Purpose: To examine the effects of a teaching intervention designed to promote caring behaviors as students learn the psychomotor skill of blood pressure measurement. Organizing Construct: Watson’s theory of human caring and a combination of cognitive and connectionist learning theories. Method: This multi site non-experimental study utilized a repeated measures design. Baccalaureate nursing student participants were videotaped and evaluated at two points in time (approximately 8 weeks apart) while performing the psychomotor skill of blood pressure measurement on a role player. Role players rated the students’ caring behaviors using a Role Player Survey of Caring Behaviors During Blood Pressure Measurement instrument. Between these data collection points, students learned about caring behaviors through analysis of a videotaped role play and required readings. An evaluator randomly selected 10 of the student videotapes from each of the 6 baccalaureate nursing program study sites (N=60) and noted the presence or absence of caring behaviors on the Caring Behaviors During Blood Pressure Measurement instrument. Within student pre and post test scores on both subjective and objective research instruments were compared using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance. Findings and Conclusions: Students demonstrated a significant improvement in objective and subjective caring behaviors between performance exam one and two. The findings support further investigation of incorporating the pedagogy of psychomotor skill development with disciplinary knowledge related to caring in the human health experience to promote the development of caring behaviors during psychomotor skill performance.
Session #1172 - Nursing Education: Student Outcomes
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)