The Effects of Practice on Graduate Nursing Students' Objective Structured Clinical Examination Scores

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are integral to graduate nursing education, particularly in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) programs.
• Students frequently report pre-assessment anxiety despite positive feedback on OSCEs.
• A peer-interview practice assignment was introduced to mitigate this anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pre-OSCE practice assignment on student performance in OSCEs.
• To determine if peer-interview practice influences OSCE scores in PMHNP students.

Main Methods:

• A pre-OSCE practice assignment involving peer interviews was implemented for PMHNP students.
• Mean OSCE scores were compared between students who completed the practice assignment and those who did not.
• Independent samples t-test was used for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference was observed in mean OSCE scores between the group that underwent the pre-OSCE practice and the control group.
• The practice assignment did not yield a measurable improvement in OSCE performance.

Conclusions:

• The implemented pre-OSCE practice assignment did not significantly enhance student OSCE scores.
• Further investigation is necessary to understand the effectiveness of preparatory interventions for clinical skills assessments.
• Additional research should explore alternative strategies for managing student anxiety in OSCEs.