Competencies and skills of nursing undergraduate students as educators in child health care

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the perception of undergraduate nursing students regarding the competencies and skills required for conducting health education in the context of child health. Method: This is an exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative study. It was developed in a virtual environment through interviews on Google Meet, between March and May 2024. The study population consisted of 30 Nursing students from two public universities in Pernambuco. The interviews had a maximum duration of 30 minutes, with six open-ended questions. The transcripts were made on the platform Transkryptor, unified into one document and analyzed using the software NVivo. Results: Based on the data analysis, four categories were developed: Understanding the competencies and skills required in health education; Specific requirements for working as a health educator with children; Strategies and resources for health education with children; and Contribution of a Nursing degree to health education initiatives. Conclusion: Nursing undergraduate students’ perception of the skills and abilities needed for health education in the context of childhood reveals a deficit in their curriculum, especially regarding preparation for working as health educators for children.