Baccalaureate Nursing Education Program Research Articles

Measuring Bachelor of Science in Nursing competencies in public/population health.

Nurses have a long history of practice in public health. More recently basic population health knowledge and skills are being required across all nursing practice settings. To prepare nurses for this practice nursing education has long included public or community health nursing (PHN) content and skills as part of prelicensure education at the baccalaureate level and above. However, little work has been done to document student competency in these areas. Competency-based education is a process whereby students are held accountable for the mastery of knowledge and skills deemed critical for an area of study. The AACN Public/Population Health Workgroup addressed the challenge of measuring baccalaureate student nursing competencies in population health by developing an unfolding case study, with embedded questions assessing selected competencies. Lacking established population health competencies in nursing curriculum at the time of this work but wanting to assess students' basic competencies across the care continuum, the Workgroup selected relevant competencies from the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations (formerly called the Quad Council) Competencies for Public Health Nurses. Utilizing these selected competencies, the Workgroup devised the unfolding case study and piloted it with 275 baccalaureate nursing education programs across the country. The findings from the Pilot demonstrated nursing student competency achievement and how this achievement changed as students progressed through the curriculum. The authors report implications and recommendations for competency measurement in population health based on the results of the pilot.

Gamification of Primary Care in a Baccalaureate Nursing Education Program.

A grant-funded undergraduate nursing elective was designed to increase the bachelor of science in nursing-prepared nursing workforce in primary care. We created a board game to engage students to address complex needs of clients in primary care. Using patient scenario game cards, students identify and discuss levels of prevention, social determinants of health, and resiliency principles as they move along the board. Gamification challenges students to think critically and make decisions about primary care patient scenarios in a safe learning environment. Potential uses for gamification to teach students management of complex patient scenarios are identified.

Understanding Academic Success From the Perspective of Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study.

Baccalaureate nursing education programs must focus on social transition as well as academic preparedness to maximize student success. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify nontraditional nursing students' perspectives on strategies that enabled them to succeed. Focus groups were conducted with nontraditional students who graduated on time from a BSN program. Themes that emerged included resources, self-awareness, social support, and early engagement. Using findings from this study, the faculty and administration changed the new student orientation to include time management, test-taking skills, self-awareness assessments, and professional socialization.

Mitigating the Challenges of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Nursing Education: A Phenomenological Research Study

BackgroundObjective evaluation of clinical competencies is a key component of undergraduate nursing education programs. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), widely used in nursing education internationally has limited utilization in undergraduate nursing programs in the United States. The efficacy of OSCE as a valuable method of objective evaluation of students' clinical competencies is not so much the problem for the nursing faculty; overcoming the impediments of its implementation is a much greater challenge. ObjectiveTo explore the strategies for mitigating the challenges of OSCE in baccalaureate nursing education program. Design/Participants/SettingIn this descriptive phenomenological research study, 10 undergraduate nursing faculty participated in semi-structured interviews at a public university in the North-Eastern region of United States. MethodObservations and semi-structured interviews were conducted. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Colaizzi seven steps analysis framework was used to identify major themes in the collected data. The clear, detailed, and sequential procedural processes in both data collection and analysis ensured rigorous and trustworthy results. ResultsFive mitigating OSCE strategies utilized by the faculty included: administrative and technical supports, use of clinical instructors during evaluation, faculty OSCE education, limitation of validation to the required skills essential for professional practice, and collaboration among all course faculty members. ConclusionUtilization of OSCE as an objective evaluation method is feasible in United States undergraduate nursing education programs if creative strategies are determined to mitigate its challenges.

The associations between peer caring behaviors and social support to nurse students' caring perceptions.

Caring is seen as an essential part of nursing and as a desirable competency expected of nursing students. Yet, students have difficulties in understanding the meaning and practice of caring relationships. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between perceived social support and peer caring behaviors to nurse students' caring perceptions. A cross-sectional study was conducted among first and fourth-year nursing students (n = 246) attending a Baccalaureate nursing education program at a major university in Israel. The findings revealed first-year students significantly received more social support from family and friends than fourth-year students. Moreover, first-year students reported an increase in the use of social support through social media platforms during their first semester of studies. Social support from family, peers and social media platforms was associated to caring perception. Fourth-year students scored higher than first-year students in their caring perceptions and peer caring behaviors. Educators should consider the growing potential role of social media technologies as an accessible source of social support and as a learning tool. Moreover, nurse educators should encourage the use and practice of peer caring behaviors among students as professional means of facilitating future caring relationships with patients and their families.

