Other Titles
Educational Impact of a Nursing Training Program: Associations Between Curriculum Structure and Training Outcomes [Title Slide]
Abstract
Purpose: Following the integration of anesthesia nursing into Taiwan’s national nurse practitioner system in 2020, a standardized and outcome-oriented training curriculum has become essential. Historically, anesthesia nursing education varied across institutions, resulting in inconsistencies in training quality. This study examined how training duration and instructional hours influence academic, technical, and competency-based outcomes among anesthesia nursing trainees.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 anesthesia nursing trainees from three training groups between 2022 and 2025. Group A (n = 17) and Group C (n = 8) completed a 12-month curriculum with 266–288 instructional hours, whereas Group B (n = 5) completed a condensed 3-month, 90-hour program. Data collected included demographics; academic performance (drug quizzes, midterm and final examinations); technical skill assessments (midterm and final technical examinations); written and oral reports; ACGME core competency evaluations; and overall training scores. Descriptive statistics compared performance across groups, and Pearson correlation analyses assessed associations between instructional hours and training outcomes.
Results: Distinct performance differences were observed across the three groups. Trainees in the 12-month programs showed stronger academic achievement and higher overall performance, with Group A demonstrating the strongest composite outcomes. Group C achieved the highest technical skill scores, while Group B consistently had the lowest results, suggesting that shorter training duration may limit competency development. Instructional hours were strongly correlated with overall performance (r = .76). Final technical examination scores showed the strongest association with overall performance (r = .62), emphasizing the importance of clinical skill development. ACGME core competency scores correlated highly with midterm technical performance (r = .71).
Conclusion: Longer training duration and greater instructional hours were associated with improved academic performance, enhanced technical proficiency, and stronger overall competency. These findings support the development of structured, adequately timed, competency-based anesthesia nursing training programs and provide evidence to guide national curriculum refinement.
Notes
References:
Dai, W.J., Tung, H. H., Chang, C. C., Yang, H. J., Hsieh, P. H., Guo, S. L., Kuo, C. J., Tasi, S. Y., & Chen, C. Y. (2024). Challenges and Strategies of Developing Certified Anesthetist Nurse Practitioners in the Post-Pandemic Era in Taiwan. Journal of Taiwan Nurse Practitioners, 11(1), 23-30.
Ho, C. H., Chen, S. L., Hsieh, M. L., Fang, H. Y., Hsieh, H. M., Hsu, Y.M., Ho, H. M., & Tsay, S. F. (2021). Development and Evaluation of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination for Nurse Anesthetists: A Preliminary Study. VGH Nursing, 38(4), 348-359.
Tai Taiwan Association of Nurse Anesthetists (2022). Standardized Curriculum for Anesthesia Nurse Practitioners. http://www.tana.org.tw/news/pa_info.asp?/8.html
Sigma Membership
Lambda Beta at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Curriculum Development, Curriculum Planning, Anesthesia Nursing, Anesthesia, Clinical Competence
Recommended Citation
Chen, Pin-Hsuan and Pan, Hsueh-Hsing, "Effects of a Standardized Anesthesia Nursing Curriculum on Training Outcomes" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 179.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/179
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-20
Effects of a Standardized Anesthesia Nursing Curriculum on Training Outcomes
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Purpose: Following the integration of anesthesia nursing into Taiwan’s national nurse practitioner system in 2020, a standardized and outcome-oriented training curriculum has become essential. Historically, anesthesia nursing education varied across institutions, resulting in inconsistencies in training quality. This study examined how training duration and instructional hours influence academic, technical, and competency-based outcomes among anesthesia nursing trainees.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 anesthesia nursing trainees from three training groups between 2022 and 2025. Group A (n = 17) and Group C (n = 8) completed a 12-month curriculum with 266–288 instructional hours, whereas Group B (n = 5) completed a condensed 3-month, 90-hour program. Data collected included demographics; academic performance (drug quizzes, midterm and final examinations); technical skill assessments (midterm and final technical examinations); written and oral reports; ACGME core competency evaluations; and overall training scores. Descriptive statistics compared performance across groups, and Pearson correlation analyses assessed associations between instructional hours and training outcomes.
Results: Distinct performance differences were observed across the three groups. Trainees in the 12-month programs showed stronger academic achievement and higher overall performance, with Group A demonstrating the strongest composite outcomes. Group C achieved the highest technical skill scores, while Group B consistently had the lowest results, suggesting that shorter training duration may limit competency development. Instructional hours were strongly correlated with overall performance (r = .76). Final technical examination scores showed the strongest association with overall performance (r = .62), emphasizing the importance of clinical skill development. ACGME core competency scores correlated highly with midterm technical performance (r = .71).
Conclusion: Longer training duration and greater instructional hours were associated with improved academic performance, enhanced technical proficiency, and stronger overall competency. These findings support the development of structured, adequately timed, competency-based anesthesia nursing training programs and provide evidence to guide national curriculum refinement.
Description
This study shows that extended training duration and greater instructional hours dramatically enhance anesthesia nursing competency, with strong gains in overall performance (r = .76) and technical proficiency (r = .62). These findings highlight the powerful impact of comprehensive, well-structured training programs.