Nursing Students Short Attention Span and How to Make the Class Interesting Essay

Identification of the Problem

In nursing, a prolonged attention plan is necessary for learners to concentrate on the issues discussed or studied and helps improve the rate of knowledge and skill acquisition. Nevertheless, this is not always the case in nursing schools because the problem of short attention span is common to many nurse students (Hampton et al., 2020). Nursing students tend to lose focus and attention in class due to a number of reasons, which reduces the attention span. For example, the presence of other people, objects, and materials in class as well as in healthcare facilities where nurses take some lessons can attract the attention of the learner and reduce attention span (Takase et al., 2019). In addition, the students are likely to start thinking about other matters in life, which also reduces attention span.

Prevalence of the Problem, Significance, and Relevance to Practice

The prevalence of short attention span among nursing students is not well studied, but it can be deduced from the results of other related studies in other fields. According to Hampton and Keys (2017), normal humans spend about 45% of their total time concentrating on other things apart from what they are supposed to do or think at a specific time. In addition, research shows that among college students, over 40% report that they are frequently disrupted and loses attention frequently when in class or during practical lessons (Hampton et al., 2020).

Students report that out of a lesson of about an hour, about 20 minutes are wasted when thinking or looking at other issues apart from what they are expected to be doing at that particular time. Nursing students are essentially at the college level and are likely to fall victim to the short attention span problem. However, it is worth noting that the short attention span among nursing students is likely to be a much bigger problem than among the general college students because of the learning environment in nursing (Takase et al., 2019).

For instance, most nursing lessons are conducted at medical facilities where other factors not common in a general class are present and can cause attention disruption. For example, the learning environment for nurse students may include such things as the presence of patients, staff, medical equipment, and others, all of which can disrupt the learners (Chicca & Shellenbarger, 2018).

Furthermore, the use of technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and computers in class is increasingly causing disruption and short attention spans among students. This problem is likely to reduce the rate of knowledge and skill acquisition and also reduce the general performance of the students if not well addressed.

Problem Statement

In nurse education, students are exposed to a learning environment that includes materials, people, and objects that are not common in common classrooms. Students are also exposed to a learning environment that demands them to practice and might include the presence of patients and hospital staff. Furthermore, nurse students are allowed to carry and use technology and gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets to enhance learning (Chicca & Shellenbarger, 2018).

In addition, the learning environment for nurse students includes medical equipment and technologies. The presence of all these objects, people, and technologies have some negative effects in that they can disrupt the learners and reduce their attention span (Hampton et al., 2020). These objects are likely to attract the attention of the learners and distract their attention. Consequently, this environment poses a challenge to the educators as they need to ensure that students’ attention is focused on education as much as possible.

Project Objectives

This project seeks to help nurse educators ensure that their classes are as interesting as possible as a means of attracting the full attention of the learners. The purpose is to address the problem of short attention span among the nurse students as they are exposed to the complex learning environment. Consequently, the specific objectives of this project are as follows:

1. To develop strategies for making nursing classes more interesting for learners
2. To design a curriculum that includes attention-seeking objects and activities in nursing classes
3. To help nurse students adapt to a complicated environment and increase attention span in class

Proposed Methods and Strategies for Improving Student Attention and Interactions

Nurse educators need to devise certain methods and strategies for making the classroom more interesting and attracting the attention of the learners. The idea is to make sure that there are minimal factors that disrupt the le