THE PROBLEM RATIONALE
1.1 Introduction The health care environment has drastically changed over the years with advanced technology. Several disciplines are adjusting to the changes to meet the demands that a diverse society has embraced. Among the several fields of discipline, nursing has greatly evolved especially in terms of educational practice. Traditional methods such as lecture, video presentation, and reporting may be of less significance with the advent of modern technology. The integration of technology in nursing poses a very promising impact among junior nursing students’ learning needs. It is imperative though that even with advancement; professional nurses must possess clinical competence in order to provide quality health care even with the integration of technology. Decker, Sportsman, Puetz, and Billings (2008) stated that nursing competence involves the acquisition of relevant knowledge, the development of psychomotor skills, and the ability to apply the knowledge and skills appropriately in a given context. According to National Council for State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN, 2005), competence is defined as the application of knowledge
and the interpersonal, decision-making, and psychomotor skills expected for the practice role, within the context of public health. However, there is no standardized definition of clinical competence up to date. Measures, however, to evaluate competence continues to evolve through research in an attempt to objectively measure such. It is inevitable though that clinical competence foreground rest on nursing education and an attempt to enhance such through integration of knowledge and practice early on has a direct impact in providing quality patient care. Nursing educators are constantly challenged to develop teaching methodologies that would enhance critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills prior to actual nursing practice with the advent of diverse patients.
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