Use of simulated patients for formative assessment of moral competence in medical students

BACKGROUND: During the course of their education, medical students must attain moral competence. The current study aims at designing a formative structured examination that would create the opportunity for learners to practice and interact with simulated patients under expert supervision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This article reports an experience in developing and implementation of a formative assessment of moral competence and the point of view of medical students. In this study, the formative structured examination of medical ethics for 80 medical students in 2 rounds with eight stations was designed. In each station, a scenario was proposed, and the opportunity was provided to the learners to interact with a simulated patient under the supervision of a medical ethics expert. Then, the learners would receive structured feedback in accordance with their performance. All learners expressed their experience in reflective writing, and their opinions were put under content analysis. RESULTS: The content analysis of this reflective writing revealed three main categories, namely “Deeper understanding of ethical subjects,” “Collaborative thinking and synergy with peers,” and “Effective feedback of supervisors.” CONCLUSION: Within the framework of a formative structured examination of medical ethics, a safe space was created for interacting with simulated patients and practicing ethical reasoning, as well as dimensions of moral competence.