Date Approved

1998

Graduate Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Nursing (M.S.N.)

Degree Program

College of Nursing

Abstract

This study evaluated whether emergency nurses perceived an increase in knowledge and skill in caring for pediatric emergency patients after taking the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC). Also it evaluated whether non-certified nurses reported a greater increase in knowledge and skill after the ENPC than the certified nurse.

A cross-sectional, retrospective, correlational design was used with a random sample of 333 registered nurses living in Michigan who completed the ENPC in 1995 or 1996. Ninety-three nurses practicing in emergency care returned the demographic sheet and the ENPC perception questionnaire (EPQ).

Analysis compared knowledge and skill scores before and after taking the ENPC, and summed scores of knowledge and skill of non-certified nurses with the summed scores of certified nurses.

Using the paired t-test significant differences were found in the perceived before and after mean scores on knowledge and skill (p < .001). The t-test was used to compare the mean scores of nurses with and without certification in emergency nursing. There were no significant differences in reported increase in knowledge and skill of non-certified nurses when compared to certified nurses (p = .183).

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