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The College of Optometrists and the General Optical Council have confirmed they are happy with the format of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and for it to be used for the first time this summer as the final step to qualification as an optometrist.

This follows the final pilot of the proposed OSCE-based final assessment, which took place last week at the Royal College of General Practitioners' offices in Croydon, south London.

The trial comprised 16 individual five-minute OSCE tasks which were undertaken in rotation by existing College examiners under the observation of other examiners. The stations represent a cross-section of the main clinical competencies in which a pre-registration optometrist has to show evidence of competence during the two-stage work based assessment period.

For the pilot the tasks included the taking of a history from a pre-prepared actor, a colour vision assessment, a slit-lamp assessment, analysis of and diagnosis from a selection of record cards, explanation of a condition to an actor, and the collection of some specified dispensing measurements.

Previous pilots have included the use of indirect ophthalmoscopy on a dummy eye, analysis of video footage of a motility exercise and retinoscopy.

'The pilots have allowed us to ensure the smooth running of the OSCEs, and the College and the GOC are now happy both with the structure of the assessment and the Croydon venue for 2010,' confirmed College director of education Jo Mullin.

Examiner (and Optician's clinical editor) Bill Harvey agreed: 'The pilot seemed to go well. I believe there is now a way of checking overall competency that is fair and standardised, while suitably challenging to ensure satisfactory performance.'

The OSCE will be run from July 5-9 for the first wave of pre-registration optometrists signed off from their stage 2 practice period by May 28.

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