Clinical Assessment Officer

The role forms part of a busy Assessment and Examination team within the Faculty Education Services department for the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. The role supports the clinical examination events for 2500 students across the Professional Health programmes.   

The Clinical Examination Officer is responsible for coordinating the preparation and the events running of the clinical examinations (OSCEs). Producing floorplans, arranging equipment, and leading on invigilation recruitment; ensuring the examinations are of a highly organised, assured standard and are compliant with College and GMC regulations. 

We are seeking an enthusiastic, proactive individual who is committed to providing an excellent assessment provision.   

The post holder will be expected to communicate with a broad range of stakeholders, including academics, clinicians, technicians and a team of assessment colleagues across multiple hospital sites. 

A proactive approach to meeting deadlines, excellent time management and attention to detail are essential as is the ability to negotiate and influence in order to meet competing deadlines and priorities. 

Applicants must have excellent IT skills, in particular Microsoft Office with an emphasis on Excel. Some experience of a student records system (SITS), VLE (Moodle) and production of website publications would be beneficial. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract  

This is a 0.8 FTE  post

Key responsibilities

• To deliver a professional and service centric assessment provision for clinical examinations (OSCEs), supporting the requirements of the professional programmes within the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine (FoLSM) 
• Working within a team of Clinical Assessment Officers ensuring a consistent, accurate and timely service across all operational activity; including, scheduling and running exams, examiner and invigilation recruitment, and support with station content/ blueprint and mark sheet production and printing
• To ensure a responsive and personable enquiry service with a coordinated approach to communications and production of publications, such as OSCE handbooks and online guidance
• Responsible for maintaining high standards of accuracy across clinical assessment record data and across multiple systems ensuring data processing meets agreed deadlines in order to deliver student and academic expectations
• To support the Senior Clinical Examinations Officer with the collation of station content, instruction and exam blueprint; following up with academic leads who may have missing or late material and assisting with external examiner processes in order to ensure print deadlines are met
• To support with proof-reading requirements, checking spelling, grammar, punctuation numbering of questions and labelling of answer options; ensuring all approval processes have been applied in good time.  The role is not responsible for checking the medical /scientific /clinical or specialty content
• To manage the production of clinical examination floor plans, ensuring these are produced and signed off well in advance of examination events commencing and by agreed deadlines
• To liaise with other departments and stakeholders such as the Clinical Skills team and Hospital Site Administrators /Directors of Undergraduate Education (DuMEs); working collaboratively across teams to deliver a highly organised and quality assured examination across multiple sites
• To ensure examination equipment is available and functioning, including supporting technology such as iPads, radios, videos and organising reliable check and balance of equipment well in advance of each examination event
• To recruit and coordinate agency staff (student helpers) for invigilation duties; updating and maintaining the invigilators recruitment database (King’s Talent Bank) Ensuring temporary staff are well trained and able to deliver a professional service
• Assist with training for all non-academic roles that enable the event to run; including comprehensive training for invigilators and for professional service colleagues who volunteer to help support the running of event
• Coordinate the preparations in advance of the examination event: booking venues, coordinating invigilation and recruiting examiners. Supporting with ‘station’ set up and equipment checks.
• Ensuring mark sheets are available at venues along with all other materials and assisting with the collection and reconciliation of mark sheets ensure assessment documentation is organised and stored securely that the integrity of examination content and information is maintained at all times
• Ensuring exams run effectively on the day including oversight of invigilators and other temporary resource; calmly problem solving and escalating promptly where necessary to a senior examiner or senior administrator where an exam irregularity or incident occurs
• To assist with the generic assessment mailbox ensuring students are appropriately supported and that emails are fully responded to within 24hrs 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential Criteria

1. Excellent communication and presentation skills; demonstrable ability to present information clearly, accurately and concisely to diverse audiences  
2. Excellent time management with the ability to organise, and plan effectively across competing priorities 
3. Excellent attention to detail with methodical, exacting standards of written and numerical accuracy 
4. Able to manage individual workload while working to deliver shared team service levels and objectives 
5. Ability to make timely informed decisions, independently resolve problems and identify when to escalate risk 
6. Ability to form professional networks and contribute positively to supporting change 
7. Previous HE examination or event coordination experience; with an emphasis on working across a range of assessment activity 
8. Excellent IT experience, across all Microsoft packages; advanced excel user and experience of production of analytical data reporting
9. Demonstrative enthusiasm, drive and initiative; adopts a proactive approach 

Desirable criteria

1. Degree or equivalent 
2. Experience of programme governance and delivering professional committee servicing 

Further information

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible

Interviews are provisionally scheduled on Friday 12 January 2024

This role does not meet the requirements of the Home Office and therefore we are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who require the right to work in the UK.