Perceptions of Lebanese nursing students and examiners regarding the Objective Structured Clinical Examination Method (OSCE) in nursing fundamentals: A mixed method study

Abstract

This research paper examines the Objective Structured Clinical Review (OSCE) perspectives of university nursing students, and examiners to appraise necessary nursing skills. A mixed-method design captures the perspectives and interactions of the OSCE respondents. The study comprised of 315 students participating in the Nursing Fundamentals course, and 18 examiners recruited to conduct the OSCE exam. A structured survey and focus group discussions were used to gather data, utilize semi-structured inquiries, and collect and transpose thematic analysis. Through the SPSS program, quantitative data were analyzed. The findings showed that participants found the OSCE to be a robust evaluation method that increases students' in-depth training and clinical settings readiness. Students instead considered the test to be a stressful encounter highlighting the necessity for more time on OSCE stations. Suggestions to enhance the OSCE procedure included expanding pre-examination training and introducing a mixed learning approach to maximize responsiveness to these activities.