Final year Australian nursing students' experiences with bioscience: A cross-sectional survey

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Biosciences
• Medical Education

Background:

• Bioscience subjects are often perceived as difficult by nursing students.
• This difficulty may hinder their ability to understand patient conditions and apply nursing practice effectively.
• Understanding student experiences is crucial for improving bioscience education in nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nursing students' experiences and perceptions of bioscience subjects.
• To identify challenges faced by students in understanding and applying bioscience concepts.
• To inform strategies for better integration of bioscience within nursing curricula.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 126 final year nursing students.
• Data collected focused on students' perceptions of bioscience difficulty, workload, and understanding.
• Analysis included comparisons based on age and prior secondary school science education.

Main Results:

• A majority (65.9%) found bioscience more work-intensive than nursing subjects.
• Most students (73.8%) desired a better grasp of bioscience, acknowledging its foundational role (76.2%).
• Students without secondary school science struggled with applying bioscience concepts to patient care and perceived bioscience as harder.

Conclusions:

• Improved integration of bioscience with nursing practice is recommended for nursing students, particularly those lacking prior science education.
• Curriculum alignment between bioscience and nursing practice subjects, especially early on, is advised for educators.
• Addressing bioscience challenges can enhance nursing students' clinical reasoning and patient care capabilities.