Nursing Degree Programme Research Articles

Preparing nursing students for the future: Development and implementation of an Australian Bachelor of Nursing programme with a community health focus.

This paper focuses on changes in the educational preparation of undergraduate nurses in line with contemporary primary and preventative healthcare models. We evaluated a new Australian nursing and community care degree programme using focus groups with 38 students in their first years of study, and quantitative performance data (regarding entry, performance and course attrition). Four main themes were identified related to students' course experience: 'I think community health should be an elective'; 'Focus on relevance to practice'; 'Teaching by non-nursing academics' and 'Access to support during transition to university.' Overall pass rates were 94% (first year) and 97% (second year) with a low 11% attrition rate. We conclude that based on prior experiences and stereotypical views, students may be ambivalent about the inclusion of primary and preventative care models which nevertheless are essential to enhance practice and to prepare the future nursing workforce.

Practicing for practice: accelerated second baccalaureate degree nursing (ABSN) students evaluate simulations.

doi: 10.5480/12-847.1Accelerated, second baccalaureate degree nursing (ABSN) programs require effective and efficient teaching approaches that prepare stu- dents for cutting-edge practice. Using simulation with these adult learners can help accomplish those educational goals. This article sum- marizes a pilot educational evaluation project that assesses students' satisfaction with six simulations in the ABSN program.There is an extensive body of research about simulation in nursing education where undergraduate students' learning is the focus (Abdo & Ravert, 2006; Garrett, MacPhee, & Jackson, 2010; Wotton, Davis, Button, & Kelton, 2010). The simulation laboratory has been used to develop and pilot test a rubric to assess students' clinical judgment (Lasater, 2007). In addition, research reviews have been conducted. Cant and Cooper (2010) reviewed 12 experimental or quasi-experimental studies that examined the effectiveness of simula- tion as a teaching/learning strategy. Weaver (2011) reviewed 24 studies on high-fidelity patient simulation and found benefits (e.g., realism, learner satisfaction) and mixed findings for student confidence and stress.Only five studies were found where simulation was examined with ABSN students. Howard, Ross, Mitchell, and Nelson (2010) com- pared the impact of simulation versus interactive case studies on stu- dent knowledge scores. Piscotty, Grobbel, and Tzeng (2011) conducted a quasi-experimental study examining the effect of a student-led simulation on student performance in the six Quality and Safety Education in Nursing competency areas. Radhakrishnan, Roche, and Cunningham (2007) reported findings of a pilot study investigating the impact of simulation on clinical performance. Cangelosi (2008) described a hermeneutic phenomenological study in which enacted narrative learning was investigated for its utility in helping students integrate classroom content and clinical practice. Finally, Wilt and King (2012) analyzed students' quantitative evaluation of simulation. The project summarized in this article adds to the existing literature by reporting end-of-program student satisfaction with six simulations used throughout their curriculum.Using a primarily traditional classroom format, this 12-month ABSN program was offered in an upper-Midwest comprehensive pub- lic university with 11,000 students. During the project, the simulation lab contained 22 bed spaces, two simulation rooms, one high-fidelity patient simulator, and several midrange simulators. Six simulations rep- resenting three of the four terms in the ABSN program were assessed: a) Care of Patient with an Infected Chest Tube Site, b) Post-Operative Care, c) Plan of Care Assignment, d) Physical Assessment Check-Off, e) Care of Patient with Hepatic Failure, and f) Care of Patient with Cardiac Disease.methodA mixed-method descriptive survey design was used; approval was obtained from the university's institutional review board. An inves- tigator-designed survey, the Student Evaluation of Simulation (SES), was used for this project. For each of the six simulations, students responded to one quantitative item (This simulated experience helped me learn about the nursing care of patients) using a 1-6 mod- ified semantic differential scale ranging from Minimally Helpful (1) to Very Helpful (6), with a No Recall option. They also responded to two qualitative items: What did you like about this simulated experi- ence? and What things would make this experience more beneficial for you?Using convenience sampling, data were collected in the final month of the program, in May 2011, from 17 of 18 students in one cohort. All 17 students responded to every question. However, five respondents had no recall of the Plan of Care Assignment, three had no recall of the Infected Chest Tube simulation, and one respondent had no recall of the Physical Assessment Check-Off. The students completed the SES anonymously and submitted it to a faculty member who was not a member of the project team. …

Exploring Job Satisfaction, Role Issues, and Supervisor Support of Associate Degree Nursing Program Directors

