Abstract

NYONI, C N; FICHARDT, A E  and  BOTMA, Y. An innovative educational strategy for learning and teaching clinical skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afr. J. Health Prof. Educ. (Online) [online]. 2022, vol.14, n.1, pp.2-6. ISSN 2078-5127.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/AJHPE.2022.v14i1.1497.

BACKGROUND: Educational institutions were compelled to adapt their educational strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The innovation of boot camps as a strategy for learning and teaching clinical skills was applied by a school of nursing immediately after the hard lockdown in South AfricaOBJECTIVES: To describe the outcomes of implementing an innovative educational strategy for the learning and teaching of clinical skills in an undergraduate nursing programmeMETHODS: The study comprised a parallel convergent mixed-methods design. Qualitative data were collected from educators (n=7) involved with the boot camps, while the quantitative data comprised module evaluations by 219 students and summative practical assessment scores. Thematic analysis through an inductive approach was applied for the qualitative data, while central tendency and frequencies were used to analyse the quantitative dataRESULTS: Three themes emerged from the narrative data, i.e. rationalising the boot camps, executing the boot camps and learning from the boot camps. Quantitative data support each of the themes. The boot camps appeared to have been appreciated as an emergency innovative educational strategy, with improved student assessment outcomesCONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic forced education institutions to adopt a variety of innovative educational strategies. Boot camps appear to have positively influenced the learning and teaching of clinical skills at a school of nursing. There is a need for robust longitudinal research evaluating the long-term effect of such innovative educational strategies

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