This study compared the effects of live streaming and video-based online teaching modes on occupational health nurses’ professional core competencies. Using a quasi-experimental design, 110 qualified occupational health nurses with less than one year of experience were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (live streaming, n = 55) or control group (video-based, n = 55). The eight-week curriculum covered regulatory policies, health management, preventive monitoring, and health promotion, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Support. A self-developed questionnaire assessed participants’ knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy before, immediately after, and four weeks following the intervention.
Final analysis included 45 participants in the experimental group and 48 in the control group. Video-based teaching showed better short-term effects on knowledge acquisition (β = -0.527, p = .022), while the live streaming group demonstrated significant decline in skills during post-test (β = -0.327, p = .039) and lower improvement at follow-up (β = -0.418, p = .045). Both groups showed improved self-efficacy, with video teaching demonstrating superior long-term effects (β = -2.8, p = .016). The study recommends adopting a blended learning approach combining multiple teaching modes to optimize knowledge transfer and skill development. Future research should evaluate the sustained impact of different teaching modes and explore the potential of personalized learning paths and virtual reality applications in occupational health nursing education.