Effect of blended-learning in promoting clinical skills of nursing students

Abstract

Background and aims: Before the COVID-19 epidemic, the main part of university education was presented in traditional form, but nowadays, E-learning and blended learning evolve in students’ education. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of blended learning in promoting the clinical skills of nursing students. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 76 nursing students in the Sirjan School of Medical Sciences were entered through the census method in 2019 and 2020. They were allocated to intervention (n=36) and control (n=40) groups based on their academic year. Those who entered university in 2017 (control group) revived standard education, while the students of 2018 (intervention group) received blended clinical training, which included podcasts, vodcasts (40%), and standard training in the clinical courses of adult-geriatric nursing three and critical care nursing. Students’ performance was evaluated through an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) method. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist after assessing its validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square, independent sample t test, and paired t test) by SPSS-19. Results: There was not any significant difference between the scores of clinical skills in the control group before (2.15±0.48) and after (2.44±0.29) the intervention (P=0.58), but there were significant differences between the scores of clinical skills in the intervention group before (2.28±0.31) and after (3.22±0.16) the intervention and also between the scores of the two groups, in all subscales after the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study results highlighted the need for using blended-learning methods and appropriate technology to help nursing students achieve their clinical skill learning goals in clinical settings.