Use of oral examinations to teach concepts of evidence-based practice to nurse practitioner students

Evidence-based practice has become part of nurse practitioner education. One innovative approach to teaching and evaluating evidence-based practice is the implementation of oral examinations, in which students orally present their review of a research article. Prior to the examination, students are given a research article to critique and can prepare for the examination using their notes and textbooks. At a scheduled time, they meet with a faculty member to respond to both predetermined and unexpected questions requiring critique of the research and thorough explanation of how it will (or will not) influence their practice. Although this approach may produce anxiety in students, it provides another way to evaluate students' ability to communicate about a complex topic and is an excellent complementary evaluation method to other approaches, such as case studies or written examinations.