Objective structured clinical examination: Do first-year nursing students perceive it to be stressful?

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is widely accepted as an effective means of assessing clinical competence and nursing skills. There is, however, little existing knowledge on how first-year students perceived stress during their first OSCE. Objectives: To determine the perception stress; to identify factors causing incidence stress. Method: A descriptive, survey was conducted a sample 82 using Perceived Stress Scale (PPS). Results: results showed that more than half ( n = 54) at moderate levels. Students not having sufficient time complete OSCE main factor (mean 22.04; standard deviation [s.d.] 6.21). correlation between significant weak positive linear among variables r 0.45; p < 0.05). Conclusion: study findings are important data determining students’ were collected immediately after OSCE, which may indicate related actual event rather preparation for follow-up qualitative research should be conducted, preferably in same setting, so experiences can explored depth.