Enhancing Nurse Practitioners' Emergency Care Competency and Self-Efficacy Through Experiential Learning: A...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Simulation

Background:

• Nurse practitioners are crucial first responders in emergency situations.
• Assessing the impact of experiential learning on emergency care competency is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of experiential learning in enhancing emergency care competency among nurse practitioners.
• To evaluate the impact of experiential learning on nurse practitioners' self-efficacy in emergency situations.

Main Methods:

• A single-group repeated measures design was used with 95 nurse practitioners and trainees.
• Emergency simulation tests (baseline, immediate post-test, and 1-month follow-up) assessed competency using the Emergency Care Capability Checklist (ECCC).
• General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) measured self-efficacy at post-test and follow-up.

Main Results:

• ECCC scores significantly increased from baseline (T0) to immediate post-test (T1) and remained elevated at follow-up (T2).
• General Self-Efficacy Scale scores showed a significant increase from T1 to T2.
• Experiential learning demonstrated a positive impact on both emergency care performance and self-perceived competence.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning effectively enhances nurse practitioners' emergency care competencies and self-efficacy.
• Further research should explore experiential learning in varied clinical settings to optimize emergency preparedness.
• This approach holds promise for advancing emergency response skills among nursing professionals.