A Need Assessment for Faculty Development in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs in Pakistan

Objective: A needs assessment was undertaken for faculty development needs of nurse educators teaching in baccalaureate nursing education programs across Pakistan.Methodology: The survey instrument was developed by the researcher in consultation with an advisory committee. It contained 25 items that reflected the demographic profile of the participants and another 98 statements on a 5 point Likert type scale to assess faculty development. Data collection was done across twenty schools of nursing.Results: The major findings of the study indicated a critical shortage of academically prepared nursing faculty with advanced degrees and teaching experience to perform their role effectively. Female faculty outnumbered male faculty. Five factors were identified that could both promote or obstruct faculty development and included awareness and convenience, institutional support, prevailing leadership, politics and personal factors. Additionally, four factors were extracted for challenges for undertaking faculty development; technology and curriculum, students and resources, academic leadership and professional role. Lastly, four factors were identified as areas of interests for faculty development; learning and instruction, support for scholars, support for teaching and national curriculum.Conclusion: This is the first national needs assessment that has been undertaken for faculty development for baccalaureate nursing programs in Pakistan. Although, the data may not hold international significance it would add to the existing international data base on needs assessment for faculty development.

Physical Assessment Techniques in Nursing Education: A Replicated Study.

It has been nearly a decade since findings revealed that a sample of U.S. nurses routinely used only 30 physical assessment techniques in clinical practice. In a time of differentiating nice-to-know from need-to-know knowledge and skills, what has changed in nursing education? This cross-sectional, descriptive study examines the physical assessment skills taught and used among nursing students at one baccalaureate nursing education program located in the midwestern United States. Findings highlight the similarities and differences from previous studies and offer insight as to how closely nursing education mirrors the skills needed for clinical practice. Nurse educators must continue to discriminate content taught in prelicensure nursing education programs and should consider the attainment of competency of those essential skills that most lend to optimal patient outcomes. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(5):287-291.].

노인간호에 대한 바람직한 태도형성을 위한 교육방안 고찰

Purpose: This study reviewed the innovative educational strategies that have been implemented successfully in US baccalaureate nursing education programs to facilitate appropriate attitudes about caring for older adults. Methods: The data were collected through a search of PubMed and CINAHL using the key words, gerontological or geriatric, attitudes about aging or older people, baccalaureate or undergraduate nursing education or curriculum. Results: The successful strategies are categorized as follows: 1) a multidisciplinary approach integrating aging issues and gerontological contents into diverse nursing courses, 2) active participation of community-dwelling healthy older individuals as an educational mentor, 3) use of audiovisual materials to investigate the misconceptions and attitudes about aging, and 4) discussion through critical thinking and self-reflection toward aging. Implications: For the interdisciplinary approach within nursing courses, it is essential to derive the key contents for gerontological nursing applicable to integration into diverse nursing courses. In addition, it is necessary to provide administrative support for implementing innovative strategies and constructing consistent partnerships with the community for active participation of the elderly as a mentor. Lastly, recognizing the significance of educational strategies for enhancing desirable attitudes toward gerontological nursing and supporting the development of educational capability of a faculty are key issues.

Leadership Curricula in Nursing Education: A Critical Literature Review and Gap Analysis.

The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report advises nursing education programs to integrate and embed leadership content within all areas of prelicensure nursing curriculum. This critical literature review synthesizes the state of the science of leadership curricula in prelicensure baccalaureate nursing education programs from 2008 to 2013. Gaps are identified and discussed. The Academic Search Premier and Health Source databases were searched, using the keywords baccalaureate nursing education and leadership. The CINAHL database was searched, using the keywords leadership, education, nursing, and baccalaureate. The 13 peer-reviewed articles identified for inclusion comprised descriptive articles (n = 8), mixed-methods studies (n = 2), quantitative studies (n = 2), and a qualitative study (n = 1). The underlying theme identified is the study and use of active learning strategies. Subthemes within this context were the use of reflection, peer learning, interdisciplinary teams, organizational partnerships, and curricular reform.