This article reports findings from a National League for Nursing-funded research study that examined factors in the psychosocial work environment of academic program directors. Vacant nursing academic leadership positions continue to rise and remain unfilled for extensive time periods. No recent study has looked at this issue from a national perspective. An exploratory, descriptive, correlational design with a convenience sample of academic administrators was obtained from NLNAC-accredited programs. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II was the primary instrument used in the study. Academic administrators (N = 242; response rate: 41.2 percent) validated concerns of increasing position turnover; 59 percent indicated that they were in their current positions for less than five years. Statistically significant correlations were found between job satisfaction, work/family life, role concerns, social support, and recognition. Proactive interventions are needed to ensure manageable workloads for those in these essential positions.

Would hardiness training be beneficial to current associate degree nursing program directors? Part I

As noted in recently published studies, the position of the associate degree nursing (ADN) program director has become increasingly more stressful and subject to increasing turnover. Previous published studies have suggested that hardiness training was a positive and useful intervention for hospital nurse managers. Funded by the National Organization of Associate Degree Nurses Foundation, this study assessed hardiness levels of current ADN directors to determine whether offering hardiness training could be a useful intervention to assist with stress levels and turnover issues. The Dispositional Resilience Scale-15-Hardiness was used, and background data were also collected. Half of the directors exhibited high hardiness, and half exhibited low hardiness. Secretarial support and use of assistant directors in relation to hardiness is also reported. Intervention strategies are suggested.

Meanings and conceptualizations of nursing: the point of view of students from the nursing degree program at the Universidad Nacional de Lanús, 2008-2010.

This work looks into the meanings of nursing from the point of view of the students in an undergraduate nursing degree program. The research took place at the Universidad Nacional de Lanús using semistructured interviews - eleven individual and seven group interviews - carried out between 2008 and 2010. A content analysis was then undertaken and the most relevant meanings in relation to four themes were selected: reasons for studying nursing, what nursing is, nursing as a profession, and working in nursing. Multiple and diverse ways of defining nursing were uncovered. Utilizing some conceptual developments from the sociology of the professions, the meanings were organized into four conceptualizations that represent ways of understanding nursing: as a vocation, as a profession, with a utilitarian perspective and with a community perspective. The conclusions reached indicate the need to broaden the debate regarding the types of nurses that are being trained.

A repertoire of leadership attributes: an international study of deans of nursing.

To determine which characteristics of academic leadership are perceived to be necessary for nursing deans to be successful. Effective leadership is essential for the continued growth of the discipline. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 30 deans (academics in universities who headed a nursing faculty and degree programmes) was conducted in three countries--Canada, England and Australia. The conversations were analysed for leadership attributes. Sixty personal and positional attributes were nominated by the participants. Of these, the most frequent attribute was 'having vision'. Personal attributes included: passion, patience, courage, facilitating, sharing and being supportive. Positional attributes included: communication, faculty development, role modelling, good management and promoting nursing. Both positional and personal aspects of academic leadership are important to assist in developing a succession plan and education for new deans. It is important that talented people are recognised as potential leaders of the future. These future leaders should be given every chance to grow and develop through exposure to opportunities to develop skills and the attributes necessary for effective deanship. Strategic mentoring could prove to be useful in developing and supporting the growth of future deans of nursing.

Evaluating the level of degree programmes in higher education: the case of nursing

The European Quality Assurance system demands that the degree programme level is represented in terms of quantitative outcomes to be valid and reliable. To meet this need the Educational Level Evaluator (ELE) was devised. This conceptually designed procedure with instrumentation aiming to evaluate the level of a degree validly and reliably still needed empirical evidence. In this study the ELE was carried out in collaboration with five professional bachelor nursing degree programmes. The degree programme level was conceptualised into disciplinary thinking and professional attitude. Disciplinary thinking refers to higher order thinking on complex disciplinary problems. Professional attitude refers to processing attitudinal characteristics of the profession that the study addresses. The level was operationalised into themes, resulting in good face validity: nursing science, care plan, diagnosing, and nurse–person relationships, and specified by learning outcomes representing the bachelor level (0.78). The learning outcomes were processed in a questionnaire for recent graduates (N = 470). Four components ≥ 1 eigenvalue measured the conceptualised themes explaining 72–80% variance and scale reliability from 0.78 in the single samples. With this study the level was evaluated validly and reliably and the conceptual design was demonstrated to be evidence-based.

