Development and evaluation of a pediatric nursing competency-building program for nursing students in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to develop and examine the effectiveness of a pediatric nursing competency-building program for nursing students. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design conducted between October and December 2021. The participants included 40 nursing students (20 each in the experimental and control groups) at a university in a South Korean city. The pediatric nursing competency-building program integrated problem-based learning and simulation into clinical field practice. The experimental group participated in the program, while the control group did not. Data were analyzed using the x(2) test, the independent t-test, and repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Pediatric nursing competency and clinical performance showed a greater increase in the experimental group than in the control group. However, the change in problem-solving ability in the experimental group was not significantly different from that in the control group. CONCLUSION: The pediatric nursing competency-building program effectively improved students' pediatric nursing competency and clinical performance.