Impact of a course on community nurses' practice: an evaluation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Primary Health Care
• Community Health Nursing

Background:

• Community nursing is vital in primary care.
• Nurses in community settings require specialized skills.
• A specific community course was developed for these nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a community nursing course on nurses' clinical practice.
• To assess skill development in primary care nurses post-course.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 16 community nurses participated.
• Data collected via post-course questionnaires and 3-month follow-ups with nurses and mentors.
• Student assessment documents were analyzed for practice changes.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported a positive impact on their clinical practice.
• The course encouraged the development of key community nursing skills.
• Most participants were early-career or newly qualified nurses.

Conclusions:

• The community nursing course effectively enhanced nurses' clinical practice and skill acquisition.
• The training supports the development of essential competencies for community-based primary care.