Self-Reported Leadership Styles of Deans of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Programs in the United States

Over the past decade there has been a lack of attention in the discipline paid to developing strong academic leaders. It is widely acknowledged that the role of the dean has shifted dramatically over the past two decades, with an increasing emphasis on interaction with and accountability to external constituencies at the university, community, and national levels. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the self-reported leadership styles, behaviors, and experiences of deans of schools of nursing in the United States. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was sent to 655 deans who were members of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; 344 returned completed surveys for a return rate of 52.5%. Scores on the transformational scale (n = 321; 20 items) ranged from 2.75 to 4.0, with a mean of 3.79; transactional scores ranged from 1.3 to 4.0, with a mean of 3.3 and mode of 3.5. The passive leadership component was lowest, with a range of 0 to 3.75, mean of 1.1, and mode of 1.0. The highest scores for each dean were then examined and compared across the three components. Seventy-seven percent of the deans' highest scores fell on the transformational, 21% on the transactional, and 2% on the passive-avoidant scale. There were no significant differences in the most commonly reported leadership behaviors by gender, ethnicity, or terminal degree. Deans of nursing, compared with over 3,000 other leaders who have completed the MLQ, ranked in the 80th percentile for self-reported transformative behaviors and outcomes effectiveness. The findings from this sample, who were predominantly female, are congruent with previous research on women leaders. Recommendations for future research leadership development programs are presented.

Educational environment of nursing undergraduates in University of Ruhuna: effect of gender

A considerable increase in male admission into the nursing profession demands a better understanding of gender influences on nursing education and practice. This research explores how male and female nursing students perceive the new educational environment created by the curriculum introduced for B.Sc. Nursing Degree programme in the University of Ruhuna. Prospective study using the already validated Dundee Ready Education Environment (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to all B. Sc. Nursing undergraduates enrolled in academic years 2008/9 (first batch) and 2009/10 (second batch), respectively. The DREEM questionnaire, consists of 50 items each having a scoring range of 0-4 Likert type scale, was completed by 55 nursing students. Mean±SD DREEM scores were 112.0±15.6 and 106.90±1.54 for the male and female nursing undergraduates (p=0.22), respectively, indicating relative satisfaction with the perceived environment. The academic self-perceptions of male undergraduates fall more towards the positive side (mean score of 19.50±2.27) and that of females (mean score of 17.16±3.52; p=0.005) fall towards the negative side. The social self-perception of females of the first batch of nursing students was significantly low (mean score =13.65) when compared with that of females of the second batch of students (mean score =15.40; p=0.02). The male students of the second batch were having overall higher perception (mean score of 118.2) when compared with females of the same batch (mean score of 107.8; p=0.06). This study identifies the issues pertaining to the perception of learning and academic self-perception in the nursing programme. Further, use of DREEM as a monitoring tool would be useful to re-evaluate the environment for appropriate intervention.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jur.v1i1.6155 Journal of the University of Ruhuna 2013 1(1): 11-16

Educating Nurses for the Twenty-First Century Abilities-Based Outcomes and Assessing Student Learning in the Context of Democratic Professionalism

This article describes recent work in implementing a framework of abilities-based learning outcomes and related practices for assessing student learning in a Canadian Baccalaureate nursing degree program. The authors describe steps in implementing an abilities-based paradigm for nursing education, and subsequently developing an assessment framework based on abilities-based learning outcomes. The discussion reviews theoretical and policy-level influences involved in this initiative. The curriculum work is also discussed in terms of current trends in higher education emphasizing the assessment of student learning. The discussion concludes by linking these efforts to recent calls for a paradigm shift in the preparation of professionals, noting how the assessment of student learning can contribute to democratic professional formation in nursing.

Meanings and conceptualizations of nursing: the point of view of students from the nursing degree program at the Universidad Nacional de Lanús, 2008-2010

This work looks into the meanings of nursing from the point of view of the students in an undergraduate nursing degree program. The research took place at the Universidad Nacional de Lanús using semistructured interviews - eleven individual and seven group interviews - carried out between 2008 and 2010. A content analysis was then undertaken and the most relevant meanings in relation to four themes were selected: reasons for studying nursing, what nursing is, nursing as a profession, and working in nursing. Multiple and diverse ways of defining nursing were uncovered. Utilizing some conceptual developments from the sociology of the professions, the meanings were organized into four conceptualizations that represent ways of understanding nursing: as a vocation, as a profession, with a utilitarian perspective and with a community perspective. The conclusions reached indicate the need to broaden the debate regarding the types of nurses that are being trained.

