Assessment Of Nursing Students Research Articles

Usefulness of pedagogical design features of a digital educational resource into nursing home placement: a qualitative study of nurse educators’ experiences

BackgroundThe rapid advancement of technology-enhanced learning opportunities has resulted in requests of applying improved pedagogical design features of digital educational resources into nursing education. Digital educational resources refers to technology-mediated learning approaches. Efficient integration of digital educational resources into nursing education, and particularly into clinical placement, creates considerable challenges. The successful use of digital educational resources requires thoughtful integration of technological and pedagogical design features. Thus, we have designed and developed a digital educational resource, digiQUALinPRAX, by emphasizing pedagogical design features. The nurse educators’ experiences of the usefulness of this digital educational resource is vital for securing improved quality in placement studies.AimTo obtain an in-depth understanding of the usefulness of the pedagogical design features of a digital educational resource, digiQUALinPRAX, in supporting nurse educators’ educational role in nursing home placements in the first year of nursing education.MethodsAn explorative and descriptive qualitative research design was used. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurse educators working in first year of a Bachelor’s of Nursing programme after using the digital educational resource, digiQUALinPRAX, during an eight-week clinical placement period in nursing homes in April 2022.ResultsTwo main categories were identified: (1) supporting supervision and assessment of student nurses and (2) supporting interactions and partnerships between stakeholders.ConclusionThe pedagogical design features of the digiQUALinPRAX resource provided nurse educators with valuable pedagogical knowledge in terms of supervision and assessment of student nurses, as well as simplified and supported interaction and partnership between stakeholders.

An evaluation of a unified practice assessment document for student nurses: Students’, mentors’ and academics’ views and experiences

Assessment of students’ performance in practice is an essential part of a health and social care education programme. In the United Kingdom, most nursing practice assessment documentation is specific to each university, leading to concerns about consistency. This paper’s aim is to present the development and evaluation of a unified practice assessment document. Nine London universities worked collaboratively with stakeholders to develop a pan-London practice assessment document, which aimed to increase consistency and quality of practice assessment. The evaluation aimed to investigate the views of nursing students, mentors and academics regarding implementation and use of the document in practice. Focus groups were conducted with students (n=46 in 6 groups), mentors (n=46 in 7 groups) and academic staff (n=42 in 6 groups) and the data were analysed using the framework approach. Four themes are presented: a robust and consistent approach; assessing professional values; essential skills acquisition; service user involvement. The new document was considered to foster consistency, reduce confusion and workload for mentors, and promote standardisation for practice assessment of student nurses across London.

Improving quality in clinical placement studies in nursing homes (QUALinCLINstud): the study protocol of a participatory mixed-methods multiple case study design

IntroductionImproved quality in clinical supervision and assessment of student nurses in nursing home clinical placements is vitally important to effective recruitment and preparation for this healthcare sector. Knowledge regarding supervision...

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AMONG DOCTORS AND NURSES: BARRIERS AS PERCEIVED BY DOCTORS

Background: Hospital medicine is characterized as a multifaceted team-based activity with a necessity for a high level of accuracy, timely, and reliable communication. Effective communication among healthcare providers is the key to successful collaboration within the healthcare system. Effective communication can improve patient safety, job satisfaction, and reduce burn out syndrome among nurses. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors contributing to the competency gap between and doctors in four private hospitals in Malaysia. Method: The study used a descriptive qualitative design to elicit the experience of 15 doctors from three private hospitals. A semi-structured interview was conducted to collect the data. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method for thematic data analysis. Results: The findings of the study suggested three main categories as the factors contributing to the communication gap among nurses and doctors as perceived by specialist doctors. The three categories include nurses training attributes, graduate nurse attributes, and work environment attributes. The nurses training attributes include entry requirements for student’s recruitment into the nursing program, undergraduate training process, and assessment of student nurses. The graduate nurse’s attributes had nine elements. The elements include a post-registration thirst for knowledge, medical English knowledge, self-confidence, stress management skills, critical thinking, and clinical judgment skills, perceived power on the authority of doctors, passion to work, time management skills as well as stress and personal factors of nurses. The working environment attributes included workload of nurses, teamwork among nurses Preceptorship, and appreciation of nurses by the organization. The informants also suggested measures to overcome the competency gaps among nurses. Conclusion: In conclusion, the nurse’s communication competency is a vital factor in determining patient safety and quality of care. The quality of nursing care has a significant impact on the image of any health care organization. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the factors contributing to poor communication among nurses and doctors and to initiate interventions to fill the communication gap.

