Clinical Skills Assessment
The college of optometrists
Context
The College of Optometrists is the professional, scientific and examining body for optometry in the United Kingdom. They define good practice for optometrists in clinical environments, and provide the tools and expert advice to enable them to achieve it.
Challenge
To work alongside The College of Optometrists to support their assessments and supply medical role players to provide reliable portrayals of patients in immersive, true-to-life simulated patient experiences.
As the UK’s largest exam of its kind, the Clinical Skills Assessment involves three examination circuits running simultaneously.
The Solution
Alchemist developed a large pool of medical role players who are trained, maintained, and curated to mirror changes and trends in the current patient population.
The examiners are looking for evidence that participants understand the theory behind each element and are competent applying this in a practical clinical setting when dealing with different individuals. This meant facilitators are given simulated patient instructions with background information in order to convey a character’s unique needs. Others have visual impairments, or use realistic college supplied replicas.
The impact
- Alchemist assists in assessing over 1,200 optometrists every year.
- The simulated clinics are immersive and true-to-life, using a pool of 550 medical role players.
