Teaching nursing management by programmed instruction

Student and faculty dissatisfaction with lectures prompted several revisions of teaching methods for nursing management. Revisions centered around a programmed text for business plus various methods of application to nursing. One part of management (control) was also programmed in nursing terms. Data collected revealed that students who used the programmed business text and participated in small group discussions achieved significantly higher scores than either students who attended lectures or used the programmed business text in conjunction with a tutorial system. Data also demonstrated that students who used the unit programmed specifically for nursing management achieved significantly higher scores than students who used the programmed text for business management. This data suggest students level of achievement is increased when the transfer step from business to nursing is eliminated. For this reason, two faculty members completed the writing of a programmed text for nursing management. This text has been tested over the past two years and will be published in the near future. We were unable to collect objective data regarding the actual application of management principles to nursing practice. Subjectively, we felt the students had a stronger framework of principles unique to nursing management and were able to transfer this knowledge to leading a team with greater ease than previously. Without student dissatisfaction originally, and student acceptance and participation throughout the changes, this study would not have evolved. It was student encouragement which prompted the program specific to nursing.