Developing Formative Strategies to Support Undergraduate Nursing Student's Learning in the Lab

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Development

Background:

• Undergraduate nursing education focuses on psychomotor skill acquisition.
• Current lab learning strategies lack a universally accepted approach.
• Variability exists in educational methods for nursing lab settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate and evaluate formative learning strategies in undergraduate nursing lab courses.
• To enhance psychomotor skill development and clinical judgment in nursing students.
• To explore effective educational approaches in nursing practical training.

Main Methods:

• Formative learning strategies were implemented across a nursing curriculum at a Canadian university.
• Key strategies included developing and utilizing guidelines, a rubric, and an addendum.
• These methods were applied in undergraduate nursing lab courses.

Main Results:

• Students received continuous verbal and written feedback from instructors.
• Opportunities for reflective practice were provided to students.
• Students demonstrated refinement of clinical judgment skills through these strategies.

Conclusions:

• Consistent and effective formative strategies are crucial for lab-based learning in nursing.
• Further empirical research is needed to validate these educational approaches.
• Optimizing psychomotor skill development requires ongoing investigation into teaching methodologies.