Hybrid simulation “[combines] simulated patients and part-task trainers […] to create a multimodal clinical context [that] requires clinicians to integrate technical and nontechnical skills in a holistic clinical performance for assessment” (Tun, 2012). If used correctly, such an approach reduces changes of medium and examinee-examiner interaction during the exam, thus maximizing fidelity on the patient dimension while still allowing for high levels of standardization. This ultimately adds to the validity of pass/fail decisions in high stakes assessment of clinical skills.

This is why the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (Bundesamt für Gesundheit) set up a task force to pilot and evaluate hybrid simulations and to make recommendations for the use of hybrid simulation in the Swiss Federal Medical Licensing Exam’s Clinical Skills Assessment. Moreover the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health financially supports the present project within the framework of a quality development funding line.

In this workshop we (1) present our findings from the first project phase that collated experiences and evidence from different sources, (2) provide participants with the chance to experience four mock OSCE stations using hybrid simulations for a (3) joint discussion of experiences and possibilities of the hybrid simulation approach.