Affiliation:
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, Thimphu, Bhutan
2. Head of Department, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
Abstract
Abstract
Background:
In Bhutan, the Health School started in 1972 providing a 2-year certificate course for community health workers, assistant nurses and assistant technicians. In 1982, the Diploma course for nurses commenced and was assisted by the RAK College of Nursing Faculty, New Delhi, India, in formalising the curriculum and also carried out the evaluation of the first batch of nursing students.
Objective:
The study assesses the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of nurse educators (NEs), clinical nurses and students undergoing the Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery training towards nursing education in Bhutan.
Methods:
The methodology was a quantitative study using a self-administered questionnaire. The first section had demographic data, and the second had questions on KAP. The participants were NEs, students and clinical nurses. The study was done in the nursing institute, the national hospital and the district hospitals. The instrument, i.e. questionnaire, had a five-point Likert scale from ‘excellent, good, fair, poor, to very poor’
Results:
In the results, students rated the KAP of NEs and clinical nurses as ‘good’. On the contrary, the attitude of students towards ‘gaining knowledge from the clinical area’ and their ‘eagerness to learn nursing’ are rated ‘fair’
Conclusion:
The KAP provides a detailed view of the status of nursing education, and the data obtained from the study provide strong baseline information for nursing education in the future.