Surfing or still drowning? Student nurses' Internet skills

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Information Science
• Digital Literacy

Background:

• A 2004 study highlighted student nurses' poor internet skills and infrequent usage.
• This research revisits internet skill assessment with a new cohort of UK pre-registration nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reassess student nurses' internet skills and usage patterns.
• To identify changes in digital literacy compared to a 2004 study.
• To evaluate the integration of essential internet skills in pre-registration nursing programs.

Main Methods:

• Replication of a 2004 study methodology.
• Assessment of basic internet task proficiency.
• Evaluation of complex information literacy skills.
• Analysis of internet usage frequency and perceived challenges.

Main Results:

• Student nurses in 2007 demonstrated significantly improved basic internet task abilities and higher usage rates.
• Despite improved basic skills, complex information literacy, including filtering relevant information, showed no significant increase.
• No correlation was found between internet skills and student age, consistent with the earlier study.

Conclusions:

• While basic internet proficiency has grown, advanced information literacy remains a challenge for student nurses.
• Current pre-registration nursing curricula inadequately address the integration of essential digital skills.
• Active management and curriculum development are necessary to equip nurses with vital internet skills for modern healthcare and education.