Nurse Education and Mathematical Competency: Implementation of an Online, Self-Directed, Prerequisite Model

Daniel H. Jarvis, Karey D. McCullough and Tammie R. McParland
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Daniel H. Jarvis: Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada
Karey D. McCullough: School of Nursing, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada
Tammie R. McParland: School of Nursing, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-19

Abstract: Mathematical competency in the profession of nursing has increasingly become a central focus as more nursing students appear to struggle with basic concepts of arithmetic, mental estimation, and critical reasoning. This paper highlights how one School of Nursing in Ontario, Canada implemented a Dosage Calculation Competency Test model which involved an online, self-directed, prerequisite approach to improve student mathematical competency and confidence. The purpose of this research case study was to document, through shared participant perceptions, the creation, implementation, and subsequent modifications to a Dosage Calculation Competency Test model in light of student needs and advances in online learning and assessment. The research design combined a quantitative survey of Year 1–4 nursing students, followed by a series of qualitative, semi-structured interviews with nursing students and program instructors. The study took place within a School of Nursing undergraduate program in Ontario, Canada. Forty-four participants, including students from all four years of the nursing program, completed the survey, followed by individual interviews with nine students and six faculty instructors. Survey (the open-response items) and interview data were analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti (ATLAS.ti, Berlin, Germany). The authors recount the new DCCT model’s development, implementation, and subsequent modifications and further discuss student/instructor perceptions of learning types, math confidence, and competency. The paper concludes with a series of seven key recommendations for nursing programs.

Keywords: nursing education; mathematics; dosage calculation; curriculum; technology; online learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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