Perspectives and experiences of newly registered nurses surrounding the objective structured clinical examination in an obstetrics and gynecology hospital: A qualitative study in Shanghai, China

Objectives: Newly registered nurses in China are required to attend two years of standardized training programs after graduation, and an evaluation of the training program's effectiveness is critical. The objective structured clinical examination is a relatively new and objective approach to exploring the effectiveness of training pro-grams and is increasingly being encouraged and used in clinics. However, the perspectives and experiences of newly registered nurses in obstetrics and gynecology regarding the objective structured clinical examination are unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate newly registered nurses' perspectives and ex-periences of the objective structured clinical examination in an obstetrics and gynecology hospital.Design: This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. Data sources: Twenty-four newly registered nurses taking the objective structured clinical examination in a third-level obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Shanghai, China.Review methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted between July and August 2021. The Colaizzi seven-step framework was applied for data analysis.Results: Three main themes and six sub-themes emerged: 1) high satisfaction with the objective structured clinical examination; 2) gaining experience and growing as nurses; and 3) high pressure. Conclusion: The objective clinical structured examination can be used to assess the competence of newly regis-tered nurses after training in an obstetrics and gynecology hospital. The examination not only enables an objective and comprehensive evaluation of others and self-evaluation but also leads to positive psychological experiences in newly registered nurses. However, interventions are needed to relieve examination pressure and to provide effective support for participants. The objective clinical structured examination can be incorporated into the training assessment system; this study provides a basis for improving training programs and the training of newly registered nurses.

Automated summary

The objective of this study was to investigate newly registered nurses' perspectives and experiences of the objective structured clinical examination in an obstetrics and gynecology hospital. Through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 24 participants, it was found that the nurses were highly satisfied with the examination and it provided an objective and comprehensive evaluation, as well as positive psychological experiences. However, interventions are needed to relieve examination pressure and provide effective support for participants.