Experiences and Emotions of Faculty Teaching in Accelerated Second Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs

The number of accelerated second baccalaureate degree nursing (ASBSN) programs has mushroomed over recent decades, with more than 225 currently in existence. Scholars have described students and programs, but research examining the faculty experience is limited. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and emotions of faculty teaching students in ASBSN programs. Using a descriptive qualitative survey design, faculty (N = 138) from 25 randomly selected programs in 11 midwestern states were surveyed using an instrument developed for this study and distributed online. Ten themes emerged, including (a) Engaging With Motivated, Mature, and Diverse Students, (b) Students Choosing Nursing for the "Wrong Reasons," (c) Too Much Work, Too Little Time for Students and Faculty, (d) Amazement, (e) Pride, and (f) Frustration. These findings will help novice and seasoned ASBSN faculty interpret their experiences, strengthen precepting and mentoring activities, and support administrators in determining staffing plans and designing ASBSN programs.

Academic success or failure in nursing students: Results of a retrospective observational study

Nursing student academic failure is a phenomenon of growing international interest, not only because of its economic impact but also because it negatively affects the availability of future nurses in different healthcare systems. To recruit the students with the highest probability of academic success, an open challenge for universities is to recruit students who have previously demonstrated superior scholastic aptitudes that appear to be associated with a greater likelihood of academic success. Documenting the relationship between the selection methods used when selecting nursing students and academic failure will contribute to the international debate concerning the optimisation of the selection strategies. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the role in predicting nursing student academic success of (1) the upper-secondary diploma grades and (2) the score obtained by students in the nursing degree program admission test. A retrospective observational study was conducted. Five cohorts of nursing students, matriculated in consecutive academic years from 2004 to 2008, in an Italian bachelor's degree program were observed retrospectively. Overall, 61.2% of the 1006 considered students concluded their degree within the legal duration allowed for the nursing degree. Students who failed were those who had lowest grades associated with their upper-secondary diploma coursework (p=0.000) and were male (p=0.000). The grades associated with the upper-secondary diploma coursework, unlike the admission test score, correlates positively with the final degree grade and the average value of degree program examination scores. No correlation was found between the upper-secondary diploma coursework grades and the scores obtained in the test for the nursing degree program admission test (r=-0.037). These results suggest that upper-secondary diploma coursework grades are a parameter that should receive great consideration, especially in cases where there are planned numbers of incoming nursing degree students.

PRAKTINIO MOKYMO IR MENTORYSTĖS VAIDMUO UGDANT PACIENTŲ SAUGOS GEBĖJIMUS: SLAUGOS STUDIJŲ ATVEJIS

Patient safety represents a global public health problem. WHO Patient Safety estimates that millions of patients worldwide suffer disabling injuries or death every year due to unsafe medical practices and care. Patient safety competencies are important in professional practice, so true to install and integrate the patient safety in curriculum training of health care professionals. Mentoring and practical training is also particularly relevant to patient safety education. Research aim - expose role of practical training in developing patient safety competencies of nursing students’. The study involved general practice nursing degree program students (N = 276) of two Lithuanian colleges. The study was conducted using a questionnaire of Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey and questionnaire prepared by researcher of this study. Nursing students evaluated obtained competencies of patient safety during the theoretical lessons and practice, expressed their views about the activities of the mentor. The results revealed that the nursing students in practical training in comparison with theoretical lessons acquire fewer patient safety competencies of risk management, communication with patients, understanding of environmental factors, culture of safety, working in teams. During practical training students insufficiently acquire competencies of patient safety. Mentoring is important in developing patient safety competencies of nursing students’ during practical training.

Degrees of Success

AbstractBy the end of 2013, all programs leading to the registered nurse qualification in the United Kingdom will be at the bachelor's degree level. There is concern that all‐degree nursing education might threaten the diversity of the future nursing workforce in the United Kingdom.This article reports on a qualitative pilot study exploring the critical issues for access, recruitment, and retention of Black and minority ethnic (BME) students in U.K. nursing degree programs from the students' perspective. The study utilized action research, and this article reports on the first two stages of the action research cycle, problem identification and identification of actions. The data were collected through focus groups and interviews with BME students and then analyzed with iterative thematic analysis.The objective was to inform an action framework for U.K. universities devising access, recruitment, admission, and retention practice for BME students when U.K. nurse training becomes all degree.

