No Evidence to Support Number of Clinical Hours Necessary for Nursing Competency

Direct patient care across the lifespan has been the standard for nursing clinical experiences over the past several years. Recently, the Ohio Board of Nursing ruled that 100% of pediatric clinical hours could be replaced with simulation.

Make a recommendation for the number of direct patient care clinical hours in pediatrics that are needed to meet the pediatric nursing competencies.

All fifty United States Boards of Nursing prelicensure nursing education requirements were reviewed to identify the number of required clinical hours and definitions for clinical experience. In addition, the Society of Pediatric Nurses members were surveyed to identify the number of direct pediatric clinical hours needed to achieve the Society of Pediatric Nurses pediatric pre-licensure competencies.

Only ten states outline any requirements regarding the required number of clinical hours for prelicensure nursing education and twenty-six states incorporate language that defines clinical experiences.

All prelicensure students take the standardized National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), therefore, a consensus among the state boards of nursing outlining the minimum number of clinical hours required to reach nursing competency is needed.

Based on the survey results of the Society of Pediatric Nurses' members and expert opinion of the pediatric authors, a minimum of 61 to 80 clinical hours in direct care of pediatric patients is necessary for nursing students to meet the Society of Pediatric Nurses' recommended pediatric nursing content, obtain pediatric nursing competency, and be able to care for pediatric patients and their families.