Role-playing scenarios are widely used in psychiatry education, both as a means of assessment and for teaching various clinical skills. But can you get as much from them by learning vicariously as an observer? Fourth-year medical students from Queen Mary University of London were invited to a psychiatry practice OSCE (objective structured clinical examination), shortly before end of year exams. We created 96 places, approximately 40% of the year, but to maximize numbers students also rotated through the six-station OSCE circuit in pairs. For each scenario students alternated either undertaking the OSCE task or observing.

We sought to identify if there was a significant difference in student experience depending on whether they were the ‘candidate’ or ‘observer’. Students were asked to rate their learning experience in each station on a five-point Likert scale and this was analyzed using an ordinal logistic regression model.

While students rated their experiences as ‘observers’ marginally lower than that of ‘candidates’, we found no statistically significant difference (OR = 0.629, P = 0.093). Practice OSCEs took place over six half-days with different facilitators and role-players, but we identified no interaction from these factors. For one station on depression, we found a statistically significant interaction in which ‘candidates’ rather than ‘observers’ rated better experiences (P = 0.032).

Observation by learners is frequently used within simulated clinical scenarios and may have a number of potential advantages. However, while unable to examine the direct impact on knowledge or skills, we found no significant difference in student-reported experiences between ‘candidate’ and ‘observer’ positions.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.