Nursing Program Outcomes Achievement in a Flexible Learning System in Philippine Private Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Nursing Program Outcomes in Flexible Learning in Philippine Private Higher Education Institutions became an important concern in nursing education as institutions sought to ensure that students developed the competencies required for professional practice despite changes in instructional delivery. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift from traditional face-to-face instruction to flexible learning modalities, including blended, synchronous, asynchronous, and fully online approaches. This study determined the perceived extent of achievement of the 14 Philippine Bachelor of Science in Nursing program outcomes, tested differences by institutional affiliation, identified limiting factors, and used the findings to propose a Nursing Program Outcomes-Based Resiliency Framework. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among all 116 eligible fourth-year nursing students from two private higher education institutions in Pangasinan, Philippines (University A, n = 34; University B, n = 82). Respondents had experienced flexible learning with limited or transitional clinical exposure. A structured questionnaire aligned with Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2017 was content-validated by three nursing education experts (I-CVI = 1.00; S-CVI/Ave = 1.00) and demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .86). Weighted means, rankings, frequencies, percentages, and an independent-samples t-test were used. Overall perceived program-outcome achievement was moderate (grand weighted mean = 3.13). Nursing core values ranked highest (M = 3.48), whereas safe, appropriate, and holistic care using the nursing process ranked lowest (M = 2.56). Institutional ratings were nearly identical (University A: M = 3.13, SD = 0.50; University B: M = 3.14, SD = 0.50), with no statistically significant difference, t(114) = 0.10, p > .05. The most prevalent barriers were inadequate access to online learning platforms (68.97%), inflexible work schedules (67.24%), lack of motivation (64.66%), negative community attitudes toward healthcare (59.48%), and burnout or fatigue (58.62%). Competency development continued during disruption but was not fully optimized, particularly for program outcomes requiring sustained clinical practice. Nursing institutions should combine robust clinical and simulation experiences, digital access, faculty development, student support, and continuous outcome monitoring under both normal and disruptive conditions.