The perceptions and experiences of pre-registration nursing students with dyslexia of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Abstract

This thesis examines the perceptions and experiences of pre-registration nursing students with dyslexia in one university in relation to one specific assessment: the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

In September 2013, all United Kingdom pre-registration nursing training moved to degree level university programmes. Universities must also ensure that all nursing students meet the fitness to practise criteria laid down by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2015). Current national higher education policy aims to widen participation; this includes those with disabilities. Statistics show that 10% of students attending university in England have a declared disability, the main one being dyslexia. The study university has its own widening participation policy, with 19% of its children’s nursing students currently registered as having dyslexia.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010) states that all pre-registration nursing programmes should contain a variety of assessment strategies, to ensure students meet the academic and clinical standards required by the professional nursing and midwifery register. One of the final assessments at the study university, as with many other medical and nursing degrees, is the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, a method of assessment that requires students to perform clinical assessments and answer questions within standardised conditions, within a set time limit. This study aims to explore the ways in which nursing students with dyslexia perceive and experience the OSCE as an assessment method, and to draw conclusions on ways to develop it further.

Using a two-phase mixed methods approach, a purposive sample of 24 nursing students in year 3 of their course, was approached to participate in an online questionnaire, with 12 responding. Six students participated further in object elicitation interviews, which were analysed using a ‘Framework’ method.

The findings highlight the unique OSCE journeys of study participants, the impact of dyslexia on the individual and the OSCE assessment process. The thesis offers discussion and recommendations around the OSCE as an ‘inclusive’ teaching and assessment method, considering how the design of curricula and assessments assists in recognising students’ individualism and in reducing potential issues. It is the first study to consider the OSCE with regard to such students and offers an opening for future studies focussing on learning difficulties and OSCE assessments within nursing.