| Learning Objective #1: Identify the perceptions of BSN students on their level of evidence-based practice competency | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss curriculum recommendations for evidence-based practice content in BSN programs |
Outcome assessments of student learning occurs routinely as part of ongoing educational practice to guide changes in the curriculum. For the purpose of furthering knowledge about development of competency in EBP, schools with faculty known to have an interest in evidence-based practice were contacted and key faculty were invited to participate. A purposive sample of three nursing programs was obtained to use the investigator developed EBP self-evaluation form for one semester.
Participating faculty from a convenience sample of schools will return aggregate, anonymous data by submitting unidentified student data sets in the template EXCEL file provided at the end of the Winter, 2005 semester. The formulas in the EXCEL file automatically provide the schools with a summary of their quantitative data when they enter the raw data. Data will be sent to the investigator in Excel files with no identifying information other than the name of the school. A summary of the aggregated schools analyzed data will be returned to each school participating for benchmarking.
Data will be analyzed by use of mean, standard deviation, and range for each of the items. To date, no normative data are established for the area of EBP competency. A tentative goal for entry level competency is set as a mean of 5.5 (midpoint) or above on 80% of the items.
The findings of this pilot study will benefit those who are guiding curriculum changes in baccalaureate program and also move toward the refinement of entry level EBP competency for registered nurses.