Comparison of independent and traditional registered nurse learners in a physical assessment course

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the time used to complete a neurological assessment by students who studied physical assessment and practiced independently when compared to students who used the traditional lecture method of instruction and practiced with the instructor. The research methodology utilized a descriptive comparative design. The convenience sample consisted of 20 Registered Nurses (RNs) randomly selected from a class of 34 RN students in one section of an undergraduate Physical Assessment course. A watch was used to measure the time the student used to complete the neurological assessment. A one-tailed independent samples t-test was used to compare the difference in time used as indicated by the means of the two groups. The level of significance was 0.05. The result of the study is that there was no significant difference found between the two groups on the amount of time used to complete a neurological assessment p > .05, t = 1.151, p = .303. The conclusion of this study was that RN students are able to learn physical assessment independently and successfully complete a neurological assessment in a similar amount of time as RN students who use the traditional classroom method. Recommendations include replicating the study with a larger sample and with students in a Graduate Health Assessment course to determine if similar results will occur.