Crisis in Competency: A Defining Moment in Nursing Education

Abstract

Advancing the mission of nursing education for a future we cannot yet fully conceive is a daunting task. The rapidly changing healthcare landscape is an exciting world of innovation, digital transformation, and accelerated knowledge creation that offers hopeful, and infinite possibilities to improve patient care, safety, and outcomes. New data suggest a continuing decline in the initial preparedness of new nurses at a time when preparation is most needed. We must adapt and embrace pedagogies relevant to a new generation of learners. In this article, we first describe the digital disruption informed by innovation moving at warp speed, catalyzing necessary and long overdue change not only in healthcare, but in how education is conceptualized and delivered. Leading and promoting the paradigm shift needed for this change is not discretionary as nurse educators strive to enhance the competency of new registered nurses. Leaders in nursing education have initiated efforts to appraise the state of the academy and find approaches to lessen the transition gap, such as competency-based education. We discuss current trends at this defining moment in nursing education, and strategies to leverage the tipping point as educators mobilize to prepare future nurses for successful collaborative artificial intelligence-infused, clinical practice.

New graduate registered nurses: Risk mitigation strategies to ensure safety and successful transition to practice

“…Ironside 59 noted that practice is evolving faster than nursing academia can respond. Current nursing education models are outdated and fail to meet the needs of current nursing practice 60 …”

“…Current nursing education models are outdated and fail to meet the needs of current nursing practice. 60…”

Where Are We Now? A Follow-up Survey on Regulation of Simulation Use in United States Prelicensure Nursing Programs

“…Yet recent studies reveal grim findings regarding the historical lack of measured learning experiences in clinical sites pp 1-6 • Clinical Simulation in Nursing • Volume 000 even as practice partners are reporting that new graduate nurses are poorly prepared for professional practice ( Kavanagh & Szweda, 2017 ). In fact, Kavanagh and Sharpnack (2021) reported a progressive decline since 2015 from 23% preparedness (n = 1225) to a mere 9% (n = 1222). These data are alarming for academia, practice facilities, and patients alike.…”

Clinical learning during the pandemic: Experiences of LPN-BN undergraduate nursing students

“…There have been calls to improve the structure of clinical nursing education to make the transition into nursing practice easier for nursing students and to enable them to feel more prepared to enter the workforce of the complex healthcare environment ( Black Thomas, 2022 ; Hawkins et al, 2019 ; Kavanagh & Sharpnack, 2021 ; Simpson & Sawatzky, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2019 ). To date, most decisions about the nature and length of clinical placements have been made based on historical decisions and pragmatic constraints of healthcare partners rather than evidence ( Kardong-Edgren et al, 2021 ).…”