title: Using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as Education in Advanced Practice Registered Nursing Education.
abstract: Approximately 3 million nurses make up the U.S. health care workforce. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine (2011) supported the call to strengthen the nursing profession by establishing global standards of educational criteria and outcomes. Throughout the world, health education is affected by fundamental inadequacies related to static, fragmented, and content-oriented curricula. There are inadequacies in our curricula, and nursing faculties are facing challenges with clinical placements (both the number and quality of these placements); therefore, alternative methods of providing practice to students need to be considered. A transformative agenda comprising changes in the way students are taught fully harnessing the potential of information and communications technology (i.e., simulation) is necessary. Simulated patient encounters and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are 2 means to achieve needed practice in a safe environment. The purpose of this article is to show, by using simulation, how students can practice and be evaluated within their clinical practice role in a safe, controlled environment. In addition, this practice can (a) enable students to increase the complexity of their understanding and their autonomy and (b) educate students about social accountability, health and gender equity, social justice, and human rights.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Nursing & Health Sciences.. Electronic address: teri.aronowitz@umb.edu.
authors.forename: Teri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aronowitz
authors.affiliation: Research Nurse, University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
authors.forename: Shoshana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aronowitz
authors.affiliation: Simulation Instructor, University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mardin-Small
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant, University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
authors.forename: BoRam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods; D013338:Students, Nursing
keywords: Advanced health assessment; Advanced practice; Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSEC); Simulation