UB School of Nursing Student Examines Generative AI as a Nursing Education Tool

Vidya Chan, University at Buffalo nursing PhD student, recently published a study in the Journal of Professional Nursing exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, in an undergraduate nursing writing intensive course.

The pilot study found that generative AI can be a useful tool for strengthening nursing students’ writing skills -- an essential skill for nurses in relation to patient care documentation, communicating effectively within health care teams, and disseminating nursing research.

“As the health care environment becomes increasingly integrated with AI, nurse educators and employers must ensure that students understand both the potential applications and limitations of these tools,” Chan said. “The findings of this study indicate that, with faculty guidance, students are capable of using generative AI in an ethical and effective manner.”

The study involved 20 undergraduate nursing students in a baccalaureate program in the northeastern United States. The students were asked to evaluate generative AI responses in relation to the current nursing literature. This assignment spurred students to think critically about AI responses and communicate their understanding of nursing scholarship.

Chan said she was surprised that some students expressed apprehension about using generative AI in future assignments, which presented an unexpected challenge in utilizing this technology in nursing education.

“During the exercise, some students found the limitations of the technology concerning, and the process of verifying the accuracy of the AI-generated output was viewed as too time-consuming.”

Despite the student-identified limitations of generative AI, this pilot study offers a useful starting point for how to effectively and ethically integrate a new and popular technology into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. Chan indicated that this project can serve as a springboard for future nursing education research.

“This project should be replicated with a larger, more diverse sample and include a control group to enhance the validity and generalizability of the results,” she explained. “Future research should explore different strategies for integrating AI into the curriculum, including comparing various approaches to determine their effectiveness.”

BY SHANNON O'SULLIVAN