Nursing Student Perceptions of Standardized Patient Use in Health Assessment

Background: Peer physical examinations (PPEs) are often used to teach health assessment (HA) skills in undergraduate nursing education; however, the use of standardized patients (SPs) has been shown to have a greater impact on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning. Method: Survey results from students who completed their HA final head-to-toe assessment evaluation using PPEs versus SPs were compared in this mixed-method descriptive study. Results: Students who used SPs indicated their assessment required more critical thinking and less memorization compared with those who used PPEs for their HA final head-to-toe assessment evaluation (p < .05). Conclusion: The use of SPs and case-based scenarios is an innovative teaching modality that can improve undergraduate nursing students' critical thinking and assessment skills.