Testing the OSCE: A Reliable Measurement of Clinical Nursing Skills

Abstract

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a method for evaluating nursing students' clinical skills. Its main aim is to reduce some of the problems inherent in the traditional observation type of evaluation. The OSCE has been seen, both by students and by faculty, as being more objective than the traditional observation methods. The objective and reliable nature of the OSCE permits it to be repeated on a regular basis, with comparisons of test results between the individual performance of students, or between different classes of students. The OSCE has also been useful in identifying areas for modification of the nursing curriculum in various clinical nursing courses. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to summarize the use of the OSCE, and to present the results of reliability and validity testing of it over the past five years.