INFORMATICS KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTITUDES, AND OPPORTUNITIES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS IN FLORIDA

Objective. This study was conducted to measure informatics knowledge, skills, attitudes, and opportunities among entrylevel nursing students in Florida. Background. Various accrediting agencies have emphasized the need for inclusion of informatics in nursing programs, and informatics competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes) related to for prelicensure students have been developed. Few studies have been completed to measure these competencies. Methods. An instrument to measure informatics knowledge, skills, attitudes, and opportunities was developed and tested at a nursing student convention in 2014. Over 300 surveys were tested and results revealed all four components a high internal consistency and reliability. The 34 instrument was distributed to over 200 attendees at a 2015 nursing student convention to measure these four components. Results. Pending. Conclusion. This instrument can be used to explore the current informatics attitudes, knowledge, and skills of undergraduate students in other nursing programs throughout the United States in order to get a more thorough picture of the current state of informatics education in nursing programs. The data measuring the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of undergraduate students in Florida is pending, so no conclusion can be drawn. Grants. This study was funded by a grant from Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division