COMPETENCY OF LEVEL II STUDENT NURSES OF COLEGIO DE

DAGUPAN UNDER THE NEW CURRICULUM

Chua, Michelle
Bonilla, Jarren Nick
Consolacion, Gilber
Gutay, Mary Ann
Ordoñez, Elmar
Salon, Asuncion

Submitted to the Faculty of College of Nursing

Colegio de Dagupan, Dagupan City
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

March 2010
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A new nursing curriculum is implemented in all colleges of nursing

in the Philippines which took effect in the Academic Year 2009-2010.

This new curriculum is based on the CHED Memorandum Order (CMO)

No. 14, series of 2009 (RA No.9173). The reasons for incorporating

changes into the nursing curriculum are to: [1] improve the level of

competency of Filipino nursing graduates, potentially increasing the

passing rate in the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE), and [2] produce

nurses that are highly qualified ang globally competent in the health care

field (GMANews.TV, April 30, 2008).

In the global setting, a problem faced by health care institutions is

the shortage of nurses. Filipino nurses had been the preference of foreign

employers especially in the United States. Employers not only seek

Filipino nurses for their caring nature, but also because of the quality

education Filipino nurses have. However, with technology evolving

together with health practices, the local curriculum must keep up with

the current innovations if we want our nurses to meet the global

demand.

1
 In the local setting, the problem identified by CHED is the low

passing rate in the NLE (GMANews.TV, April 30, 2008). Only about half

of the total examinees pass the local board exam. The Professional

Regulation Commission (PRC) announced that at least 32,617 or 41.87%

out of 77,901 examinees passed the NLE for June 2009. For the

November 2009 Nursing Board Exam, PRC announced that 37,527 or

39.73% out of 94,462 examinees passed (Philippine Board Exam

Results).

The solution of CHED to ensure a better passing rate is the CMO

No.14. However, the effectiveness of the new curriculum is not yet

supported by research because it is a newly implemented curriculum.

One particular interest of the researchers in the new curriculum is

the differences in the Nursing Care Management (NCM) courses between

the old and new curriculum. In the old curriculum based on CMO No.30,

NCM 101, 102 and 104 is an integration of Medical-Surgical Nursing,

Psychiatric Nursing, and Maternal and Child Health Nursing(MCN). It

means that in NCM 101, there are three subjects altogether. However, in

the new curriculum CMO No.14, Nursing Care Management Courses

were separated according to nursing specialties. For example, NCM 101

and 102 deals with only Maternal and Child Health Nursing (Obstetric

Nursing and Pediatric Nursing).

2
 To assess the effectiveness of the new curriculum, the researchers

will investigate the subjects taken up by the 2nd year nursing students.

This is because the first batch under the new cirruculum is currently in

the second year level. Article V, section 7.2 of CMO No. 14 states that:

“At the end of the second year, the student shall have acquired the

holistic understanding of the human person as a bio-psycho cultural

being focusing on the concept of health and illness as it is related to the

care of the mother and child in varied settings. The student shall be able

to demonstrate the competencies in the following key areas of

responsibility such as safe and quality nursing care, communication,

collaboration and teamwork, health education, legal responsibility,

ethico-moral responsibility, personal and professional development,

quality improvement, research, management of resources and

environment, and record management.”

The Core Competency Standards, developed by the Board of

Nursing (BON) with the Technical Committee on Nursing Education

(TCNE) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), served as a

basis in the curriculum reform. By focusing on the Eleven (11) Core

Competencies, the new curriculum will ensure quality education for

nursing students if it is implemented well (Tamse, July-Dec 2004).

Using the Core Competency Standards as an evaluation tool, this

study will determine if the new curriculum CMO 14, s.2009 is effective in

3
improving the level of competency of Colegio de Dagupan nursing

students in Maternal and Child Health Nursing (MCN).

