Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Feb 21, 2026
Date Accepted: Jul 23, 2026
Mapping How Objective Structured Clinical Examinations Are Operationalized to Support Student Learning Across Nursing, Nurse Practitioner and Medical Education: Protocol for a Scoping Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
OSCEs are a common assessment tool used to evaluate clinical reasoning and knowledge application in healthcare education. Their development and facilitation are often included under the greater umbrella of simulation pedagogies. Despite their widespread adoption, a critical gap exists in standardized best practice guidelines specific to OSCE development, implementation, and evaluation.
Objective:
This scoping review will describe current approaches to OSCE practices within healthcare education. Current OSCE practices will be analyzed and summarized to inform the development of recommendations for an evidence-based approach to OSCE implementation that meets contemporary regulatory requirements and simulation best practice guidelines.
Methods:
This review will follow JBI methodology for scoping reviews, with searches conducted by a librarian familiar with the scoping review process. Records retrieved will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Two reviewers will independently assess the records for inclusion against the defined criteria and extract data using an adapted JBI extraction form. The data will be charted using narrative summary text, tables, and figures.
Results:
A preliminary search of PROSPERO, PubMed, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and JBI Evidence Synthesis was conducted. No current or in-progress scoping or systematic reviews on our specific topic were identified. Three papers with related topics were identified, none of which addressed the specific focus of this scoping review.
Conclusions:
This review will provide a comprehensive overview of how OSCEs are operationalized across nursing, midwifery, and medical programs. It will highlight emerging themes, key differences between guidelines and practice, and under-researched areas, supporting targeted, evidence-informed strategies to advance OSCE practice in education. Clinical Trial: Not Applicable
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