Readiness and heel prick skills in intern nurses: A correlational study

To examine the relationship between readiness for clinical practice and heel prick skills among trainee nurses during a period when practical training was interrupted due to distance education.

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between April and June 2024 at an university in Eastern Türkiye. Data were collected face-to-face using the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Scale and the Self-Reported Heel Prick Blood Collection Knowledge and Practices Scale. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee (DocumentID: B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/85), and institutional permission was granted. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS® 22.0 with descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis.

Intern nurses who chose the profession willingly reported significantly higher readiness scores. A weak but statistically significant positive correlation was found between readiness for practice and heel prick blood collection skills, particularly in pre-procedure considerations (P < .05).

Intern nurses' readiness for practice is positively associated with their self-reported competence in newborn heel prick blood collection. Enhancing readiness through targeted educational interventions may improve practical skill performance in clinical procedures, especially when in-person training is limited.