Oncology nursing students’ views of a modified OSCE

Summary This paper discusses oncology nursing students’ views of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The OSCE has been used as a form of assessment in medical education since the 1970s. It has subsequently been used by nursing faculties as one of a number of approaches to assessment of clinical skills. As a form of assessment it has been lauded as being more objective than traditional clinical examinations. The information in this study was collected through annual evaluations since 1998, when the OSCE was first employed to assess the students on a post-graduate oncology nursing programme. The sample comprised 185 students, and the principle areas addressed were students’ perceptions regarding their degree of preparation for the examination, the overall efficacy and relevance of the OSCE in testing clinical skills and their views on stress and anxiety associated with this form of assessment. The results indicate that while students acknowledge the OSCE was stressful, they felt they were well prepared and appreciated the efficacy and relevance of this assessment method.