Using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in undergraduate psychiatric nursing education: Is it reliable and valid?

While there is widespread use of OSCE in general nursing specialties, psychiatric nursing has been slow to adopt this evaluation method and it has only recently been introduced to psychiatric nursing education. Aim: The main aim of the present study is to test the first application, validity and reliability of the OSCE in undergraduate psychiatric nursing education. Method: OSCE was developed to assess undergraduate psychiatric nursing students' clinical skills. The students' evaluation of the OSCE process was obtained after the completion of each OSCE circuit. Results: The psychiatric nursing OSCE proved to be a reliable and valid method in assessing psychiatric nursing clinical competencies. In general, the students perceived OSCE as a positive experience and stressful on the other hand. Conclusion: OSCE is a reliable and valid method of assessing the students' psychiatric nursing competency skills. It has been shown to have many advantages over traditional methods of assessment and has the ability to objectively assess psychiatric nursing skills. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.