21st Century Skills of Degree Nursing Students in Bachelor´s Degree Programs in Finland

The purpose of this study was to explore Degree Nursing Students’ (DNS) understanding of 21st Century skills (21CS) and its importance in the nursing profession, and the integration of 21CS into the teaching of nursing subjects. The target group was foreign students studying nursing in the Degree Program in Nursing (DPN) at Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in Finland. The methodology used was a mixed-method and a convergent design. An online questionnaire designed in Qualtrics was used to collect data from DNS in three UAS. The data (N=101) questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis in excel for the quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. Forty-nine 21CS adapted from different frameworks and studies was used as the bases for this study. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that DNS do not have an understanding of 21CS. The three top skills mentioned by respondents were Technology Literacy 43%, Communication 41% and Social Skills 21%. The majority of 21CS as defined by the most common frameworks were mentioned by less than 15% of respondents. 71% of respondents indicated that 21CS are Extremely Important in the nursing profession while only 42% of respondents indicated that 21CS are Always integrated into the teaching of nursing subjects. Findings of the qualitative analysis are presented in four main categories, which are, impact of 21CS in the nursing profession, the need for continuous development of 21CS, Curriculum and teacher pedagogy and finally challenges with 21CS. The results of both analyses were converged in the discussion section. All three hypotheses stated in this study were tested and proven as true, and further supported by the findings of the qualitative analysis. The outcome of this study will generate discussion amongst nurse educators in UAS offering DPN to use pedagogic methods that will enable foreign nursing students to acquire and develop 21CS during nursing education