Raising the Curtain on Objective Structured Clinical Examination Practices in Nursing: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Amid calls to transform nursing curricula to competency-based education, assessments to capture the intricacy and complexity of practice remains inconsistent. The ubiquitous integration of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in evaluation systems necessitated a consolidative review to determine practices that garner its effectiveness. METHOD: The review leaned on an extensive search of literature targeting nursing OSCEs between 2015 and 2024, guided by inclusion criteria. Of the 77 reviewed abstracts, only 16 primary studies met the criteria. Data were categorized into aims, designs, assessed competencies, psychometric properties, stakeholder preparation, implications, and recommendations. RESULTS: The review converged on four OSCE principles: (1) design; (2) competencies; (3) psychometrics; and (4) stakeholder preparation. In-depth analysis unveiled the following OSCE practice themes: (a) deciding on the design; (b) deciding what to assess; (c) emulating clinical environment; and (d) safeguarding psychometrics. CONCLUSION: .