Abstract: Objective To investigate effective ways of assessing and improving clinical competence of residents, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was applied to the standardized training system as an entrance test. Methods A total of 102 first year residents who began their training in 2016 and 2017 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital（PUMCH）were enrolled in the project. A 6-station OSCE was set up as the entrance examination. Results The total scores of OSCE were normally distributed. Residents enrolled in 2017 showed better results in medical history taking and total score compared with residents enrolled in 2016(P<0.05). The examination results of 2017 residents were obviously superior to the master degree candidates in each station except in physical examination station(P<0.05). Conclusions The overall design of the application of OSCE to the standardized training of residents is successful. It provides a reliable tool for assessment and enhancing clinical competence. OSCE may play an instructive role in medical training in the future.

Key words: OSCE, standardized training of residents, medical education