Theoretical Framework

Benner's Model in Skill Acquisition in Learning

Patricia Benner’s model outlines five stages of skill acquisition: novice,

advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. Although her work

is much more encompassing in regard to nursing domains and specific

functions and interventions, it is the five stages of skills acquisition that

has received the most attention with regard to application in

administration, education, practice, and research (McEwan & Wills,

2007).

Stages of Skills Acquisition (Cronin & Anderson, 2003):

 The novice has no experience of the situation in which they are

expected to perform. Because of their lack of experience, they are

given rules to guide their performance. Novices are limited in their

ability to read ‘whole situations’ and tend to focus on tasks that do

not require experience of the situation.

 Advanced beginners are those who have experienced enough real

situations to be able to recognize aspects of the situation. Prior

4
 experience is necessary for aspect recognition, which encompasses

an appreciation of the global characteristics of a situation.

 The competent practitioner is one who has been in practice for two

or three years in similar situations. Competency implies ability to

discriminate between what is most important in a given situation.

Competent practitioners use analysis and conscious deliberate

planning that helps achieve efficiency and organization. They

demonstrate some elements of mastery, but do not function with

the speed and flexibility of proficient practitioners.

 The proficient practitioner is one who sees situations as wholes

rather than a series of discrete aspects. The proficient practitioner

has well-developed decision making skills and is able to

discriminate quickly where the problem exists. According to

Benner, proficient practitioners use maxims that reflect the

nuances of the situation.

 Expert practitioners no longer relies on rules, guidelines or maxims

to link their understanding of the situation with the correct action.

Here, Benner refers to the notion of intuitive grasp’ when

delineating the practice of the expert nurse. Expert nurses focus

on the accurate area of the problem without wasteful consideration

of alternative diagnoses and/or solutions.

5
 In Stuart’s (2003) book “Assessment, Supervision and Support in

Clinical Practice,” he summarized the performance characteristics of only

the novice, advanced beginner, and competent nurse, based on the work

of Benner. According to Stuart(2003), although these characteristics are

derived from performance of qualified nurses, they can be extrapolated to

the developing performance of pre-registration students.

For the purpose of this study, Benner’s first three stages of skill

acquisition (novice, advanced beginner and competent), will be used as a

guideline to evaluate the competency of nursing students because

development of students during tertiary education can range from novice

to competent level. The last two stages, proficient and expert, requires

years of experience and intuitive thinking which is lacking in students

and impossible for them to develop at their current level. Thus, the last

two stages will not be used in the study. According to Benner’s theory,

the level of competency is achieved through training and experience. In

the new curriculum, second year students are expected to be

knowledgeable in MCN.

Conceptual Framework

The basis of the study is Patricia Benner’s Stages of Skills

Acquisition. For the purpose of this study, the first three levels – novice,

advanced beginner, and competent – will be used to identify the level of

6
competency of level II nursing students of Colegio de Dagupan. Students

acquire knowledge and skills in Maternal and Child Health Nursing

during their second year and will have advanced to a certain level of

competency in that area of nusing.

The input of the study are the profile of level II student nurses of

CdD which are the age and gender of the respondents, and the rating of

the respondents on the competency in MCN in terms of: Safe and Quality

Nursing Care, Management of Resources and Environment, Health

Education, Legal Responsibility, Ethico-moral Responsibility, Personal

and Professional Development, Quality Improvement, Research, Record

Management, Communication and Collaboration and Teamwork.

The process is quantitative descriptive research. The researchers

will use a 100-item survey questionnaires based on the Eleven Core

Competencies to evaluate the competency of level II students of Colegio

de Dagupan. All second year students will answer the questionnaires

during summer classes and will be given 2 hours to answer the

questions.

The expected outcome of the study is the determination of the

competency level of 2nd year student nurses of CdD, whether the

students are in the novice, advanced beginner, or competent level. This

study will also determine the difference in competency level of students

in relation to age and gender. The weak points on the Core Competency

7
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will also be identified and suggestions will be made to reinforce education

in these Core Competencies.

