Type of Proposal
Visual Presentation (Poster, Installation, Demonstration)
Faculty
Faculty of Nursing
Faculty Sponsor
Prof. Judy A.K Bornais
Proposal
This study examined if participating in a student-led mentoring initiative assisted first year nursing students with their anxiety on Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs). Previous research has identified that OSCEs can be stressful for learners (Clarke, McDonald & Rainey, 2012; Rushforth, 2007). Peer mentors however have been shown to help decrease anxiety, increase confidence and help students gain feedback (Stone et al., 2013; Giordana, & Wedin, 2010). However, limited research exists to determine if mentoring initiatives help mitigate the anxiety nursing students feel when being tested on their health assessment skills using OSCEs. As a result, a comparative design was used to examine perceived anxiety between nursing students who participated in the mentoring initiative (SOOA) and those who did not. All first-year nursing students were provided with the opportunity to voluntarily participate in SOOA. At the end of the school semester, prior to final OSCEs, all first year students were asked to complete a paper and pencil survey. The survey included standard demographic questions along with questions about participation in SOOA. In addition, a 40-item Likert scale was included which assessed subsets of anxiety and self-efficacy. The anxiety scale was adapted from Hodapp and Bensen’s and included items from the Revised Test Anxiety (RTA) scale, and the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G). Quantitative data analysis using student surveys were utilized to determine if any differences in anxiety level or self-efficacy exist between students based on their level of participation in SOOA. Students who attended SOOA frequently (defined as 10 or more times) reported the lowest worry and emotionality scores regarding their OSCE examinations compared with students who only attended SOOA occasionally. With the increasing use of OSCE examinations in education and related anxiety, mentoring initiatives such as SOOA should be considered as an approach to decrease anxiety amongst first year nursing students.
Start Date
31-3-2017 1:00 PM
End Date
31-3-2017 2:00 PM
A peer mentoring initiative developed to engage and mentor peers to decrease OSCE anxiety and encourage strong health assessment techniques
This study examined if participating in a student-led mentoring initiative assisted first year nursing students with their anxiety on Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs). Previous research has identified that OSCEs can be stressful for learners (Clarke, McDonald & Rainey, 2012; Rushforth, 2007). Peer mentors however have been shown to help decrease anxiety, increase confidence and help students gain feedback (Stone et al., 2013; Giordana, & Wedin, 2010). However, limited research exists to determine if mentoring initiatives help mitigate the anxiety nursing students feel when being tested on their health assessment skills using OSCEs. As a result, a comparative design was used to examine perceived anxiety between nursing students who participated in the mentoring initiative (SOOA) and those who did not. All first-year nursing students were provided with the opportunity to voluntarily participate in SOOA. At the end of the school semester, prior to final OSCEs, all first year students were asked to complete a paper and pencil survey. The survey included standard demographic questions along with questions about participation in SOOA. In addition, a 40-item Likert scale was included which assessed subsets of anxiety and self-efficacy. The anxiety scale was adapted from Hodapp and Bensen’s and included items from the Revised Test Anxiety (RTA) scale, and the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G). Quantitative data analysis using student surveys were utilized to determine if any differences in anxiety level or self-efficacy exist between students based on their level of participation in SOOA. Students who attended SOOA frequently (defined as 10 or more times) reported the lowest worry and emotionality scores regarding their OSCE examinations compared with students who only attended SOOA occasionally. With the increasing use of OSCE examinations in education and related anxiety, mentoring initiatives such as SOOA should be considered as an approach to decrease anxiety amongst first year nursing students.