Performance evaluation of nursing students following competency-based education.

Background: Competency-based education is known to improve the match between educational performance and employment opportunities.

Objectives: This study examined the effects of competency-based education on the learning outcomes of undergraduate nursing students.

Design: The study used a quasi-experimental design.

Participants: A convenience sample of 312 second-year undergraduate nursing students from northern and southern Taiwan participated in the study.

Methods: The experimental group (n=163) received competency-based education and the control group received traditional instruction (n=149) in a medical-surgical nursing course. Outcome measures included students' scores on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Self-Evaluated Core Competencies Scale, Metacognitive Inventory for Nursing Students questionnaire, and academic performance.

Results: Students who received competency-based education had significantly higher academic performance in the medical-surgical nursing course and practicum than did the control group. Required core competencies and metacognitive abilities improved significantly in the competency-based education group as compared to the control group after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusions: Competency-based education is worth implementing and may close the gap between education and the ever-changing work environment.