Interpersonal styles of nurse practitioner students during simulated patient encounters.

Evaluation methods are needed to assess nurse practitioners' (NPs') interpersonal skills and provide students with systematic, qualitative feedback. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics and styles of students' interpersonal behavior from patients' perspectives during simulated encounters. The 29-item Clinical Encounter Q-Set for NPs was generated pertaining to patients' perceptions of their interactions with NP students. Using Q-methodology, simulated patients (SPs) sorted the items immediately after each of their encounters with 45 NP students. Items were rank-ordered along a continuum, ranging from "most like my feelings regarding the encounter" to "least like my feelings." Three interpersonal styles were identified. "Nonjudgmental professionalism" characterized student behavior during the simulation portraying a patient with a sexually transmitted disease. "Competence/confidence" and "empathy/respect" were predominant styles exhibited during the hypertension simulation. The potential value of this method for teaching and evaluation is discussed.