Presenter(s)
Kierra Pickard and Lauren Cahalan
Abstract
Purpose: An extensive literature review indicates a gap in understanding how prior direct patient care experience affects undergraduate nursing students’ anxiety and self-confidence during their program. The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of prior direct patient care experience on undergraduate nursing students’ anxiety and self-confidence while in an undergraduate nursing program.
Participants: A total of 294 undergraduate nursing students were surveyed using Qualtrics. Students were from terms one, two, three, and four in the Winona and Rochester nursing program allowing for a population of diverse backgrounds.
Methods: A survey including the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making (NASC- CDM©) scale was administered to assess both anxiety and self-confidence, with 27 questions for each. Self-confidence and anxiety were rated on a scale of 1 through 6: 1 = not at all, 2 = just a little, 3 = somewhat, 4 = mostly, 5 = almost totally, 6 = totally. Additional data were collected on participants' term in the nursing program, prior experience in direct patient care, age, and gender. For those with prior experience, further details were gathered on the number of years of experience and the time elapsed between the start of prior experience and the beginning of nursing the nursing program.
Results: Scores for anxiety and self-confidence were able to range from 27 (not at all) to 162 (total anxiety or self-confidence). Students who had direct-patient care experience showed increased self-confidence and decreased anxiety compared to students who did not have direct-patient care experience prior to admission to the undergraduate nursing program. Furthermore, results indicated that prior direct-patient care experience and term within the nursing program significantly improve self-confidence.
Conclusions: Having direct-patient care experience prior to undergraduate nursing program admission is effective in decreasing anxiety and increasing self-confidence in undergraduate students. Nursing programs may find it beneficial to require direct-patient care hours for undergraduate nursing students prior to program admission to assist in decreasing anxiety and increasing self-confidence.
College
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Department
Nursing - Undergraduate
First Advisor/Mentor
Chrissy Feine
Second Advisor/Mentor
Lucy Johnson
Start Date
4-24-2025 9:00 AM
End Date
4-24-2025 10:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1a=9am-10am
Poster Number
13
Included in
Effects of Prior Direct-Patient Care Experience on Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Anxiety and Self-Confidence
Purpose: An extensive literature review indicates a gap in understanding how prior direct patient care experience affects undergraduate nursing students’ anxiety and self-confidence during their program. The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of prior direct patient care experience on undergraduate nursing students’ anxiety and self-confidence while in an undergraduate nursing program.
Participants: A total of 294 undergraduate nursing students were surveyed using Qualtrics. Students were from terms one, two, three, and four in the Winona and Rochester nursing program allowing for a population of diverse backgrounds.
Methods: A survey including the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making (NASC- CDM©) scale was administered to assess both anxiety and self-confidence, with 27 questions for each. Self-confidence and anxiety were rated on a scale of 1 through 6: 1 = not at all, 2 = just a little, 3 = somewhat, 4 = mostly, 5 = almost totally, 6 = totally. Additional data were collected on participants' term in the nursing program, prior experience in direct patient care, age, and gender. For those with prior experience, further details were gathered on the number of years of experience and the time elapsed between the start of prior experience and the beginning of nursing the nursing program.
Results: Scores for anxiety and self-confidence were able to range from 27 (not at all) to 162 (total anxiety or self-confidence). Students who had direct-patient care experience showed increased self-confidence and decreased anxiety compared to students who did not have direct-patient care experience prior to admission to the undergraduate nursing program. Furthermore, results indicated that prior direct-patient care experience and term within the nursing program significantly improve self-confidence.
Conclusions: Having direct-patient care experience prior to undergraduate nursing program admission is effective in decreasing anxiety and increasing self-confidence in undergraduate students. Nursing programs may find it beneficial to require direct-patient care hours for undergraduate nursing students prior to program admission to assist in decreasing anxiety and increasing self-confidence.
