Lecturers experiences and perspectives of using an objective structured clinical examination

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings that emerged from aqualitative study which explored nurse educators experiences and perspectives ofassessing students clinical competence using an objective structured clinical examination(OSCE), and to address the challenges pertaining to the assessment. OSCEshave been researched internationally; however, exploration within an Irish contextis limited. The current study is timely as the findings are relevant in light of theongoing debate about OSCEs. The data for this study was collected using two focusgroups in one institution in the Republic of Ireland. Two main themes emerged:OSCE preparation and assessment process. It is envisaged that the outcome of thisstudy will enable nurse educators to recognise both the potential and the contributionof OSCEs to the curriculum and motivate nurse educators to increase studentsexposure to this assessment strategy. The need to adapt and become cognisant ofthe major changes in the real healthcare world will continue to challenge nurseeducators