Competency and an active learning program in undergraduate nursing education.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Pedagogy
• Healthcare Professional Training

Background:

• Active learning strategies are increasingly used in nursing education.
• Evidence for the effectiveness of active learning in achieving nursing competency is limited.
• Systematic evaluation of active learning's impact on nursing competency is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an active learning program on the competency of senior nursing students.
• To compare the effectiveness of active learning versus traditional learning methods in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study design.
• Two cohorts of 147 senior nursing students were compared: active learning (n=73) and traditional learning (n=74).
• Active learning incorporated high-fidelity simulation, case studies, standardized patients, and technology.

Main Results:

• The active learning group demonstrated significantly higher overall nursing competency scores than the traditional group.
• Key subdomains including clinical performance, critical thinking, and human understanding were significantly improved in the active learning group.
• Importance-performance analysis indicated superior achievement in critical areas for the active learning group, while traditional methods showed scattered performance.

Conclusions:

• Active learning strategies are effective in enhancing nursing competency among undergraduate students.
• The study supports the integration of active learning methods to improve essential nursing skills and knowledge.
• Active learning provides a superior educational experience for developing critical competencies in future nurses.