PDA Training Needs Assessment for Graduate Nursing Students
This paper presents a needs assessment designed to guide the instruction of graduate nursing students in using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for patient record management. It outlines the instructional goal of improving PDA skills in and out of the classroom, describes the demographic profile of the student population, and identifies the requisite skills required for participation. The paper also details the qualitative and quantitative methods — including questionnaires and focus groups — used to measure student comfort with technology and readiness to integrate PDAs into clinical practice. Three key learning needs are identified and prioritized accordingly.
- Introduction: Context for PDA instruction in nursing education
- Instructional Goal: Defining PDA skill outcomes for learners
- Learner Demographics and Requisite Skills: Student profiles and prerequisite knowledge
- Learner Needs and Assessment Methods: Mixed-methods data collection and prioritized learning needs
- Conclusion: Student technology familiarity and readiness
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly connects a practical instructional problem — teaching PDA use — to a formal needs assessment framework, making the rationale for the project transparent.
- It balances qualitative and quantitative data-collection methods (questionnaire and focus group), showing awareness of mixed-methods research design.
- The prioritization of learning needs (most to least important) demonstrates analytical judgment rather than simply listing objectives.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates instructional needs analysis: it identifies the learner population, defines prerequisite skills, specifies measurable learning outcomes, and selects appropriate data-collection instruments before instruction begins. This front-end analysis approach is central to systematic instructional design.
Structure breakdown
The paper moves logically from context (why PDA instruction matters) to goal-setting, then to demographic profiling, prerequisite identification, and finally to the needs assessment design itself. Each section builds on the previous one, creating a coherent rationale for the proposed instructional intervention. The conclusion is implicit in the final paragraph's summary of learning priorities.
Introduction
One objective considered for this needs assessment was to teach graduate students how to think critically while working in their medical careers. Studies have determined that many graduates "make statistically significant gains in critical thinking" (Drennan, 2010, p. 423); therefore, the art of critical thinking should not be particularly difficult to teach. It was quickly determined, however, that developing such a skill demands much both from students and from instructors.
Hence, a different idea took shape — one in which the task at hand is to teach graduate nursing students the capabilities and functions of the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and how it relates to the nursing field. To accomplish this task, a needs assessment will be conducted to ensure that the undertaking is (a) needed and (b) that the factors necessary for successful completion of the objective are in place.
Instructional Goal
The instructional goal is to provide learner outcomes that use a foundational teaching concept to assist learners in improving their skills with a Personal Digital Assistant. Students will achieve this goal by acquiring the skills necessary to use the PDA both in and out of the classroom environment.
Learner Demographics and Requisite Skills
The participant demographics represent a mixture of both younger and older nursing students, the vast majority of whom are female. Students' ages range from approximately 20 to 40 years old. They come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, including Americans, Middle Easterners, and Latinos. All students are pursuing Master's degrees, and most work as either full- or part-time nurses. The setting is primarily a classroom, although hands-on training also takes place at a nearby hospital.
The requisite skills needed by students attending this course are minimal. They must have a working knowledge of a Patient Electronic Record (PER), and they must be capable of learning to use a PDA. Students who possess these skills will likely be capable of learning what it takes to create a PER on a PDA.
Conclusion
Many of these students have grown up in a technologically advanced environment and are completely comfortable with electronics and technology. This familiarity is expected to facilitate the instructional process and support the successful integration of PDA use into their nursing practice.
References
Drennan, J. (2010). Critical thinking as an outcome of a Master's degree in nursing program. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(2), 422–431.
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