Psychometric Properties of the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale–Arabic Version in Saudi Nursing Students

To evaluate the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale (SCGS) in a sample of Saudi nursing students. A convenience sample of 202 Saudi nursing students was included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. The 35-item Arabic version of the SCGS (SCGS-A) was tested for internal consistency, stability reliability, content validity, and construct validity. The SCGS-A manifested acceptable internal consistency and stability reliability with computed Cronbach's alpha ranges from .84 to .94, and an intraclass correlation coefficient of .97. The item-level content validity index ranged from .83 to 1, and the scale-level content validity index (average) was .98. The principal component analysis revealed five dominant components with eigenvalues greater than 1, and a cumulative contribution rate of 62.0%. The five factors were moderately to strongly correlated ( r = .29-.56; p < .001) with each other and with the overall SCGS-A score ( r = .57-.77; p < .001). The SCGS-A manifested an acceptable reliability and validity in Saudi nursing students, which supports its sound psychometric properties. With the establishment of this valid and reliable tool, timely and accurate assessment of student nurses' perceptions about spirituality and spiritual care can be facilitated.

High-fidelity simulation: Assessment of student nurses' team achievements of clinical judgment

Nursing educators have the challenge of preparing nursing students to handle complex patient care situations in real life, but much remains unknown about the ability to make clinical judgments. In this study, high-fidelity simulation (HFS) was used at a Swedish university to find answers about pre-licensure nursing students' success in clinical judgment in terms of team ability and relationships with theoretical achievements, and personal and scenario circumstances. The matrix Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) was used to analyze and score the students' ability in teams to notice, interpret and respond to complex care situations. Overall, the results showed the student teams in their first meeting with HFS in a complex care situation achieved low clinical judgment points; most teams were in the stages of Beginning and Developing. For attaining high team achievements the majority of the students in the team should theoretically be “high performance”. Being observers and having HFS experience before nursing education was significant too. However, age, health care experience, and assistant nurse degrees were of secondary importance. Further research at universities regionally, nationally, and internationally is needed.

Validity and reliability assessment of the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale Arabic version in Saudi nursing students.

Strict compliance with standard precautions (SPs) is warranted to ensure the safety of patients in healthcare facilities. Nursing students (NSs), who are regarded as nurses in training, potentially play a role in cross-contamination in the hospital. NSs are also at high risk of acquiring infections in cases of ineffective compliance with SPs. Thus, an assessment of NSs' compliance with SPs should be conducted on a regular basis, which necessitates a valid and reliable tool. This study was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale Arabic version (CSPS-A) in Saudi NSs. A convenient sample of 230 respondents (158 NSs and 72 staff nurses) was included in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. The CSPS English version was translated into the Arabic language following a recommended guideline from cross-cultural adaptation and translation instruments. The Cronbach's alpha, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the test-retest scores, and the item-total correlations (ITC) were computed to establish the reliability. Content validity and construct validity by the known-groups method and hypothesis testing method were performed. The CSPS-A exhibited good internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach's alpha, 0.89; ICC, 0.88; ITCs, 0.325-0.728). A satisfactory content and construct validity was also reported. The CSPS-A is a valid and reliable tool that can measure the compliance to SPs among NSs in Saudi Arabia.

The views of patients, mentors and adult field nursing students on patients' participation in student nurse assessment in practice

In recent years, changes to undergraduate nursing curricula in the United Kingdom have been coupled with increasing expectations that service users be involved in assessment of student nurses. These factors lead to the development of a tool to facilitate gathering of feedback from patients/carers on the competency of adult field student nurses in practice.This study evaluated experiences of those involved in the process of using the feedback tool.Using an exploratory qualitative research design, four patients, four mentors and five pre-registration adult field nursing students were interviewed. Thematic analysis of the data identified three interconnecting themes; value of the patient's voice, caring and protection, and authenticity of feedback. A sub-theme of timing of giving feedback was also identified.Patients felt they should be involved in giving feedback, were comfortable in doing so, and felt best placed to judge students' performance in several aspects of care. Students and mentors shared these opinions. Additionally they felt service user feedback potentially helped improve students' competence and confidence, and facilitated mentors in their assessment of students' professional values, communication and interpersonal skills. However, mentors were more reticent about the possibility of receiving feedback from service users on their own practice.

