{"title":"Prevalence of artificial intelligence use and instruction in nursing education: A national study of prelicensure nursing programs in the United States","authors":"Brendan Martin PhD , Michaela Reid BS","doi":"10.1016/j.jnr.2025.08.003","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>There is ample evidence that the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into nursing practice is becoming more commonplace, but there are fewer national resources indicating to what degree prelicensure nursing programs employ these technologies and incorporate related topics into their curriculum.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The current survey study sought to determine the prevalence of registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) education programs’ use of generative AI technologies, and the extent to which they embed AI and other digital health topics into their instructional content.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A national survey was conducted of all RN and LPN program administrators nationwide for which we had email contact information (<em>N</em> = 2744).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Prelicensure RN programs (<em>n</em> = 122, 24 %) were more likely to use generative AI technology than LPN programs (<em>n</em> = 27, 12 %, <em>p</em> < 0.001), but more than three-quarters of both types of programs reported they do not use such tools or are not sure. In addition to the low usage of generative AI technology, few programs reported teaching advancements in AI and/or other digital health–related topics to their students (RN <em>n</em> = 87, 17 %; LPN <em>n</em> = 25, 11 %).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Nursing education programs that limit integration of AI into their curriculum risk potentially limiting students’ learning on evidence-based practice and may miss opportunities to promote critical reflection. The results of our study underscore the need to support nursing faculty to ensure prelicensure instructional content prepares nursing students for advancements in clinical practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nursing Regulation","volume":"16 3","pages":"Pages 216-222"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nursing Regulation","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2155825625000924","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
There is ample evidence that the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into nursing practice is becoming more commonplace, but there are fewer national resources indicating to what degree prelicensure nursing programs employ these technologies and incorporate related topics into their curriculum.
Purpose
The current survey study sought to determine the prevalence of registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) education programs’ use of generative AI technologies, and the extent to which they embed AI and other digital health topics into their instructional content.
Methods
A national survey was conducted of all RN and LPN program administrators nationwide for which we had email contact information (N = 2744).
Results
Prelicensure RN programs (n = 122, 24 %) were more likely to use generative AI technology than LPN programs (n = 27, 12 %, p < 0.001), but more than three-quarters of both types of programs reported they do not use such tools or are not sure. In addition to the low usage of generative AI technology, few programs reported teaching advancements in AI and/or other digital health–related topics to their students (RN n = 87, 17 %; LPN n = 25, 11 %).
Conclusion
Nursing education programs that limit integration of AI into their curriculum risk potentially limiting students’ learning on evidence-based practice and may miss opportunities to promote critical reflection. The results of our study underscore the need to support nursing faculty to ensure prelicensure instructional content prepares nursing students for advancements in clinical practice.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Nursing Regulation (JNR), the official journal of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®), is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, academic and professional journal. It publishes scholarly articles that advance the science of nursing regulation, promote the mission and vision of NCSBN, and enhance communication and collaboration among nurse regulators, educators, practitioners, and the scientific community. The journal supports evidence-based regulation, addresses issues related to patient safety, and highlights current nursing regulatory issues, programs, and projects in both the United States and the international community. In publishing JNR, NCSBN''s goal is to develop and share knowledge related to nursing and other healthcare regulation across continents and to promote a greater awareness of regulatory issues among all nurses.