Exploration and Practice of Integrated Teaching in Middle and High School to Enhance Nursing Students' Caring Ability and Core Competencies

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of the integrated teaching model in middle and high schools on nursing students' caring ability and core competencies, in order to provide empirical evidence for nursing education reform and explore new ideas and methods for cultivating high-quality nursing talents.Method: A quasi-experimental research design was adopted, randomly dividing 374 nursing students into an experimental group (176 people) and a control group (198 people).The experimental group adopted an integrated teaching model, while the control group used a traditional teaching model.Before and after the teaching intervention, the Caring Ability Scale and the Core Competency Scale for Registered Nurses were used to assess student abilities, and the theoretical exam scores and practical operation scores of both groups were collected for comprehensive evaluation.Results: Before the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in various ability indicators between the two groups, indicating that the baseline levels of the two groups were comparable.After the intervention, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in indicators such as nursing caring ability, cognition, courage, patience, registered nurse competency, research ability, clinical nursing, leadership, interpersonal relationships, ethical and legal practice, professional development, and education and consultation (p<0.05).Additionally, the experimental group also achieved significantly better scores in 7 core courses and nursing operational skills compared to the control group.Although the median difference in anatomy scores did not reach statistical significance, the pass rate of the experimental group was slightly higher than that of the control group, with a chi-square test P=0.017(p<0.05),indicating that the difference in pass rates for anatomy scores between the two groups was statistically significant.Conclusion: The integrated teaching model in middle and high schools can effectively enhance nursing students' caring ability and core competencies, positively impacting nursing education.This teaching model, through the close integration of theory and practice, improves students' learning interest and comprehensive abilities, providing a new method for cultivating nursing talents with high quality and a spirit of humanistic care.