Nursing Faculty Perceptions Research Articles

Graduate Nursing Faculty Perceptions of LGBTQ+ Health Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Study.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community experiences profound health disparities due to discrimination and lack of health care provider knowledge. Although data exist about undergraduate nursing and medical school education on LGBTQ+ topics, there is a gap in understanding graduate nursing schools' preparation of nurse practitioners. A survey measuring faculty perceptions of LGBTQ+ health curricula was sent to graduate nursing schools to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Graduate nursing faculty spent a median of 3 hours teaching LGBTQ+ health topics. LGBTQ+ health content in their courses was limited despite their awareness of LGBTQ+ topics, their readiness to include it, and their belief in the importance of including such topics. Respondents indicated a lack of resources and knowledge about where to start and identified a need for support from their institution. The gaps identified in graduate nursing LGBTQ+ health curriculum demonstrate the need for additional institutional support. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(2):65-71.].

Descriptive predictors of nursing faculty’s job satisfaction

Introduction: Nursing shortages are directly impacted by the growing number of faculty vacancies in the United States. Many factors contribute to these vacancies including age, retirement, compensation, lack of funding for positions, marketplace competition, geographical area, lack of qualified applicants, and workload. The retention of qualified nursing faculty is crucial to the future health care system and to higher education institutions with nursing programs. Identifying work factors that consistently influence faculty members' intentions to remain in academia is crucial to ensuring public health with a robust nursing workforce of the future. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the literature related to determining job satisfaction and job descriptive work-engagement levels of individuals who are employed as higher education faculty members in the field of nursing.Description: Retention efforts for nursing faculty, due to shortage, have become necessary to examine how faculty perceive their engagement with teaching. A descriptive, correlational project study design was performed using an invitation to complete an online survey via Qualtrics as a part of a larger study of nursing faculty. This article will examine six predictor variables of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and the Job in General (JIG).Discussion: This study explored the job descriptive index and job satisfaction of faculty in nursing schools as it relates to an assortment of descriptive variables, including demographics, pay, supervisors, rank, peers, and workload reflections. Nursing faculty perceptions of promotion opportunities, salaries, resources, and support play an important role in attracting, hiring, and retaining nursing faculty, as shown by the results of this study. The findings from this study can serve higher education institutions in ascertaining the satisfaction variables that can be altered to attract and retain faculty in nursing.

Nursing faculty perceptions of simulation culture readiness in Saudi universities: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAcademic programs are increasing simulation-based learning in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic; however, there is limited knowledge about these universities’ simulation culture readiness. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore faculty perceptions of the readiness to integrate simulation into nursing programs.MethodsThis cross-sectional correlational study recruited faculty members in four nursing colleges at Saudi universities using the simulation culture organizational readiness survey 36-item questionnaire. A total of 88 faculty members from four Saudi universities were included. Descriptive, Pearson’s correlation, independent sample t-test, and analysis of covariance analysis were utilized in this study.ResultsNearly 39.8% and 38.6% of the participants had Moderately and Very Much overall readiness for the simulation-based education (SBE), respectively. There were significant correlations between the summary impression on simulation culture readiness measures and simulation culture organizational readiness survey subscales (p < 0.001). Three simulation culture organizational readiness survey subscales (defined need and support for change, readiness for culture change, and time, personnel, and resource readiness) and the overall readiness for SBE were correlated with age, years since highest degree, years of experience in academia, and years using simulation in teaching (p < 0.05). The sustainability practices to embed culture subscale and summary impression were only correlated significantly with the number of years using simulation in teaching (p = 0.016 and 0.022, respectively). Females had a significantly higher mean in the sustainability practices to embed culture subscale (p = 0.006) and the overall readiness for simulation-based education (p = 0.05). Furthermore, there were significant differences among the highest degree in the overall readiness for SBE (p = 0.026), summary impression (p = 0.001), the defined need and support subscale (p = 0.05), the sustainability practices to embed culture subscale (p = 0.029), and the time, personnel, and resource readiness subscale (p = 0.015).ConclusionsFavorable simulation culture readiness results suggest great opportunities to advance clinical competencies in academic curricula and optimize educational outcomes. Nurse academic leaders should identify needs and resources to enhance simulation readiness and encourage the integration of simulation in nursing education.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing faculty perceptions of distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the modality of in-person learning, forcing people to migrate to virtuality abruptly with scarce or null previous training, which makes it necessary to analyze the perception held by professors and their satisfaction as regards the development of activities in this format. Objective: identify the perception held by Nursing Degree professors at the University Institute of the Argentinean Federal Police of Buenos Aires Autonomous City, Argentina and their satisfaction as regards virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study was designed. The sample was made up of 23 professors (71,87 % of the target population) who answered an instrument composed of 21 questions with choices of closed answers. Results: the average age was 52,00 years (DE: 10); 87 % were women, 79,9 % have children, 56,5 % are professors teaching third-year subjects of the syllabus, and they have a degree; 65,2 % of them mentioned that the main difficulty they found regarding virtuality was the resistance put up by students to turn on their cameras and 43,5 % perceives the grades obtained in virtuality to be equivalent to those in in-person learning. Those having a postgraduate qualification (p:0,005) and those wishing to continue with virtual activities after the isolation (p:0,041) were found to have higher levels of satisfaction. Conclusions: an average level of satisfaction with virtual learning was found, and professors generally hold positive perceptions. Most of them wished to continue with this modality once the COVID-19 pandemic was over

