“EFFECTIVENESS OF SKILL STATION TEACHING ON KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF COGNITIVE MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION AMONG NURSING STUDENTS”
Abstract
Background and objective: Cognitive mental status examination is an important component of psychiatric nursing assessment. Nursing students require both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to perform the assessment systematically. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured skill station program on nursing students’ knowledge and practice regarding cognitive mental status examination. Materials and methods: A quantitative evaluative approach with a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was used. The study included 100 third-year B.Sc. Nursing students from selected nursing colleges in the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Corporation area. Participants were selected using non-probability convenience sampling. Baseline knowledge was assessed using a structured questionnaire and practice using an observational assessment checklist. A 45-minute structured skill station session was provided, followed by post test assessment. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-test were used for analysis. Results: In the pre-test, 46% of students had average knowledge and 38% had poor knowledge. After the intervention, 53% had good knowledge and 15% had excellent knowledge. For practice, 20% had poor and 39% had average scores before the intervention; after the intervention, 54% had good and 26% had excellent scores. Mean knowledge increased from 8.67 ± 2.50 to 12.45 ± 2.56, with a statistically significant difference (t = 14.4532, df = 99, p < 0.00001). Mean practice increased from 27.94 ± 7.61 to 35.95 ± 6.72, also showing a statistically significant difference (t = -10.5369, df = 99, p < 0.00001). Conclusion: The structured skill station program was associated with significant improvement in knowledge and practice regarding cognitive mental status examination among nursing students. Skill station-based teaching may be a useful educational strategy for strengthening practical competency in psychiatric nursing.