Teaching psychomotor skills in nursing: a randomized control trial

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Simulation
• Skill Acquisition

Background:

• McMaster University School of Nursing traditionally uses self-directed learning for psychomotor skills.
• Undergraduate nursing students expressed a need for more structured learning environments.
• A gap existed in comparing structured labs with self-directed modules for skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a structured laboratory setting versus self-directed modules for teaching psychomotor nursing skills.
• To evaluate student performance in acquiring essential nursing competencies.
• To address student feedback regarding learning preferences.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• Two groups of second-year undergraduate nursing students were compared.
• One group learned via self-directed modules, the other in a structured clinical laboratory.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference was found in psychomotor skill performance between the two learning methods.
• Both self-directed learning and structured laboratory settings proved equally effective.
• Student learning outcomes for psychomotor skills were comparable across both approaches.

Conclusions:

• Structured laboratory settings are not superior to self-directed learning for teaching psychomotor nursing skills.
• Faculty can consider both approaches based on resource availability and student needs.
• The findings support the continued use of self-directed learning while acknowledging the value of structured environments.