ABSTRACT: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are high-stakes, stressful assessments for both examiners and students under any circumstances. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, a UK wide lockdown resulted in a temporary postponement of all veterinary nursing practical assessments, until appropriate procedures and government sanctions permitted OSCEs to be carried out in a safe environment. This is a reflective account of holding OSCE style assessments using a social distancing protocol, highlighting the positive impact these measures had on student assessment experience.

Author(s)

Alison Simpson RVN LIQA FHEA

Alison qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1994, working in small animal practice before moving into veterinary nursing education. Alison has also worked for the National Blood Service and examined for the RCVS. Alison now course leads the FdSc in Veterinary Nursing at Nottingham Trent University and is Senior Examiner for the practical skills assessments, responsible for training and standardising the teaching team.

Matthew Hall FdSc RVN CertVN ECC AFHEA

Matthew qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2017 and completed the VetsNow ECC certificate in March 2019. Matthew has previously worked in a large referral hospital in various roles, before moving into veterinary nursing education in March 2020. Matthew is now the veterinary nursing Centre Coordinator at Nottingham Trent University.

Emily J. Hall MA VetMB PGCAP MRSB MRCVS SFHEA

Emily qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2007 and has worked in small animal first opinion practice ever since. Emily now course leads the BSc (top-up) in Veterinary Nursing Science and teaches veterinary nursing students on both the FdSc and BSc courses at Nottingham Trent University Emily’s research interests include temperature monitoring and heat-related illness in companion animals. Email: emily.hall@ntu.ac.uk Twitter: @NTU_VetNursing

Keywords:  OSCE; TSPE; COVID-19; social distancing; reflective practice

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 35 (08) • August 2020 pp246-250

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