ABSTRACT
Background: Today's nursing graduates value ability to creatively solve problems and make decisions, as these skills assist them with recognizing and evaluating situations that require prompt attention. This study aimed to determine and compare nursing student's perceived levels of own problem solving skills in various years of their 4-year program
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. All undergaraduate nursing students [350] included in this study. A total of 322 undergraduate nursing students participated in this study. The study setting was Nursing School of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The problem solving inventory [PSI], a widely used measure to assess one's perceived ability, was used for data collection. Low scores indicated the strong judgment ability and high scores a weak judgment ability. Students involved in the study signed the informed consent forms
Results: Findings showed that the mean score of total problem solving skill was 89.52 +/- 21.58. The mean score of this skill in fourth year students [84.18 +/- 27.47] was less than other students i.e. the fourth year [senior] students judged their own problem solving abilities stronger than other students
Conclusion: Educating should help students reach the high levels of problem solving skills by allowing them to acquire and practice these abilities in the field. Nursing students with advanced problem solving skills are essential for this changing society
ABSTRACT
The nature of clinical practice has altered in recent years. It has been affected by different kinds of problem-solving models' so, the problem-solving skill is necessary in practice for nurse practitioners. Besides assertiveness is a critical element which persuades nurses and nursing students to establish good relationships and use their knowledge and professional skills effectively. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between problem solving and assertiveness skills among undergraduate nursing students. This was a descriptive correlational study. The study was carried out in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Iran University of Medical Sciences. The study population included all students enrolled in the four-year nursing program in 2009-2010. Data were collected using the Heppner and Petersen's problem solving inventory and Rathus assertiveness schedule. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA, independent sample t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient tests in the SPSS. Three hundred and twenty two students participated in this study. The students' problem-solving skill [mean=89.5] and assertiveness [mean=12.1] were moderate. The study showed that last year students reported higher assertiveness skill than the freshmen [F=2.85 P<0.037]. The level of assertiveness was correlated with the level of problem-solving skill. Educational programs should provide opportunities for nursing students to enhance life skills such as problem solving and assertiveness skills. Nursing schools should improve students' skills in clinical approaches to be better care professional