Students' perceptions regarding the objective, structured, clinical evaluation as an assessment approach

Abstract

The nursing profession is characterised by the fact that a significant amount of time is spent on competency-related activities. The assessment of clinical competence is therefore an important issue in nursing education and the utilisation of objective structured clinical evaluation for that purpose was considered to be very important in this study. The objective of this research was to explore and describe the perceptions of first- and third-year student nurses with regard to the objective structured clinical evaluation assessment approach. A quantitative, cross-sectional, analytical research design was used. The instrument was a questionnaire (ordinal). This questionnaire focused on the perceptions of student nurses with regard to the objective structured clinical evaluation approach in particular, and with regard to aspects such as reality, execution, time allocation and student and assessor variables. The findings indicated that, as an assessment tool, the objective structured clinical evaluation approach was perceived as not being totally realistic, especially by the more senior nursing students (third-year) as compared with the first-year nursing students. Varying degrees of stress were experienced by the nursing students in their first and third years but, in general, the overall perception appeared to be that the approach was well organised and that the respective students would be able to perform equally well in the clinical field. It may be concluded that the majority of students appreciate the format of the objective structured clinical evaluation approach. However, the study further highlighted the fact that more extensive training of students on time management and the relief of emotional stress is necessary during the implementation of this approach.

Translated abstract

Die verpleeg professie word gekenmerk dat 'n betekenisvolle typerk aan vaardigheids verwante aspekte bestee word. Dus is die evaluering van kliniese vaardighede 'n belangrike komponent in verpleegonderwys en die gebruik van objektiewe gestruktureerde kliniese evaluering was sodoende as noodsaaklik beskou in hierdie studie. Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om die persepsies van eerste en derde jaar verpleegstudente te ondersoek en te beskryf ten opsigte van die objektiewe gestruktureerde kliniese evaluerings benadering. 'n Kwantitatiewe analitiese deursnee studie was gebruik. Die instrument was 'n vraelys (ordinaal). Die focus van die vraelys was op die persepsies van die student verpleegkundiges met betrekking tot die objektiewe kliniese evaluering in besonder, asook op aspekte soos realiteit, uitvoering, tyd toewysing en student en evalueerder veranderlikes. Uit die bevindings blyk dit dat die objektief gestruktureerde kliniese evaluering benadering beskou word as nie volkome realisties nie, veral deur die senior (derde jaar) verpleegkundestudente in verhouding tot die eerstejaars. Wisselende vlakke van spanning is in die eerste en derde studiejare deur die studente ondervind, maar in die algemeen blyk die siening te wees dat die objektief gestruktureerde kliniese evaluering benadering goed georganiseer was en dat die studente in staat sou wees om ewe goed in die kliniese veld te vaar. Die meerderheid van die studente het waardering betyg vir die objektief gestruktureerde kliniese evaluering benadering. Nietemin is dit in die studie bevind dat die studente meer intensief voorberei moet word ten opsigte van tyd spandering, asook hoe om stress te verwerk tydens die evalauering.