Attitudes of undergraduate nursing students toward Objective Structure Practical Examination: An Exploratory study

Background: Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a method of assessment of clinical competence.The examination is conducted at multiple stations.Besides practical and problem-solving skills,theoretical knowledge is also tested.OSPE can be traced back more than 40 years.OSPE has been included more than two decades,as a part of assessment in the College of Nursing,All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),New Delhi.Objectives: This study was carried out to determine nursing students' attitudes towards OSPE as an assessment tool.Participants: The responses of all the 252 Undergraduate nursing students studying at the College of Nursing,AIIMS were obtained for this study (77 from B.Sc.(H) Nursing first year,61 from the second year,69 from the third year and 45 from the fourth year).Methods: The students attitudes towards OSPE were assessed by using a validated questionnaire containing 28 item statements on Likert's 5-point scale (LS) and 11 bipolar adjectives on Osgood's 7-point Semantic'Differential Scale (OSDS).Result: Most of the students approved of OSPE and felt that it was fair,useful,good,effective,exciting,interesting,practical,skill oriented but also taxing.The study also revealed that amongst the second years' students there was a strong correlation between Overall Rank in the Class and Assessment of OSPE.Conclusion: The study supports the introduction of OSPE as one of the methods of assessment of B.Sc.(Hons.) Nursing students.

Attitudes of Nursing Faculty Members and Graduates towards the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty and graduates of college of nursing towards Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a valid and reliable method of clinical competency assessment in nursing ten years after its inception. Core nursing courses are based on instructional teaching methods and “hands-on” approach to impact cognitive, psychomotor skills and clinical judgments. Different clinical competency assessment methods are used globally;however, most of them are subjective. A descriptive survey using 16-item five-point likert scale questionnaire was conducted. The study sample consisted of 140 participants: 20 faculty members, 27 graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree and 93 graduates of the Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) programs with OSCE experience during their training. Data collection was carried out between October and November 2015. Eighty percent of faculty members, 74% of BSN and 62.3% of ADN graduates agreed that OSCE represented an objective evaluation method for psychomotor skills. Majority of the graduates perceived their OSCE experience positively although stressful. However, they have suggested the introduction of trial/mock OSCE prior to each exam to minimize the stress associated with it. In conclusion, there appears to be no single “gold-standard” assessment tool for clinical competency. OSCE assesses student nurses’ psychomotor skills in a non-clinical environment, therefore without risks to real patients. In combination with other assessment methods in the clinical settings, OSCE will provide a more comprehensive student psychomotor skill evaluation. OSCE experiences gave new nursing graduates confidence to work as registered nurses in health care settings.