Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
10:07
Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Evaluating undergraduate nursing students' learning using standardized patients.
Judy A K Bornais1, Janet E Raiger, Ryan E Krahn
1University of Windsor, Faculty of Nursing Windsor, Ontario. jbornais@uwindsor.ca
Summary
Standardized patients effectively improve health assessment skills in first-year nursing students, enhancing clinical examination scores but not theory knowledge. This educational technique shows promise for nursing education.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Medical Simulation
- Health Assessment Training
Background:
- Standardized patients (SPs) are established in medical education but novel in nursing.
- The benefits of SPs for undergraduate nursing education require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of standardized patients in enhancing health assessment skills.
- Focus on first-year undergraduate nursing students.
Main Methods:
- Comparative design study.
- Convenience sample of 108 first-year nursing students.
- Recruitment from a collaborative nursing program in southwestern Ontario.
Main Results:
- Intervention group showed significantly higher objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores (M = 78.57) compared to the control group (M = 69.28) (P ≤ .001).
- No significant difference in theory scores between the intervention (M = 77.23) and control (M = 77.29) groups (P = .963).
Conclusions:
- Standardized patients are an effective educational tool for undergraduate nursing.
- SPs enhance practical health assessment skills crucial for nursing practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Evaluation of the teaching process enables the nurse to determine if the patient's learning needs were met and if training was effective. If the expected outcomes are not met, the care plan is revised, and additional education or reinforcement is provided. Nurses can ask questions after the session or obtain feedback to assess the patient's understanding of the topic.
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
01:15Nursing Evaluation
The evaluation stage signals the end of the nursing process. The nurse gathers evaluative data to assess whether or not the patient has attained the expected results. Whereas the nurse collects data in the nursing assessment to identify the patient's health concerns, the evaluation stage data determines if the indicated health issues are resolved. Evaluative data collection includes two sections: the data acquired to evaluate patient outcomes and the time criteria for data collection.
Section...
Section...
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
The nursing process provides a clinical decision-making framework for patients and families to establish and implement a personalized care plan. Since part of the nurse's duties is to teach patients, the steps of the nursing process are the most effective way to approach instruction. The nursing process and the teaching-learning process are inextricably linked.
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Planning for learning involves the development of a teaching plan. Teaching plans are similar to nursing care plans—both follow the steps of the nursing process. Planning in the teaching process involves setting goals and outcomes. Here, goals identify what a patient needs to achieve to understand a healthcare topic better, whereas the outcomes are the action to be performed by the patient to achieve the goal within a timeframe. For example, if the goal is to educate the patient about insulin...
01:13Patient-centered Care
Patient-centered care involves delivering care beyond inpatient hospitalization. Reflective practice can enhance a patient-centered approach. Reflective practice is a process of reasoning that considers all aspects of the present situation, including practicalities, learning from personal practice, and consideration of patient needs. Patients appreciate care decisions made while considering their input. Involving the patient in their care provides the patient with a sense of contribution rather...
01:30National Nursing Organizations II
Nursing organizations play a vital role in representing nurses working in specialized clinical settings, such as the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...