Learning Objective #1: Discuss issues related to reform in nursing education

Learning Objective #2: Describe differences in examinations performed by nurses in clinical practice based on educational preparation

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Rapid changes in health care have underscored the need for reform in health professions education; nursing education is no exception. One of many problems cited in the literature is over-crowded curricula, thus an evaluation of content is necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist in the frequency of physical examination techniques performed by associate- and baccalaureate- prepared nurses.

The sample for this study (N=96) was a subset of 193 randomly surveyed registered nurses employed in direct patient care roles (in both inpatient and outpatient settings) at a large university-based heath care facility in the Southwest who worked at least 20 hours a week. From the larger sample, 48 participants with a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) were matched with 48 participants with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) by clinical area and years of experience to control for differences between the two groups. Data were collected using a 124-item survey of physical examination techniques; participants indicated the average frequency they performed the techniques.

The sample represented the following practice categories: adult, pediatric, perioperative, and maternal-infant. The number of years in clinical practice ranged from 0 to 24, with a mean of 10.8 (SD = 6.72) years. A Mann-Whitney test showed no differences in frequency of assessment categories performed by nurses representing these two groups. A small negative correlation was found between frequency and years of experience with the nutrition assessment category (rho = -.298, p = .003).

The fact that no differences were found between BSN and ADN nurses has important implications for nursing education as curricular revisions are considered.