Learning Curve of Operation: Clinical Nursing Skills

Hand Dexterity & Proficiency: Simulation-Based Training of Nursing Students

Odreman, Baltus, Simich, Thompson (2025)

ASPiH 2025 –Abstract

Introduction

Administering liquid medication with a needle and syringe is essential for nursing students, requiring hand-eye coordination and proficiency. This pilot study evaluated nursing students' learning curve and knowledge retention when withdrawing liquid medication, measuring time taken during initial and retention phases to assess the effectiveness of training. In addition, the research question for this study was to answer how does the time taken by nursing students to withdraw liquid medication from a vial using a needle and syringe change between the initial phase and the retention phase, and what does this indicate about their proficiency and skill retention?

Methods

A convenience sample size of 30 nursing students was used for an Initial and Retention Phase. The sample size was sufficient for detecting trends and assessing learning curve and retention. Data collection involved a stopwatch for timing five consecutive attempts with students withdrawing from vials using a needle and syringe. After the Initial Phase, participants were randomly assigned to a retention day 3 and day 7 group. In the Retention Phase, participants performed five more attempts, timed with a stopwatch. Average times for each attempt in both phases were calculated and learning curves [1] were plotted. This methodology assessed the retention of skills over different time intervals and analyzed the effectiveness of this simulation skills training program.

Results

On Day 3, participants demonstrated an ideal learning curve with knowledge retention of the new skill observed after three days. The Day 3 group exhibited better accuracy levels. The Day 7 group showed a decline performance in dexterity levels. The study highlighted an effective level of teaching and training, with the outcome performance of the skill being evident within the day 3 retention phase.

Discussion

The results of this study provided insights into the learning curve and retention of nursing students in withdrawing liquid medication using a needle and syringe. The data showed a steady decline in time taken per attempt, highlighting the effectiveness of this simulation-based training. Targeted training, as implemented in this study, confirms how skill retention and efficacy with medication administration can significantly enhance nursing students' hand-eye coordination and dexterity. The findings in this study, as seen in others [2] can inform simulation training techniques for other similar nursing skills.

References

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2. Şahin F, Atalay NS, Akkaya N, Aksoy S. Factors affecting the results of the functional dexterity test. J Hand Ther. 2016;30(1):74-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2016.04.005.

3. Torres Alzate HM, Aul K. Enhancing health assessment skills in nursing education through structured practice. J Nurs Educ. 2025;64(X):1–4. doi:10.3928/01484834-20250312-01.