Recommendations After an Objective Structured Clinical Examination Program Evaluation.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Assessment
• Healthcare Simulation

Background:

• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are standard for medical clinical assessment.
• OSCEs are increasingly integrated into advanced practice nursing curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the OSCE evaluative strategy within a family nurse practitioner track.
• To identify strengths and challenges in implementing OSCEs for nurse practitioner students.

Main Methods:

• A program assessment was conducted at a southwestern U.S. university's family nurse practitioner track.
• Utilized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) logic model framework.
• Analyzed focus group data and de-identified faculty-scored student rubrics from one cohort (N=73).

Main Results:

• Identified strengths and challenges in student preparation for OSCEs.
• Observed variations in inter-rater reliability affecting scoring and grading.
• Noted areas for improvement in the debriefing process.

Conclusions:

• Recommends establishing a dedicated OSCE center with a director for standardized evaluation.
• Suggests this center would enhance faculty education and student preparation.
• Emphasizes adherence to guidelines for nurse practitioner competency evaluation through simulation.