A loss of bioscience knowledge in nursing students
Sally Schaffer, Sheila Doggrell, Adam Polkinghorne, Rinku Tuli
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT),
Queensland, Australia
Background:
Knowledge of the human biosciences is
fundamental to the development of competent
nurse practitioners (Smales, 2010) with the
requisite knowledge and skills, necessary for high
quality patient care and good patient outcomes
(Logan and Angel, 2011). Many of these students
study bioscience units which cover topics in
anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and
microbiology. Studies of science recall in general
and medical education, report up to 33% loss of
knowledge in the first year which declines to 50%
in the subsequent year (Custers, 2010).
Recall results:
The nursing students performed better in the final exam on gastrointestinal A&P than
on fundamental microbiology. There was an approximate 20% loss in knowledge of
gastrointestinal A&P after 4 months and this did not change significantly over the next
12 months (Figure 1). Although there was an improved performance in microbiology
quizzes after 4 months, there was no significant difference in results over the next 12
months (Figure 2).
Objectives:
The objectives were to test the recall of bioscience
knowledge by nursing students and to ascertain
their perceptions of the testing.
References:
Custers, E. J. F. M. (2010). Long-term retention of basic science
knowledge: a review study. Advances in Health Science
Education, 15, 109-128.
Smales, K. (2010). Learning and applying biosciences to clinical
practice in nursing. Nursing Standard, 24(33), 35-39.
Logan, P.A., & Angel, L. (2011). Nursing as a scientific
undertaking and the intersection with science in
undergraduate studies: implications for nursing management.
Journal of Nursing Management, 19(3), 407-417.
Survey results:
More than 50% of students thought the testing helped them focus for the lectures
and made them aware they had some pre-knowledge of the lecture topics (Figure 3).
Questions explored:
What would the results be for multiple choice questions in
fundamental microbiology and gastrointestinal anatomy and
physiology (A&P) undertaken by nursing students 4, 9 and 16
months after their first bioscience exam on these topics?
Would pre-warning the students of a microbiology quiz and
not a gastrointestinal A&P quiz affect the findings?
How would the students respond to the testing when
surveyed?
For data collection methods see Table 1.
Discussion:
Although there was a loss of knowledge of gastrointestinal A&P, it appears
that warning the students about the microbiology quiz may have helped their
recall. The majority of students valued the testing as a useful learning exercise.
Limitations:
The number of student responses in some of the cohorts was low, however this
study is ongoing. The initial exam results in the two topics were not
comparable.