Figure 1
Research Paradigm

8
Statement of the Problem

This study aims to evaluate the competency of level II students of

Colegio de Dagupan under the new curriculum.

It seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of the following:

a. Age

b. Gender

2. What is the rating of the respondents on the effectiveness of the

new curriculum with regards to MCN in terms of the following:

a. Safe and quality nursing care

b. Management of resources and environment

c. Health education

d. Legal responsibility

e. Ethico-moral responsibility

f. Personal and professional development

g. Quality improvement

h. Research

i. Record management

j. Communication

k. Collaboration and Teamwork

9
 3. Is there a difference between the competency level of male and

female level II CdD student nurses?

4. Is there a difference between the competency level of students

age 18 and below, and 19 and above?

Hypothesis

 There is no relationship between the new curriculum and

competency of level II students of CdD.

 There is no significant difference between the competency of male

and female level II CdD student nurses.

 There is no significant difference between the competency of level II

student nurses age 18 and below, and 19 and above.

Significance of the Study

A. Nursing Practice

To the nursing profession, the study will test the students’

competency under the new curriculum. This is to ensure that

the students’ competency level will be identified and efforts will

be made to help the students reach the highest level of

10
 competence so that the school will be able to produce nurses

capable of delivering quality nursing services.

B. Nursing Education

To the students and instructors, this study will be beneficial in

identifying the students’ weak points in the 11 Core

Competencies. Students and instructors can focus on these

weak points and strengthen learning in these aspects. The core

competencies are also the basis of the Nursing Licensure Exam.

By enhancing learning in the core competencies, the students

can improve their chances in passing the board exam.

C. Nursing Research

To future researchers, this study will provide information on the

strengths and weaknesses of students in Maternal and Child

Nursing under the new curriculum in terms of the core

competencies. Researchers can use these information to

examine other subjects and contribute suggestions to improve

the implementation of the new curriculum.

Scope and Limitations

The study aims to evaluate the competence of the level II student

nurses under the new curriculum by using questionnaires based on the

Eleven (11) Core Competencies.

11
 The respondents of the study will be all level II student nurses of

Colegio de Dagupan. Survey questionnaires will be used for data

gathering. The questions will cover concepts in Maternal and Child

Nursing and will be based on the Eleven Core Competencies. There will

be 100 questions to be answered by level II students. Students will be

given 2 hours to answer the questions.

The topic covered will only be about maternal and child health

nursing. Other subject areas under the new curriculum are not included

in this study. The subjects of the study will be limited to level II student

nurses of Colegio de Dagupan who enrolled in summer 2010. Other year

levels will not be part of the study.

Definition of Terms

Advanced Beginner. This is used to describe a nurse who has

experienced enough real situations to be able to do the correct
action.

Board of Nursing (BON). This is the regulatory body of the nursing

profession in the Philippines.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED). CHED is the governing

body covering both public and private higher education
institutions as well as degree-granting programs in all tertiary
educational institutions in the Philippines.

Competency. It is a combination of attributes enabling performance of a

range of professional tasks to the appropriate standards.

12
Competent. This is used to describe a nurse who uses analysis and
conscious deliberate planning that helps achieve efficiency and
organization.

Core Competency Standards. This represents the minimum knowledge,

skills and attitudes necessary to provide nursing care (Tamse,
2004).

Curriculum. It is an educational plan that spells out which goals and

objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered and
which methods are to be used for learning, teaching and
evaluation.

Expert. This is a nurse described as one who no longer relies on rules,

guidelines or maxims to link their understanding of the situation
with the correct action.

Maternal and child health nursing (MCN). This is a course in the

curriculum which deals with te care of the mother and child in
varied settings.

Novice. This is a nurse who has no experience of the situation in which

they are expected to perform.

Proficient. This is a term used to describe a nurse who has well-

developed decision making skills and is able to discriminate
quickly where the problem exists.

Student Nurse. This is a student training for the nursing profession in

Colegio de Dagupan, under the program Bachelor of Science in
Nursing (BSN).

