Saturday, 21 April 2018: 2:05 PM
Michael D. Bumbach, PhD, MSN, ARNP, RN, FNP-BC
College of Nnursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Sandra Wolfe Citty, PhD
Family and Community Health Systems - College of Nursing, University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL, USA
Nancy Young, MSN, ARNP, CPNP-PC, CNE
Family, Community, and Health Systems Science, University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville, FL, USA
Allison Kathleen Peters, DNP, RN, CNOR, NEC
College of Nursing, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Anita M. Stephen, MSN, CNL-BC
College of Nursing, Department of Biobehavorial Nursing Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Charlene A. Krueger, PhD, ARNP
Biobehavioral Nursing Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Background: It has been long known that high self-efficacy is related to positive educational outcomes. For nursing it is important to assess nursing students' perceived self-efficacy toward tasks essential to their future career. This task of producing efficacious nursing students is daunting amidst the prolonged Nursing faculty shortage, of which, ther is no predicted end. Educational methods based in evidence is important for best practices in the training of these new Nurses. This project aimed to assess undergraduate nursing students' feelings of self-efficacy toward health assessment skills both before and after participation in a comprehensive health assessment video assignment.
Methods: A survey that measured students' perceived self-efficacy toward health assessment skills was administered to a class of upper division, undergraduate nursing students pre- and post-assignment. The cohort under study was in the first semester of their Bachelors nursing program. The survey consisted of Likert-style questions with a range from 1 to 6. Univariate analysis and bivariate paired t-tests, based on the intrinsic characteristic of the variables, were performed.
Results: All measures of students' perceived self-efficacy toward health assessment skills were significantly (p<.001) increased post-assignment. The largest increase in perceived self-efficacy was with their ability to conduct a comprehensive health assessment for a given patient (Mean Difference=2.24). Overall, the aggregated mean showed a significant (p<.001) increase in nursing students' perceived self-efficacy toward health assessment skills.
Conclusion: The comprehensive health assessment video assignment increased nursing students' perceived self-efficacy toward health assessment skills. This is important with the lingering Nursing faculty shortage, as methods for improved, evidence-based practices with increased efficiency could prove worthwhile in the training of quality Nurses. The use of alternative educational methods will need further exploration with a focus on evidence of best practice. Otherwise, the new Nurse will not be grounded on a solid foundation of proper methods as they enter the health care workforce.
