Finding reality: the use of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in the assessment of mental health nursing students interpersonal skills.

This paper presents the implementation of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in the assessment of mental health nursing students' interpersonal skills. It begins by providing a rationale for the use of this instrument to assess such ski lls and offers a brief discussion of the development of OSCEs. The preparation and implementation of the OSCE is explored and both students' and tutors' reflections of the process are highlighted. The strengths and problems, particularly the use of an ac tor and video tape recordings are examined, in the light of other studies. The paper concludes by advocating the use of such an assessment tool as a formative exercise.