First Advisor

Stoeckel, Pamella

Thesis Committee Member(s)

Cullen, Patricia L.

College

Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

School

Loretto Heights School of Nursing

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

50 pages

Abstract

Abstract An area of student learning where assessment and support is most important is in the teaching of physical assessment to practical nursing (PN) students. Faculty teaches techniques of body system assessments and then evaluates student learning. First year practical nursing (PN) students at a Midwest community college were reported to be deficient in performing bedside physical assessments by clinical nursing faculty and hospital staff. It was proposed that the use of a bedside physical assessment checklist would assist faculty in teaching physical assessment and improve student outcomes. This qualitative phenomenological study involved a purposive sample of seven nursing faculty who taught a one day physical assessment class and who assessed students in the clinical area. The nurse researcher developed a comprehensive bedside physical assessment checklist and oriented the faculty to the use of the checklist. After using the checklist to teach and evaluate students, the faculty was interviewed about their perceptions of the tool. The interviews were taped, transcribed, and coded for themes using constant comparative analysis. Two major categories emerged from the data on faculty perceptions of the physical assessment checklist. The categories included "Checklist Structure and Use" and "Checklist Changes." Themes included: Diverse Views of the Checklists, Need for Further Student Instruction, Needed Structural Changes, and Alternative Uses of the Checklist. Faculty perceived that the physical assessment checklist was a valuable tool to evaluate students in the clinical area. Key terms: Qualitative, student learning, student evaluations, clinical skills, physical assessments, checklists

Date of Award

Fall 2014

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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