Clinical Application of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for Nursing Students

Purpose: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a good way to evaluate clinical skills of nursing students. To do this, we need modules, evaluators, persons to run the examination, as well as models and standardized patient care if necessary. The main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the OSCE method on nursing skills performance of students enrolled in a core skill lab of nursing courses. Method: Eight items were developed for the examination. Five minutes was allowed for each item. Two married women and third-year students played patient's roles. The participants were 2nd-year nursing students and the OSCE program was performed on December, 2008. Data analysis was done using SPSS WIN 12.0. Result: The evaluation score for BP check skill was 1.68 and hand washing skill was 1.87 by evaluators. Response of examinees to OSCE was favorable. Examinees did not express resistance for evaluation by OSCE run by SPs and students. Conclusion: The OSCE method is an effective tool for evaluating clinical nursing skills performance in student nurses. It is necessary to explore more efficient ways to develop OSCE cases in wider areas of nursing education. It is also recommended to replicate similar studies in nursing education.