used an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to measure PA students' EHR patient communication and data skills.ResultsMost students demonstrated good EHR communication skills overall, while few students moved the computer to better facilitate the visit or verified the patient's identity. Additionally, few students demonstrated EHR data skills by reviewing patient history and medications.ConclusionsUtilizing an OSCE to assess EHR competence can highlight areas for curricular improvement in order to improve EHR skills.