Objectives: The study aimed to capture student experiences and use of the Internet and e-learning based on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) during a public health nursing practicum at a government agency.
Methods: The subjects were 66 senior nursing students. After the completion of their practicum, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was conducted. The investigaton was held in July 2008.
Results: Fifty-seven students answered the survey (response rate: 86.4%). Of these, 41 (71.9%) students had a personal computer. For the practicum, 49 students (86.0%) had access to the Internet during the practicum. On the specific purpose of the Internet, 93.9% and 61.2% of these students used it for health education and community diagnosis, respectively. Of the students, 14.0% connected personal mobile devices (iPod touch) to wireless LAN. Forty students (70.2%) learned by means of e-learning, via personal computer (77.5%) and mobile devices (57.5%).
Conclusions: Approximately more than 80% of the students used the Internet to search for information and more than 70% experienced e-learning during the public health nursing practicum. These findings suggest that the Internet was the common tool.