Welcome to episode four of Tails of Testing! Brodie Wise, our EVP of Business Development and Marketing, chats with Heather Rybacki, our Product Manager of remote observational assessment. You may know this type of testing as oral certifying exams or OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). We’re thinking differently about observational assessment, creating a path for clients to move interview-style exams from paper and pencil to a secure and easy-to-use online format.

Video Transcript

[Onscreen: A split-screen of Brodie and Heather talking virtually.]

Brodie Wise 
Hi everyone, welcome to another round of Tails of Testing. This is Brodie Wise, the Executive Vice President at Internet Testing Systems. And today I have one of our key product owners for the company, Heather Rybacki. Heather, welcome. 

Heather Rybacki 
Hey, Brodie, it’s so good to see you. 

Brodie  
Oh, thanks, Heather. I really appreciate you joining. I know people are going to be excited to hear what you have to say today. What do you do at ITS? 

Heather  
So, I’m part of the Product Management team here at ITS, so I work closely with our clients to understand their needs and their pain points and then develop solutions that will address those needs. So, my primary focus these days is on our ITS Observational Assessment Solution. 

Brodie  
Perfect. Perfect. That leads right into—we just got back from ATP. A lot of exciting stuff—and I shouldn’t say right back, it was the other week—but what was great [was that] there was so much going on and there was a lot of discussions around observational OSCE and so on. What is it and, like, why is it important? Why is it, like, a big trending thing now? 

Heather  
It’s a good question. There is a lot of conversation about it. So, we know that a lot of skills and abilities aren’t easily captured through multiple choice or essay questions. So, observational assessment steps in to use interviews or direct observation to assess other skills like patient interaction or oral communication, maybe presentation skills or performance. The OSCE, you mentioned, and oral exams—those are both used by medical boards. OSCEs are used to present a clinical situation where a doctor might evaluate an actor as a patient, and oral exams involve physicians interviewing candidates about how they would care for a particular patient. 

Brodie  
Oh, great, great. Now that makes more sense, and I know there’s other industries that do those type of things. It makes me think of someone trying to maybe get their mechanic’s license or something. But what comes to mind, Heather, and I don’t understand why it’s important now, but this is already out there—people already have this type of exam. You developed a platform. Why is it needed? What’s the point? 

Heather  
Well, I think, like everyone, organizations that deliver these types of exams had to pivot over the last few years. Even before that, most of these exams were done in person and on paper and pencil. And so there was a shift to move to more digital and online delivery, and then the pandemic hit and there was a rush not only to, you know, move to a digital format, but to be able to continue to offer these exams remotely. So, that’s been the big push over these last two years. 

Brodie  
That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So, you develop this, and it’s cool, new technology. I mean, what excites you about it? Why is this so exciting to you? 

Heather  
Yeah, we have a great platform solution. It integrates an oral assessment platform—so the test delivery portion of it—with video conferencing and remote proctoring. And I think it’s really exciting because it kind of takes it to the next level. You have an integrated interface with everything all in one, and it allows candidates and examiners to interact across many miles, but it also allows an opportunity to kind of evaluate how these tests are being delivered and what more can be done to better reflect practice and capture a true assessment of these candidates. 

Brodie  
Yeah, I mean, maybe I’m just a little biased because it’s our company, but what I think is pretty cool is you’ve described something that is new to the market as a whole. When you go from the in-person only to this, I just think it’s crazy powerful. But when you’re taking things from in person to online, there’s a lot of change, a lot to think about. And, I guess, how does a group, or what do they have to start thinking about, how do they prepare? How does this evolve for an organization? Because it’s going to be new to everyone. 

Heather  
You’re right, it is a big change. A lot of times it means taking standard processes that they’ve been doing for years and years and re-evaluating them. So, it’s really important to walk through the process from the perspective of the candidates, from the perspective of the examiners, making sure that you’re taking care of them the whole way through, and, really, finding a partner who is going to be able to accommodate your needs as you’re looking for the best way to deliver this type of exam remotely. 

Brodie  
Great. Thanks, Heather. That was a lot to think about. There’s a lot to go on, so I appreciate you coming on today. But you know what? Our listeners, they love to have a little bit of advice that comes from these quick discussions. Anything that you want to leave the listeners with? 

Heather  
Oh, absolutely. So, I feel like the last two years has been a rush to find a solution that will fill a gap. So, I think now is really the time to take a breath, take a look at what is going to be the best solution for your candidates, for your organization, and see, you know, how you can move forward. You know, change is always a little bit uncomfortable, but it’s through that discomfort that we truly do achieve more. So, that’s my advice to anyone looking to change their program and organization. 

Brodie  
I love it. Let’s get uncomfortable. I mean, that’s actually what ends up happening when people talk to me. So, I totally [get it]. Well, Heather, thank you so much. I really appreciate you making the time, and I’ll see you next time. 

Heather  
Thank you. 

About Our Guest

Heather Rybacki is a Product Manager here at ITS. Heather works with clients and internal stakeholders to understand their needs, and then she articulates a solution and collaborates with the Development team to produce a tangible, workable, and navigable product. Heather is passionate about solving client problems through innovative, easy-to-use, and smart software solutions. If you have questions about our Observational Assessment Solution, send us a note at info@testsys.com!