13
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Local Literature

The New Curriculum

CHED Memorandum Order No. 14, series of 2009 (CMO No.14, s.

2009) contains provisions on the BSN course, including the course

specification, standard curriculum, competency standards, and other

requirements. It is the basis of implementation of the new nursing

curriculum in the Philippines which took effect on the academic year

2009-2010.

Core Competency Standards

Core Competency Standards, as defined by Tamse (July-Dec 2004),

“represent the minimum knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to

provide nursing care. It reflects complex nature of nursing activities and

determines the level of accountability.” Graduate of the BSN program

must be able to apply analytical and critical thinking in the nursing

practice. The nurse must be competent in the eleven (11) core

14
competency areas for nursing practice that were identified as follows

(CMO No.14, s.2009):

1. Safe and quality nursing care. The nurse must be able to

demonstrate knowledge base and provide safety and sound

decisions in the care of the client. The nurse must also

utilize the nursing process and prioritization in the care of

the client.

2. Management of resources and environment. The nurse must

maintain a safe environment for the client and utilize

resources properly.

3. Health education. The nurse must be able to assess the

client’s learning needs and develop an educational plan for

the client.

4. Legal responsibility. The nurse must adhere to practices in

accordance to the law.

5. Ethico-moral responsibility. The nurse must respect the

rights of the client and take responsibility for one’s decisions

and actions.

6. Personal and professional development. The nurse must be

able to assess one’s own learning needs and pursue growth

15
 and development in the field. The nurse must also project of

professional image of the nurse.

7. Quality improvement. The nurse must be able to identify

variances and recommend solutions to the identified

problems.

8. Research. The nurse must participate in research studies

and utilize the research findings.

9. Record management. The nurse must maintain accurate and

updated documentation of client care.

10. Communication. The nurse must be able to establish rapport

with the client, client’s family, and members of the health

team and respond to their needs.

11. Collaboration and Teamwork. The nurse must establish

collaborative relationship with members of the health team

and plan a collaborative care for the client.

The Need for a Curriculum Reform

What prompted CHED to revise the nursing curriculum is the low

passing rate of graduates in the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE).

The passing rate in December 2007 was 42.71%. There were only 28,924

passers out of 67,728 total examinees. According to CHED acting

chairman Romulo Neri, international standards are adopted into the

16
local curriculum. This is to ensure better performance of nursing

graduates in the NLE (GMANews.TV, April 30, 2008).

Although the new curriculum is met with objections, UST College

of Nursing Dean Glenda Vargas points out needed changes in the old

curriculum in favor of the new. Patient assessment needs to be a “stand-

alone subject” rather than just be integrated in nursing professional

subjects. In abroad, nurses are expected to do a thorough health

assessment and students need to be trained more in this area (The

Varsitarian Vol. LXXIX, No. 12 ; June 10, 2008).

In a press release by the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), they

supported the new curriculum stating that “nursing leaders and

educators firmly believe that this curricular reform will improve the

quality of current Philippine nursing education products by honing

critical competencies to provide safe and high quality health care for

their patients here and abroad. Core competencies for 11 key areas of

responsibilities that are important in nursing are spelled out in the

various nursing professional courses together with their indicators.”

(PNA, July 8, 2008)

The Board of Nursing (BON) also supports the implementation of

CMO No.14. Strengths of the new curriculum enumerated by the BON

are as follow (BON, April 6, 2009):

17
 The Core Competencies with their indicators are spelled out in  the

various professional courses.

 Common core values identified by the Board of Nursing and the

various professional organizations during the workshop on good

governance were also included in the curriculum. 

