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Nursing students' pharmacological knowledge and calculation skills: ready for practice?
Tinne Dilles1, Robert R Vander Stichele, Lucas Van Bortel
1University of Antwerp, Department of Nursing Science, Belgium. Tinne.Dilles@ua.ac.be
Nurse Education Today
|September 15, 2010
Summary
Graduating nursing students demonstrate limited pharmacological knowledge and calculation skills, with many feeling unprepared for safe medication administration. Educational programs require enhancement to improve student competency before practice.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Pharmacology
- Medication Safety
Background:
- Evaluating the preparedness of graduating nursing students is crucial for ensuring safe medication practices.
- Understanding the current state of pharmacology education in nursing programs is essential for curriculum development.
- Assessing self-perceived readiness alongside objective skills provides a comprehensive view of student competency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the pharmacological knowledge and calculation abilities of graduating nursing students across two educational levels.
- To evaluate students' self-rated readiness for safe medication care in clinical practice.
- To describe characteristics of pharmacology curricula in Flemish nursing education.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February/March 2009 involving graduating students from 29 nursing schools in Flanders, Belgium.
- The Medication Knowledge and Calculation test was administered to assess student competency.
- Data on pharmacology curricula were collected from participating nursing schools (18 bachelor's, 20 diploma).
Main Results:
- Mean scores for pharmacology knowledge were 55% (bachelor's) and 52% (diploma); calculation scores were 66% (bachelor's) and 53% (diploma).
- A significant portion of students (27%) reported low self-rated readiness (≤5 on a 1-10 scale) for safe medication care.
- Considerable diversity was observed in pharmacology curricula, with significant differences in results between schools.
Conclusions:
- Graduating nursing students exhibit inadequate pharmacological knowledge and calculation skills, impacting their readiness for safe medication administration.
- Students' self-perceptions of readiness do not align with objective performance, highlighting a gap in preparedness.
- There is a critical need for nursing schools to revise and strengthen pharmacology curricula, and for healthcare facilities to be aware of new graduates' limitations.
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