Objective.

The study sought to assess the impact of applying a learning strategy to improve the quality of sample collection during cervical screening by students from the Nursing Degree Program doing social service.

Methods.

This was a longitudinal, quasi-experimental study with the participation of 23 interns from the Nursing Degree Program at a public university from San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The work assessed knowledge of practical skills in taking cervical cytology tests and the quality of samples before and after applying a learning strategy that included 10 h of theoretical training and 22 h of practices on themes related to sample collection in cervical screening.

Results.

A statistically significant difference was obtained in improved knowledge (t = -12.8 p<0.001) and practical skills (t = -8.86 p<0.001) after the intervention. The increased percentage of suitable samples from 30.43% to 82.60% was attributed to the application of the learning strategy in the pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.001).

Conclusion.

Training is effective to improve knowledge and practical skills to collect samples in cervical screening, as well as the quality of the samples for their interpretation.

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