Experiential Skills Laboratory Experiences in a Didactic Undergraduate Reproductive Health Course

Abstract

Background: Experiential learning provides undergraduate nursing students with hands-on opportunities to integrate knowledge and clinical skills. Using educational theory, nurse educators can integrate experiential laboratory experiences into didactic courses to increase comprehension of knowledge and skills required in the clinical setting. Method: Experiential laboratory experiences were coordinated with didactic content in an undergraduate reproductive health course, and student scores on weekly quizzes and a standardized final examination were compared for three cohorts. One cohort participated in a generic laboratory at the start of the semester, one cohort received 4 synchronized laboratory days throughout the semester, and another cohort received the same content in 2-day laboratory sessions. Results: Weekly quiz scores and standardized final examination scores were significantly higher among students who had synchronized experiential laboratory experiences than for students who had a generic laboratory experience. Conclusion: Experiential laboratory experiences are helpful in integrating clinical skills and course knowledge comprehension in didactic undergraduate courses. [ J Nurs Educ . 2022;61(6):326–329.]