Supporting newly qualified nurse transition: A case study in a UK hospital

Nurse education in the United Kingdom (UK) has been university based since the mid-1990s but despite careful preparation and assessment of student nurses it has been considered necessary to provide a period of additional support for newly qualified nurses (NQNs) to help them settle into their new role and responsibilities. Preceptorship is the process of supporting NQNs over the transition from student to registered nurse (RN) and it is recognised that this can be a difficult time for NQNs. A systematic review was conducted as part of this project and has been published in an earlier edition of Nurse Education Today (Whitehead et al, 2013). This suggests that preceptorship is a positive and essential experience for NQNs. Lincoln and Guba's Naturalistic Inquiry (1985) was used. A qualitative case study method was developed and consisted of a multi-stage approach including semi-structured interviews with key personnel; documentary analysis of preceptorship material; and focus groups with key actors. Ethical approval was attained for the project. The aim was to interpret the social phenomena and to produce an evidence based tool to improve preceptorship. Findings are grouped under the headings indicated by the research design. In addition a further 11 themes emerged, including: the need for specific time for preceptors and preceptees; formal recognition of the role and a culture of support; selection and preparation of preceptors and the management structure to support preceptorship. The findings indicate that there are a range of factors which are reported to affect the successful transition from student to NQN. Based on these factors recommendations are made for practice and for further research. Practice recommendations: to provide supported preceptorship following the recommendations of the research findings. to concentrate on enhancing preceptorship as preceptorship in any form is better than none.

Nursing students’ attitudes toward patient-centred care in the United Kingdom

Background : Respecting the uniqueness of each individual as part of person-centred approach is central to the provision of high quality nursing care. Valuing people as individuals with different needs and aspirations are attitudes to care-giving that student nurses need to develop. There is however, a scarcity of literature which focuses on assessment of student nurses’ patient-centred attitudes. Aim : To examine patient-centred attitudes among pre-registration nursing students. Design : A validated survey tool developed by Rolfe was used to measure the patient centred attitudes of nursing students in a U.K. University. Methods : The patient-centred attitudes of 149 student nurses were measured using a Patient-Centred Multi-Choice Questionnaire. Standard descriptive analyses were performed. Results : Female student nurses (n=119) undertaking undergraduate pre-registration nurse education, 20- to 29- years-old and in their third year of study dominated the sample group. The mean Patient-Centred Multi-Choice Questionnaire scores for the majority of the sample groups fell within the noticeably therapeutic attitude range. Those that scored highest within the noticeably therapeutic attitude range were males, under 20- years-old, second-year students and students studying children’s health. Conclusion: The relatively high levels of patient-centred attitudes which were evidenced, particularly the results from the male students, is reassuring. The conclusions drawn have implications for nurse recruitment strategies, assessment of prospective student patient-centred attitudes and the teaching, learning and assessment strategies deployed by nurse educators.

Service user involvement in the assessment of student nurses: A note of caution

In the UK, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2010) have called for service user involvement in nurse education including the assessment of student nurses. As researchers and educationalists we have supported service user involvement in nurse education at the University of Nottingham, Division of Nursing for over a decade (Hanson and Mitchell, 2001; Collier and Stickley, 2010; Repper et al 2001; Rush and Barker 2006; Rush 2008; Stickley et al 2009; Stickley et al., 2010; Stickley et al., 2011) and so we are keen to explore to further development in this area. However, what is noticeable in the NMC's requirement for involvement is the lack of acknowledgement that meaningful involvement may be problematic. In this commentary, we focus on one aspect of service user involvement in order to raise some debate about this very important topic. We have chosen to specifically focus upon service user involvement in the assessment of student nurses as this is an area that we have researched at our institution. What has become evident in our research is that this laudable initiative should be carefully contemplated before being implemented; in fact we question whether it should implemented at all without the required evidence-base.

