Developing an evidence base for teaching nursing practice skills in an undergraduate nursing program

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Skills Development
• Healthcare Workforce Training

Background:

• International concern exists regarding insufficient nursing practice skill acquisition in undergraduate nursing programs.
• Pre-clinical skill preparation for student nurses can mitigate cognitive dissonance and enhance cognitive flexibility, thereby improving skill acquisition.
• This research aimed to establish an evidence base for selecting clinical skills curriculum content in undergraduate nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine an evidence basis for selecting content for an undergraduate nursing clinical skills curriculum.
• To identify frequently performed and essential nursing skills for beginning registered nurses.
• To inform the development of a practical skills curriculum for the undergraduate nursing program at Whitireia Community Polytechnic.

Main Methods:

• A modified replication of Alavi, Loh & Reilly (1991) was conducted.
• Thirty-three senior nurse clinicians from medical/surgical units rated the frequency of 77 skills for beginning registered nurses.
• Clinicians also identified their ten most important skills and expected competence levels for new graduates.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six nursing practice skills, frequently used (rated over 65%), were identified for inclusion in the undergraduate program.
• Key skills were identified based on frequency of performance by senior clinicians.
• The study provided insights into the practical expectations for newly registered nurses.

Conclusions:

• The research identified a core set of 26 essential nursing skills for undergraduate curriculum development.
• The findings support the need for evidence-based selection of clinical skills to enhance nursing student preparedness.
• Further research comparing clinician, faculty, and new graduate expectations is recommended to refine nursing education.