Abstract
Background: In response to the development of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies and noting lower standardized test scores, nursing faculty at a midwestern United States university developed three safety and quality labs throughout a traditional baccalaureate curriculum. Method: These labs intentionally integrated the QSEN competencies and occurred over three semesters of the nursing program. Students' learning activities aligned with the QSEN competencies and were leveled across the labs. Results: Throughout all the labs, all six QSEN competencies provided a framework for students to learn the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to the profession of nursing. Students spent most of their time in the labs learning the QSEN competency of safety, followed by teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, patient-centered care, informatics, and evidenced-based practice. Conclusion: The QSEN competencies provided a framework to teach pre-licensure nursing students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential in the profession of nursing. Safety and Quality I focused on foundational skills and individual patient safety. Safety and Quality II introduced intermediate skills with an emphasis on safety. The third and final lab introduced students to advanced quality improvement, teamwork and collaboration, and system safety. After the completion of the labs, the students stated they had gained knowledge and confidence in the application of all six QSEN competencies.