 Total General Education Courses is 90 Units

 Total Professional Courses is 115 Units

 The following professional courses included in CMO NO. 5 were

retained. (CMO No. 5 was the prototype of CMO No. 14)

                >  Theoretical Foundations in Nursing 

                >  Health Assessment 

                >  Pharmacology 

                >  Nutrition and  Diet Therapy 

                > Nursing Research                                  

                > Competency Appraisal 

                > IV Therapy is introduced in NCM 106

 Two Nursing Electives are included (6 Suggested Nursing Electives

are included for the third year and senior year level) 

 Intensive Nursing Practicum both for community-based and

hospital-based experience are included

 Guide for RLE are incorporated

18
  The Intraoperative, Intrapartal and Immediate Care of the Newborn

are spelled out as part of the curriculum 

 More Specific Admission policies are encouraged 

 Guide for Hospital Affiliation are more specific

 Proper Implementation of Nursing Education Standards is

encouraged. However, sanctions for schools who are not

performing well are spelled out.

One of the changes in the curriculum is the rearrangements of

topics in the Nursing Care Management (NCM) course. In the old

curriculum based on CMO No.30, NCM 101, 102 and 104 is an

integration of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and

Maternal and Child Health Nursing(MCN). It means that in NCM 101,

there are three subjects altogether. However, in the new curriculum CMO

No.14, Nursing Care Management Courses were separated according to

nursing specialties. For example, NCM 101 and 102 deals with only

Maternal and Child Health Nursing.

Since CMO No. 14 was implemented only lately, the first batch

under the new cirruculum is currently in the second year level. Article V,

section 7.2 of CMO No. 14 states that:

At the end of the second year, the student shall have acquired the

holistic understanding of the human person as a bio-psycho cultural

19
being focusing on the concept of health and illness as it is related to the

care of the mother and child in varied settings. The student shall be able

to demonstrate the competencies in the following key areas of

responsibility such as safe and quality nursing care, communication,

collaboration and teamwork, health education, legal responsibility,

ethico-moral responsibility, personal and professional development,

quality improvement, research, management of resources and

environment, and record management.

Specifically, the student shall:

a. describe the health care delivery system and the nurse’s role in it;

b. demonstrate ethico-moral, legal responsibilities in the care of

individual family and community;

c. demonstrate the beginning skills in the provision of independent

and collaborative nursing function;

d. relate the stages of growth and development in the care of clients;

e. demonstrate beginning skills in the preparation of healthy and

therapeutic diets in varied client cases;

f. explain the dynamics of the disease process caused by microbes

and parasites and the environment;

g. imbibe the core values cherished by the nursing profession such

as love of God, country and people, and caring;

20
 h. design a plan that will focus on health promotion and risk

reduction to clients; and

i. utilize the nursing process in the care of the high risk mother and

child in the family.

Statements from several sources, such as CHED, PNA, and BON,

suggest that they support the implementation of the new curriculum.

These sources have enumerated the strengths of the new curriculum and

emphasized the relevance of incorporating the Core Competencies in the

new curriculum. According to Tamse (July-Dec 2004), the Core

Competency Standards serve as a framework for program development

and also serve as a tool for performance evaluation. With this

information, the researchers will use the same Core Competency

Standards to evaluate the effectiveness of the new curriculum with

regards to MCN. The result of this study may either support or refute the

statements of the said sources.

Foreign Literature

Global Standards in Nursing and Midwifery Education

One of the reasons for the nursing curricular reform is to

incorporate global standards in the Philippines’ nursing curriculum.

Implementation of the standards will facilitate progress towards the

21
highest level of education attainable in a country or region, assure

equitable and appropriate placement of nurses in health-care roles and,

potentially, simplify recruitment practices throughout the world (WHO,

2009).

The goal of the global standards is to establish educational criteria

and assure outcomes that:

a. are based on evidence and competency

b. promote the progressive nature of education and lifelong

learning; and

c. ensure the employment of practitioners who are competent and

who, by providing quality care, promote positive health

outcomes in the populations they serve.

The global standards in the nursing curriculum are divided into

four areas. These are Curriculum Design, Core Curriculum, Curriculum

partnership, and Assessment of Students. Each has its own criteria as

stated below:

1. Curriculum Design

 Take into account workforce planning flows

 Meet national and international education criteria

 Delivers the knowledge and skills required to meet the needs

of their respective populations.

