Perspectives on statistics education: observations from statistical consulting in an academic nursing environment.

Statistics knowledge is essential for understanding the nursing and health care literature, as well as for applying rigorous science in nursing research. Statistical consultants providing services to faculty and students in an academic nursing program have the opportunity to identify gaps and challenges in statistics education for nursing students. This information may be useful to curriculum committees and statistics educators. This article aims to provide perspective on statistics education stemming from the experiences of three experienced statistics educators who regularly collaborate and consult with nurse investigators. The authors share their knowledge and express their views about data management, data screening and manipulation, statistical software, types of scientific investigation, and advanced statistical topics not covered in the usual coursework. The suggestions provided promote a call for data to study these topics. Relevant data about statistics education can assist educators in developing comprehensive statistics coursework for nursing students. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.