Piloting the Use of Smartphone Applications as Learning Resources in Clinical Nursing Education
1Assistant Professor, Memorial University, School of Nursing, 300 Prince Philip Drive
2Associate Professor, Memorial University, School of Nursing
3Senior Instructional Designer, Distance Education, Learning and Teaching Support, Memorial University
4Clinical Coordinator, Memorial University, School of Nursing
Abstract
Smartphones are becoming ubiquitous with abundantly available nursing learning applications. Thirteen nursing
students participated in a study to explore the benefits and barriers of using smart phones to access nursing
learning resources in clinical practice. Voice- and data-enabled smart phones were provided to participants. A
mix-methods research approach was used with pre- and post-surveys. Prior to the study, participants’ experience
with smart phone technology ranged from no experience at all to having extensive experience. One key finding is
that students did not feel comfortable using smart phones in the clinical setting. Therefore, smart phones received
little use as a learning resource. Unprofessional appearance and the time needed to learn the technology were the
main deterrent of smart phone use. The results of this investigation add to the growing body of research that
discusses adoption of smart phone technology in nursing education.