Synchronous Videoconferencing in Distance Education for Pre-Licensure Nursing

Current nursing education practices typically include methodologies for providing access to students located at a distance from the hosting institution. The majority of methodologies make use of asynchronous formatting in which communication occurs without the benefit of simultaneous, synchronous interaction. The increasing worldwide availability of high-speed internet access in combination with emerging technologies offer the opportunity to provide high-quality education to learners in remote and distant locations. The study examined student learner responses to two survey instruments upon the conclusion of a standard course in a pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing education program. Volunteer participants were solicited from an enrolled class of 21 students; 13 of the enrolled 21 students participated in the study. The selected instruments included the Distance Education Learning Satisfaction (DELES) and Social Presence Survey (SPS). The findings demonstrated equal or superior satisfaction and social presence scores on the selected instruments when contrasted with non-nursing coursework findings established in the literature using the same instruments. Significant generalizations from the pilot study are constrained due to the single-site, single-cohort design with small sample size, yet the findings support the belief that the synchronous methodologies afford a comparable, if not superior educational environment for distance learners. The findings further support the need for additional, expanded research to validate the initial findings and increase confidence in use of the new technologies.

Identifying At-Risk Nursing Students Using a Midcurricular Examination

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the midcurricular HESI examination in identifying at-risk students early in their nursing program. The sample included baccalaureate nursing graduates from two university programs in the southeastern United States (n = 256). A quasi-experimental design was used to determine how well the midcurricular HESI predicted outcomes on the HESI E(2) and the NCLEX-RN passing status while controlling for demographic and institutional covariates. The study used logistic regression and multiple linear regression to analyze the hypotheses. The midcurricular HESI examination was found to be a statistically significant predictor of NCLEX-RN outcome both before (P = .044) and after (P = .041) controlling for demographic factors. The study further found a statistically significant relationship between the midcurricular HESI and the HESI E(2) examinations (P < .001). In the post hoc analyses, students from the Accelerated and Fast Track degree programs scored significantly higher than did students in the Traditional Track on the midcurricular HESI examination. There were no statistically significant differences in HESI E(2) scores or NCLEX-RN outcomes among the degree tracks. As anticipated, there was a statistically significant difference in both midcurricular HESI (P < .043) and HESI E(2) (P < .016) scores between students who passed and those who failed NCLEX-RN. This study indicates that the midcurricular HESI examination is very useful in predicting outcomes in baccalaureate nursing education programs.

Student-faculty trust and student success in pre-licensure baccalaureate nurse education

Nurse educators need an enhanced understanding of factors contributing to nursing student success to decrease attrition and increase retention. Improved understanding of factors related to successful nurse preparation could improve educational processes and facilitate student success, thereby addressing the worldwide nursing shortage as well as increasing the competence and expertise of new graduates. Student-faculty trust and related characteristics have been identified as factors associated with student success (Applebaum, 1995). Research investigating trust in communications and education has been conducted with students in other disciplines but not with nursing students. This research investigated the complex relationships between students' trust in faculty, the students' mood states, and students' educational performance and outcomes. The study utilized a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. Student volunteers were recruited from a baccalaureate nursing education program located in the southwest United States. Participants completed three instruments: the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS). The resulting scores were compared and contrasted along with selected demographic variables. The study identified a significant relationship between total mood disturbance and interpersonal trust. The trends in the POMS subscales of Anger and Confusion are of particular interest, as the two factors strongly influenced shifts in Total Mood Disturbance. As students progressed through the nursing program, experiences of Anger and Confusion increased with each progressive semester and were accompanied by corresponding decreases in trust. The results complement established findings relating mood and cognitive function. Alterations in the student's level of trust potentially could share relationships with cognition and critical thinking, although perhaps not in a direct and linear fashion.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Baccalaureate Nursing Students Regarding Oral Health Assessment

Good oral health is important to overall health. Oral and pharyngeal cancers account for 2% of all cancers, yet no significant improvement in mortality has been demonstrated over the past 30 years. Nurses are in a unique position to integrate and conduct oral health assessments across a wide range of practice settings. Although nursing programs include health assessment and promotion in their curricula, there is poor integration of oral health as a focus. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of baccalaureate nursing students about oral health assessment. A convenience sample of 163 students in two undergraduate courses within a baccalaureate nursing education program was surveyed. Findings indicated that these nursing students felt that oral health was essential to their nursing practice; however, they did not have a full understanding of the key components of an oral health examination or about effective smoking cessation strategies.

Locus of Control in Nursing Students on a Problem-Based Learning Program: A Longitudinal Examination

In this survey carried out over a 4-year period we explored the changes perceived in the locus of control (LOC) of 58 nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing education program with an integrated problem-based learning curriculum. The results suggested that there was a statistically significant difference in LOC between the first and second years. A significant difference was found in the mean scores of the students according to year in personal control, fatalism, and belief in an unfair world. But, when analyzed further, there were no significant differences according to year in personal control and belief in an unfair world. However, a statistically significant difference was found in fatalism between the first- and third-year students. Implications for nursing training programs and curriculum development are discussed.

