On average, recently matriculated RNs reported performing a physical assessment 3.98 times during their last shift (NCSBN 2002). So are newly minted graduates prepared to do a nursing head-to-toe assessment?
Not many.
According to a study published in 2014, “only 11 of 40 RN graduates entering the transition program scored 70% or better on physical assessment skills testing.” While this represents a small sample size, the authors believe this roughly represents “the competencies of typical new graduates” (Berman et. al, 59).
This is disconcerting: only about a third of recent nursing graduates are competently performing a daily nursing assessment. So how do we fix this?
Closing the theory-practice gap in nursing is a complicated problem, but professors and departments are discovering helpful tools to address the problem head-on. A tool for closing the preparation-practice gap for the nursing head-to-toe assessment is student videos.
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