Comparison of written and oral examinations in a baccalaureate medical-surgical nursing course.

Nursing students traditionally have been evaluated with an objective written examination. This method has shown some benefits and disadvantages. This project examined the value of oral examinations in evaluating nursing students. Five groups of students were evaluated with different forms of testing, some with only written tests, others with only oral examinations, some with a combination of both types of evaluations. The results showed that oral examinations can effectively evaluate the student's comprehension and application of clinical information in a clinical situation, as shown in higher test results, compared with oral written examinations, and positive student comments. Oral examination can be as effective or more effective in evaluating student understanding of medical/surgical content and its application in clinical situations.