Assessment of student nurses in practice: A comparison of theoretical and practical assessment results in England

This study was undertaken in response to concerns raised by Duffy (2003) that assessors of practice were reluctant to fail student nurses in assessments. This generated doubts about the fitness to practice of some registered nurses. An investigation was undertaken into whether quantitative evidence supported the view that pre-registration nurses rarely failed practical assessments. Comparative failure rates from theoretical and practical assessments were requested from all 52 universities in England that offered pre-registration nursing programmes. Responses were received from 27. Findings indicated that a very small proportion of students failed practical assessments; failure rates for theory outstripped practice by a ratio of 5:1. A quarter of universities failed no students in practice. Students were most likely to fail in year one and least likely in year three. This study supports the belief that assessors of practice are reluctant to fail student nurses. It raises a number of questions about the influence that the systems and practices of professional bodies and universities have on practical assessment. However it also indicates that some student nurses have failed practical assessments and that some universities do have systems in place to address this issue.

Assessing student nurses' clinical skills: The ethical competence of mentors

Aims Various issues related to assessment of student nurses’ clinical skills have been documented in the literature. The assessment of these skills is performed by designated qualifi ed health-care professionals, referred to here as mentors. Research suggests that during clinical placements, some mentors may be signing students’ practice competencies as pass without full evidence of their competence. If the student is not competent in those skills, they could unknowingly harm patients, which amounts to unethical practice on the part of the mentor. Content This article describes the reasons for exploring ethical practice in relation to assessments of clinical skills. It examines what ethical practice and ethical competence are, the importance of detecting student underachievement early, and the support available to mentors for resolving problems with assessment of clinical skills. Discussion and Conclusions It is suggested that education for ethical competence should be more emphatically incorporated in the educational preparation programmes for mentors and similar roles.

Problems in the supervision and assessment of student nurses: Can clinical placement be improved?

The assessment and supervision of student nurses during clinical placement remains a complex activity. The student needs to be assessed thoroughly to identify his or her strengths and weaknesses. Further, this assessment should be conducted in circumstances which allow the student to be at his or her best. There are many which continue to impact upon clinical supervisors although documented over the last five to ten years. This paper addresses how assessment and student supervision are still influenced by extraneous factors. Its major suggestion is for universities to place a greater emphasis on all aspects of the clinical placement component within nursing courses.

Clinical assessment of student nurses

■ The value of the clinical assessment of student nurses is recognised by practitioners■ The role of clinical assessor needs total commitment■ The rigour of the clinical assessment of student nurses is critical to the future of children's nursing■ Appropriate preparation for the role of clinical assessor is an essential pre-requisite to effective assessment in practice■ The responsibilities of the clinical assessor may impinge upon the care of the child and family

Evaluation of tools to assess clinical competence

Assessment of student nurses' clinical skills is an important issue in nurse education. However suitable instruments are difficult to locate, and also to design. In the course of this article the need for scientifically designed and tested assessment instruments is discussed. The thoroughness with which 11 clinical assessment documents were developed was evaluated using specific criteria. It was found that in the majority of cases use of a systematic research process to guide development was not evident. However it must be noted that the assessment documents were only evaluated via their presentation in journal articles. Full details of the entire project had perhaps not been published. The implications of the results, some of the difficulties inherent in instrument design and the limitations of this small review are considered.

Developing a system of student nurse profiling through action research

This article concerns the early stages of a research study which attempted to improve the assessment of student nurses' clinical competence by means of profiling. During the course of the paper the reasons for undertaking assessment will be considered, the existing assessment approach will be briefly reviewed, the use of action research as the method of inquiry will be addressed, and the initial findings from the study described.

AN ASSESSMENT OF NURSING STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE OF AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT AGING

The purpose of the study was assess the subjects’ knowledge of and misconceptions about aging. The population consisted of 48 nursing students. The instruments used were Palmore's Facts On Aging Quizzes (FAQ's), Parts I and II and the Aging Semantic Differential. No significant difference was found between the means.of first and second‐year students on the FAQ, Part I, but a difference (p < .05) was found on the FAQ, Part II. The means on the Aging Semantic Differential differed significantly on only one of the 15 polar adjectives. The data indicated that the population had definite knowledge gaps about gerontologic information and apparently had accepted several common misconceptions about the elderly.

Continual assessment of student nurses.

Much has been written about the continual assessment of clinical practice and the theoretical aspects of the general science and art of nursing. This article aims to clarify the practical aspects of assessment rather than to discuss the numerous theories. Firstly, we need to define that we mean by evaluation or assessment.