22
  Demonstrate balance between the theory and practice

components of the curriculum.

 Use of recognized approaches to teaching and learning

 Provide classroom and clinical learning based on established

competencies

 Enable the development of clinical reasoning, problem

solving and critical thinking

 Conduct regular evaluations of curricula and clinical

learning

 Offer opportunities for multidisciplinary content and

learning experiences

2. Core Curriculum

 provide core content that will enable their graduates to meet

the established competencies

 provide core content in nursing theory

 provide core through the primary health-care approach

 provide supervised clinical learning experiences

3. Curriculum Partnership

 develop partnerships with other healthcare disciplines

23
  use inter-professional teamwork approaches

 have access to, and arrangements for, the clinical learning

sites

4. Assessment of Students

 assess student learning using reliable evaluation

methodologies

 use a variety of methods to assess the subject matter

 have student retention systems in place

The new curriculum adopted the global standards in nursing

curriculum. The global standards was adopted to enhance global

competitiveness. The Core Competencies also have the same goal to

improve global competitiveness. Under the criteria of the core

competencies, the researchers will evaluate if the new nursing

curriculum will or will not be able to meet the goals of international

standards.

Local Study

A similar study of evaluating a curriculum was conducted by Helen

Villarico-Correa, RN, MN, EdD published in The Philippine Journal of

Nursing Volume 73 No.2.

The Associate in Health Science Education Curriculum: An Evaluation

24
 This paper presents the result of a survey conducted in Region VI

as to the implementation of the Associate in Health Science Education

(AHSE) Curriculum. The survey was conducted among all the higher

education institutions in the region that offers the health-related

professions and the associate in health science education curriculum.

The respondents were 35 deans of the health-related professions in the

region which include Bachelor of science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science

in Medical Technology, Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy, Bachelor

of Science in Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics,

Bachelor of Science in Radio Technology, and the two-year Midwifery

Program. In addition, this paper also provides an overview of the AHSE

curriculum including the views and experiences of the deans who

actually implemented the said programs since the academic year, 1998-

1999.

Specifically, this study aimed to determine:

 whether the objectives of the AHSE curriculum were met

 the strengths and the weaknesses of the curriculum;

 the problems encountered in implementing the program

 the facilitating factors that help in the implementation of the

program; and

 the preferred curriculum of the respondents

25
 The results of the study show that majority of the respondents

replied that the objectives of the AHSE curriculum has not been met.

Several advantages and disadvantages of the AHSE curriculum were

mentioned. And according to the study, 85.71% of the respondents

preferred the generic curriculum over the AHSE curriculum.

Foreign Studies

A study by Richard W. Redman, et al. Deals with competency

assessment in nursing education.

Competency Assessment: Methods for Development and Implementation in

Nursing Education

Competent performance by health care professionals is expected

throughout society. However, defining what it is and teaching students

how to perform competently faces many challenges. This article provides

a brief overview of the contemporary focus on competency assessment in

nursing education. The redesigned nursing curriculum at the University

of Colorado is presented as an exemplar of a practice-oriented model that

requires competent performance among students. Methods for

implementing a competency-based curriculum and lessons learned

during the process are discussed.

Competency assessment is always outcome oriented; the goal is to

evaluate performance for the effective application of knowledge and skill

26
in the practice setting. Competency assessment techniques address

psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains. Competencies can be

generic to clinical practice in any setting, specific to a clinical specialty,

basic or advanced.

Competency-based education has been found to be equally

effective in both didactic and self-learning approaches presents

hallmarks of competency-based education that make them applicable

both in practice and in educational settings. These include competencies

based on validation of what performance by competent practitioners

actually comprises. In addition, competency assessment is based on

criterion-referenced evaluation methods where the learner’s performance

is evaluated against a set of criteria provided to the learner so that both

the learner and the assessor are clear on what performance is required.