Development of a language identification tool

Service improvement is an important aspect of healthcare practice. Practitioners need to identify improvements in processes to free up time and resources for patient care. The obligation to do this falls to all staff, from students to chief executives. The project described in this article was led by a nursing student at the University of Bedfordshire, Luton, as part of the final-year assessment requirement of the pre-registration nursing degree programme. The project involved the development of a language identification tool to address communication barriers in the emergency department.

Academic climate, well-being and academic performance in a university degree course

The psychological climate within organisations affects not only the behaviour and the attitude of group members, but also the performance of the group itself. According to the ecological model, this research examines how learning in different classroom contexts of the same nursing degree programme can affect academic performance, well-being, self-esteem and perceived climate. Four scales were used to assess students' perceptions by collecting primary data while academic performance was measured by obtaining students' academic records. A questionnaire completed by 391 first-year nursing students was administered. Differences were observed in the perceptions of climate and academic performance in different classroom contexts with trends, which did not always overlap; however, strong correlations were observed among self-esteem, well-being and climate, and schoolmate relationships. Universities should not merely train competent professionals but also build learning communities that support the well-being of relationships and the development of well-being contexts. The findings support the need for an educational intervention for improving the quality of life and well-being of the community and individual students. This type of intervention requires a 'compliant' organisational environment that puts studetns, teachers and professionals in the condition to practice their professional skills.

Promoting critical perspectives in mental health nursing education

This paper explores themes relevant to mental health nursing using the example of one educational module of a nursing degree. The authors argue that the educational preparation of mental health nursing students in higher education must address certain contested philosophical, conceptual, social and ethical dimensions of contemporary mental health care practice. These themes are discussed within the context of a third-year mental health nursing module within a Scottish nursing degree programme. By interlinking epistemology and ontology, the notion of student as 'critical practitioner', involving the encouragement of 'critical thinking', is developed. This is shown via engagement with parallel perspectives of the sciences and the humanities in mental health. Narratives of student nurse engagement with selected literary texts demonstrate the extent to which issues of knowledge, self-awareness and personal development are central to a student's professional journey as they progress through an academic course. The paper concludes by suggesting that these 'critical perspectives' have important wider implications for curriculum design in nursing education. Insights from critical theory can equip nurse educators to challenge consumerist tendencies within contemporary higher education by encouraging them to remain knowledgeable, critical and ethically sensitive towards the needs of their students.

Time-to-event analysis of individual variables associated with nursing students’ academic failure: a longitudinal study

Empirical studies and conceptual frameworks presented in the extant literature offer a static imagining of academic failure. Time-to-event analysis, which captures the dynamism of individual factors, as when they determine the failure to properly tailor timely strategies, impose longitudinal studies which are still lacking within the field. The aims of this longitudinal study were to investigate the time which elapses from a nursing student's admission to a Bachelor of Nursing program to their academic failure and to estimate the predictive power of individual variables on academic failure. Enrolled students (n = 170) in two Italian nursing degree programs during academic year 2008-2009, received at the beginning of each years a questionnaire which evaluated individual variables. Academic failure rate was 37.2 %. Time-to-event analysis has shown that academic failure occurred after an average of 664.52 days of course attendance ((95 %)CI = 623.2-705.8). Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated a high likelihood of failure among males (χ(2) 7.790, p 0.005) and among those who had obtained a final average grade in their secondary education ≤73/100 (χ(2)11.676, p 0.001). Cox regression analysis confirmed an increased likelihood of failure over time among males as compared to females (HR 1.931, (95 %)CI = 1.017-3.670), and among students living more than a 30 min commute from their place of study (HR 1.898, (95 %)CI = 1.015-3.547). The effect of these two factors on academic failure has been seen to manifest primarily toward the end of students' second academic year; students at risk might be supported by the appropriate university staff prior to this period.

Death Attitudes and Emotional Intelligence in Nursing Students

The aims of this study were to analyze the relationships between death attitudes and perceived emotional intelligence in a sample of nursing students, and to determine whether there are differences between different academic years with regard to both emotional intelligence and death attitudes. The participants were 243 nursing students. They all responded voluntarily and anonymously to a questionnaire that assessed the following constructs: fear of death, death anxiety, death depression, death obsession, and emotional intelligence (attention, clarity, and mood repair). Students' scores on fear of death of others subscale (p < .05) decreased significantly across the 3 years of the nursing degree program and increased significantly on emotional clarity (p < .05), a dimension of emotional intelligence. The multiple linear regression analyses confirmed the predictive value of attention, clarity, and mood repair regarding levels of fear of death of others. The importance of including emotional skills training and death-education programs as part of professional nursing curricula are discussed.