Locus of control in nursing students on a problem-based learning program: A longitudinal examination

In this survey carried out over a 4-year period we explored the changes perceived in the locus of control (LOC) of 58 nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing education program with an integrated problem-based learning curriculum. The results suggested that there was a statistically significant difference in LOC between the first and second years. A significant difference was found in the mean scores of the students according to year in personal control, fatalism, and belief in an unfair world. But, when analyzed further, there were no significant differences according to year in personal control and belief in an unfair world. However, a statistically significant difference was found in fatalism between the first- and third-year students. Implications for nursing training programs and curriculum development are discussed.

Preparation of Nurses Who Precept Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Descriptive Study

Clinical preceptorship is employed by baccalaureate nursing education programs as a capstone experience and a means of initiating the professional socialization of senior-level students who will shortly be new graduates. This quantitative, descriptive study explored the perceptions about preceptor preparation among nurses who precept baccalaureate nursing students. Mercer's Role Attainment Theory was the theoretical framework for this study, in which 75 participants from two hospitals in the Midwest completed a survey. Two key findings emerged from the data: All preceptors of senior-level nursing students want to know what their responsibilities are with regard to the student and the preceptorship experience, and nurses in critical care areas identified learning how to teach critical thinking to senior-level students as more essential than did nurses in other areas.

The Experience of Being a Full-Time Nursing Faculty Member in a Baccalaureate Nursing Education Program

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experience of being a full-time nursing faculty member in a baccalaureate nursing program. Eight female informants, with an average of 6.1 years of experience in a full-time faculty position, shared their experiences through in-depth personal interviews and a follow-up telephone interview. Field notes and a demographic questionnaire also served as data sources. Data were analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach based on the Urecht School of phenomenology. Five themes were uncovered through data analysis, including (a) making a difference in the student, profession, and the world; (b) being a gatekeeper to the profession; (c) trying ways to balance multiple roles; (d) support is vital: can't do it alone; and (e) workplace relationships: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Findings have implications for the development of research-based faculty recruitment and retention strategies. Implications for the practice of nursing education focus on current nursing faculty, administrators in nursing education, and those responsible for developing higher education policies. Future research is recommended for exploring the rewards of making a difference, the rationale for incivility in the workplace, and the level of faculty mentoring occurring in nursing education.

Envisioning Human Dignity to Enhance Practice while Journeying with Rwandan Women

California Baptist University School of Nursing opened in September 2006 as the first baccalaureate nursing education program in Riverside, California. Under the direction of Dr. Constance Milton, the curriculum was cocreated using Parse's humanbecoming school of thought as a framework. In August 2008, nursing students traveled to Rwanda where they bore witness to the transformation after the 1994 genocide. Dimensions and processes of Parse's practice methodology-illuminating meaning by explicating what is with languaging, synchronizing rhythms while dwelling with ups and downs in the struggle of connecting-separating, and mobilizing transcendence as moving beyond with the not-yet while transforming- emerged in the students' journaling as lived all-at-once amid reverence that honored the dignity and worth of the Rwandan people.

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Level of Nursing Students Enrolled in a Problem-Based Curriculum

Self-directed learning is an important outcome of nursing education. Although problem-based learning is believed to facilitate self-directed learning, previous studies have reported conflicting results. This longitudinal survey explored the perceived changes in self-directed learning for 4 years in a baccalaureate nursing education program with an integrated problem-based learning curriculum. Fifty of 59 students (response rate, 85%) completed the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale at five different time points: at the beginning of each academic year and at program completion. Scores were significantly lower during the first academic year compared with other years, and fourth-year scores were significantly higher than in previous years. Scores on the three subscales (i.e., self-management, desire for learning, and self-control) increased significantly during the 4 years of the program. These findings support self-directed learning as a maturational process. Implications for nursing faculty and curriculum development are discussed.

Predictors of academic success in first semester baccalaureate nursing students

Recently the number of students graduating from nursing programs has been insufficient to replace nurses leaving the workforce. The attrition rate for students entering baccalaureate nursing education programs is approximately 30%, with most (82.3%), leaving in their first semester of study (Morgan, 2001). Schools of nursing need to establish ways to decrease student attrition from programs. This study was an attempt to determine whether self-esteem, self-efficacy, and environmental variables are predictors of student attrition in first-semester baccalaureate nursing students, using a descriptive correlational design to explore the relationship between these variables in a non-probability convenience sample of 66 first semester baccalaureate nursing students. No statistically significant relationship between self-esteem, self-efficacy, or environmental variables and student attrition was revealed.