Finally, competency-based education is learner-centered in that

outcomes are specified and describe what the learner must do to

demonstrate competency.

The experience in converting to a competency-based curriculum

has been both successful and challenging. Faculty and student

experiences to date have been positive. The redesigned curriculum is

viewed as responsive to the competency-oriented environment and

employers believe the transition of graduates into practice settings will be

more effective, efficient, and successful. This competency-based

27
approach to education can serve as a model which offers a wide variety of

applications to education and service environments.

The researchers adopted the criterion-referenced evaluation

methods. Competency is evaluated against a set of criteria. In this study,

the criteria to be used is the Eleven Core Competency Standards.

Synthesis

CMO No. 14 mandates the implementation of the new nursing

curriculum. It contains the standard curriculum and syllabi of the

nursing subjects. This memorandum was developed to improve the

competency of Filipino nurses and produce higly qualified nurses.

From the literatures collected, the researchers are able to extract

the information that second year nursing students are expected to be

knowledgeable in MCN and be able to develop competencies in the 11

Core Competency areas. With this, the researchers will utilize the Core

Competencies to test the students’ knowledge in MCN as Tamse (2004)

implicated that it can also be used as an evaluation tool.

28
 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers will use a quantitative, non-experimental research

design. Specifically, the design will be a descriptive evaluative survey.

Descriptive evaluative surveys are concerned with the

development, testing, and evaluation of methods, procedures, guidelines,

and instruments. Afterwhich, an evaluative judgment is done. This

research design further aims to test the viability, quality, or effectiveness

of a product, program, method or procedure and answer specific

questions on these.

Since the researchers cannot control and manipulate the

independent variable, a non-experimental design was used. The

researchers will also utilize the descriptive evaluative survey to collect

intellective data from the subjects and be able to evaluate the their

competency level. This design will enable the researchers to test the

hypothesis and assess the level of competency of Level II student nurses

in Colegio de Dagupan.

29
Sources of Data

The research will be conducted at Colegio de Dagupan, College of

Nursing, LCA Building. The researchers selected this area in order to

assess the competency of Level II student nurses.

Purposive sampling is used in the study. The subjects are selected

by setting an inclusion criteria, that is: all level II student nurses

enrolled in Summer Class 2010 in Colegio de Dagupan. The students

must have taken NCM 101 and 102 prior to the enrolment in summer

classes. There are ______ sections and a total of ______ students.

Level II student nurses were chosen to be subjects of the study

because they are under the new curriculum, and this study aims to test

the students’ competency under the new curriculum.

Instrumentation and Data Collection

The researchers will use a questionnaire. The questionnaire

contains the title of the research and a letter asking for the consent of

the respondents to take part in the study. The first part of the

questionnaire contains the demographic profile of level II student nurses

which include their name which is optional, age, and gender. The second

part will be composed of 100 questions of multiple choice type that will

30
cover the Eleven Core Competencies and will all be related to the

concepts of Maternal and Child Health Nursing. Answer sheets will be

provided where respondents will shade their answers. The content of the

questionnaire will be checked and validated by five (5) nursing

instructors.

Data gathering procedure will be done in classrooms. Level II

student nurses will be divided by block per room. One proctor will be

assigned to each room to administer the test. Students will be given 2

hours to answer the 100 questions. Respondents will be asked to fill in

their names, age and gender. They will be instructed to anwer all

questions by shading the letter of the best answer on the answer sheet.

The floating of questionnaires will be done in April ___, 2010.

Tools for Data Analysis

The first part of the questionnaire contains the demographic profile

of the respondents. Frequency count and percentage will be used in the

study.

Formula 1: Frequency count and percentage

f
P = N x 100

Where:

P = percentage

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 f = frequency

N = total number of respondents

A frequency count is the numerical tabulation of the number of

times phonemes (letters) and syllable types appear in text material.

Percentage is derived by multiplying each of the relative frequency values

by 100. Frequency count and percentage will be used to determine the

number of respondents who are male, female, age 18 and below, age 19

and above.

