A British nursing school's version of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination is a process for assessing clinical skills in the context of holistic patient care. Students work with one simulated patient at one station, demonstrating competence in a sample of skills. (SK)

Increased academic standards in midwifery education are causing conflict between research-based and traditional knowledge used in clinical assessments. Training of evaluators, frequent changes in clinical placements, and lack of contact between students and evaluators also impinge on the validity and reliability of assessments. (SK)

Interviews with 76 lecturers, 46 practitioners, and 131 nursing students in Britain showed that, despite recommendations that lecturers spend 20% of their time in clinical practice, most feel unprepared and unsupported in this role. Students and practitioners want a better-organized approach that would give them sustained support in the practice…