Pacesetter curriculum: An experimental design evaluation of a clinical immersion model for nursing education

Abstract

Background/Objective: The two most common reported barriers to nursing education are limited faculty and clinical resources. This study evaluated a new curriculum designed to immerse students in full-time clinical experiences in their final semester.

Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with a repeated-measures design. Students entering a BSN program were randomly assigned to either the new Pacesetter curriculum (50 students) or the traditional curriculum (92 students). Students in the traditional curriculum had didactic and clinical experiences each semester for four semesters.  Pacesetter students completed didactic courses in the first three semesters and were in clinical 36 to 40 hours/week for the entire fourth semester. Outcome variables included course grades, HESI scores, NCLEX pass rates, graduation rates, first-year job retention rates, and PBDS performance. The data were analyzed by use of t-tests with a significance level of p < .05.

Results: Pacesetter students had significantly higher HESI scores (936) in the psychiatric nursing course than the traditional students (873) (p < .05), and the traditional students had significantly higher HESI maternity nursing scores (1002) than the Pacesetter students (932) (p < .05). There were no significant differences in course grades, graduation rates, or NCLEX pass rates.  First-year job retention rates were 63% for traditional students and 100% for Pacesetter students (p < .05).

Conclusions: The Pacesetter students’ clinical experiences allowed immersion in a clinical agency for an entire semester. Implications for nursing education include the redesign of nursing curriculum to allow total immersion in the clinical agency in the last semester.