The second part of the questionnaire contains the 100-item test.

Questionnaires will be checked using the answer key sheet. One correct

answer corresponds to one point and one wrong answer is also

equivalent to one point. The score of each respondent will be recorded.

The scores will then be tallied into frequencies under different range of

scores, 0, 1-33, 34-66, and 67-100.

Range of Scores Descriptive Equivalence

67 – 100 Competent

34 – 66 Advanced beginner

0 – 33 Novice

The range of score within 67-100 corresponds to competent

performance of level II CdD nursing students. Scores within the range of

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34-66 indicates that Level II students are in the advanced beginner level.

Scores in the range of 0-33 pertains to the novice level.

To test the difference of the competency of Level II students under

different variables, T-test will be utilized. The variables are gender (male

and female), and age (18 years and below, 19 years and above).

T-test is a statistical test used to examine the difference between

the means of two group of values.

Formula 3: T-test

T-test = X1 – X2

[∑X12 – (∑X1)2] + [∑X22 – (∑X2)2] N1 + N2

N1 N2 2 2

(N1-1) + (N2-1)

Where:

X1 = mean of group A (18 years and below/Male)

X2 = mean of group B (19 years and abovw/Female)

(∑X1)2 = total of all individually squared from condition A

(∑X2)2 = total of all individually squared from condition B

N1 = population of group A (18 years and below/Male)

N2 = population of group B (19 years and above/ Female)

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 T-test will be utilized by the researchers to determine if there is a

significant difference in the level of competency of level II student nurses

under the new curriculum. T-test deals with mean scores of two

variables. The variables to be tested are age 18 years and below and age

19 and above. Variables for gender, male and female, will also be tested.

34
 Bibliography

1. Book
Cronin, P. & Andersen K. (2004). Knowlegde for contemporary nursing
practice. China: Mosby

Department of Human Resources for Health, World Health Organization

(2009). Global standards for the initial education of professional
nurses and midwives. Switzerland: WHO press.

McEwan, M. & Wills, Evelyn (2007). Theoretical Basis for Nursing, 2nd
ed. Philadelphia: LWW.

Stuart, C. (2003). Assessment, supervision, and support in clinical

practice: A guide for Nurses, midwives, and other healthcare
professionals. China: Elsevier

2. Journal Article

BON (2009, April 6). CHED Proposed PS for the 4-Year Improved BSN
Program. BON newsletter, 4, 2.

Correa, H. V. (2003). The Associate in Health Science Education

Curriculum: An Evaluation. Philippine Journal of Nursing, 73(2),
23-28.

Magtulis, P. (2008, June 10). Despite Cocopea ‘warning’ Nursing adopts

new Ched order. The Varsitarian, 79(12).

Tamse, R.V. (2004). Application of Core Competencies in Nursing

Practice. . Philippine Journal of Nursing, 74(2), 5-7.

3. Web document
CHED making changes to nursing curriculum to address low passing rate
(2008, April 30). Retrieved January 8, 2010, from GMA News.TV
website, http://www.gmanews.tv/story/92437/CHED-making-
changes-to-nursing-curriculum-to-address-low-passing-rate

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CMO No.14, s.2009.(2009) Policies and Standards for Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN) Program. Retrieved January 8, 2010,
from the CHED website, http://www.ched.gov.ph/whatsnew/OPS/
policies_and_standards_bsn.pdf

PNA. (2008, July 8). Many Filipino Nurses Now Underemployed and
Unemployed. PNA Press Release. Retrieved January 8, 2010, from
the PNA official website, www.pna-ph.org/press_download.asp?
file=20080708.pdf

PRC June 2009 Nursing Licensure (Board) Examination (NLE) Results

(2009). Retrieved January 29, 2010, from the Philippine Board
Exam Results website
http://philippineboardexamresults.blogspot.com/2009/06/prc-
june-2009-nursing-licensure-board.html

36