Developing behavioral objectives for perioperative staff development

Behavioral objectives (i.e., clear statements that describe intended instructional outcomes) are a crucial component of educational planning for perioperative staff development. Properly written objectives promote positive learning outcomes such as increased motivation, better retention of information, and improved instructional accountability. This article describes the advantages of using behavioral objectives, gives a historical perspective of their development, presents a practical "how-to" approach to formulating them, and delineates their link to the selection of appropriate evaluation methods.