Teaching Nurse Practitioner Students Advanced Health Assessment Skills During COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Sciences
• Pandemic Pedagogy

Background:

• Advanced health assessment courses are crucial for nurse practitioner (NP) students.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts in educational delivery methods.
• Maintaining educational quality during disruptions is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare student outcomes in an advanced health assessment course before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 100% online format compared to a hybrid model.
• To assess the impact of the pandemic on NP student learning.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study analyzing student outcomes from summer 2019 (hybrid) and summer 2020 (100% online).
• Utilized videography for skills demonstration and virtual classrooms.
• Incorporated unfolding case studies for online learning.

Main Results:

• Student learning outcomes for knowledge and skills were comparable between the hybrid and 100% online formats.
• The transition to a fully online course during the pandemic did not significantly hinder student acquisition of advanced health assessment competencies.
• Innovative online teaching strategies proved effective.

Conclusions:

• A 100% online advanced health assessment course can achieve comparable student outcomes to a hybrid format.
• Videography, virtual classrooms, and case studies offer a robust pedagogical approach for online health assessment education.
• Flexible online teaching strategies are vital for maintaining NP education during public health crises.