Building Early Confidence in Novice Nursing Students

A core tenet of the nursing profession is to provide effective and efficient patient care, focusing on improved safety and quality with improved outcomes. Nursing education has strengthened this dynamic combination of theoretical information and practical application. This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate whether learning foundational nursing skills before entering the hospital impacts anxiety and confidence levels in novice nursing students. The theoretical framework was based on the experiential learning theory, which looks at the learning styles model of learners. The research questions investigated the relationship between frontloading foundational skills and confidence levels in novice nursing students and the relationship between frontloading foundational skills and anxiety levels in novice nursing students. In addition, an independent samples t-test was performed to determine differences between course timing groups. Seventy-two participants were surveyed, and A Power analysis was performed using G* Power. Findings revealed that novice nursing students are challenged with applying theoretical knowledge to practice while simultaneously learning to care for patients, causing them to experience high anxiety levels and low confidence. Increased anxiety and low confidence are notable barriers that impede learning and affect patient safety outcomes.