Student and faculty perceptions of effectiveness of online teaching modalities

BackgroundWhen the COVID-19 pandemic forced colleges and universities to rapidly transition from face-to-face teaching to online teaching/learning environments, different instructional methods were employed to deliver course content and help students remain engaged in learning. With the transition back to the on-campus environment, select online teaching modalities may be effective in the face-to-face environment as well. While online and distance learning have been extensively studied, little research is available to guide faculty in using technologies designed for distance learning in the face-to face environment. PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing student and nursing faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of various online teaching modalities. MethodA mixed-methods study using a convenience sample of students and faculty at two universities was conducted. Students and faculty completed a researcher-developed survey to rate a variety of online teaching methods and technologies from a scale of one (not effective at all) through six (extremely effective). Participants also provided comments within the survey and in focus groups of randomly selected students and faculty. Surveyed items included modes of asynchronous and synchronous instruction, instructional technology, and instructional activities. ResultsThere were significant differences as well as similarities in student and faculty perceptions of effectiveness. Students demonstrated a clear preference for pre-recorded lectures, while faculty perceived synchronous lectures and assigned readings to be equally as effective as pre-recorded lectures. Synchronous activities such as case studies and student presentations were rated as more effective by faculty than by students. Both groups perceived instructional games, especially quiz games, as very or extremely effective. ConclusionsStudents were more engaged with instructional activities that they perceived as effective for learning. The results of this study will assist faculty in developing effective online and in-person instruction which will optimize the teaching/learning experience.

Nursing faculty perceptions of preparation and support for effective online teaching

Background: The steady growth of online education has resulted in the need for more faculty. Faculty have an integral role in creating the structure, processes and environment for effective student learning and, thus, require preparation and support to effectively perform this new role. As nursing programs expand capacity with online course delivery, the author found limited research on faculty perceptions of preparedness for teaching online. The purpose of this study was to explore faculty perspectives of teaching nursing content online in prelicensure baccalaureate nursing programs. In this article, the focus is on one specific aspect of the study, that is, the data that sought a deeper understanding of how prepared nursing faculty perceived they were and supports they needed for effective online teaching.Methods: The exploratory-descriptive, mixed-methods study design was based on document analysis, an online survey completed by 32 faculty (53.3%) and interviews with 16 faculty in a representative sample of 13 Ontario Colleges.Results: Institutional and faculty supports related to all best teaching practices. More faculty received an orientation to technology compared to the pedagogy of teaching online and experienced some challenges with these supports.Conclusions: Much more time was required for online teaching for which faculty should be compensated in workload assignments. Findings suggest that both technological and pedagogical training be integrated to faculty development programs and faculty be engaged in these programs prior to teaching online.

Nursing faculty perceptions of student faculty interactions

Objective: Student-faculty interaction outside the classroom in higher education is a well-studied phenomenon and is linked directly to office hours. Research has shown the significance of these interactions on student success; however, underuse of office hours remains a problem. Historical research has examined perceptions of students while fewer address faculty. There is limited investigation into nursing, where students must be successful on high stakes NCLEX testing after graduation. This study investigated nursing faculty perceptions of student-faculty interaction outside the classroom in relation to office hours.Methods: A qualitative design elicited responses from full time nursing faculty at one university school of nursing in the southeastern United States. Ten participants were interviewed using a semi-structured script. Data analysis revealed nursing faculty perceptions in relation to office hours.Results: The following themes emerged in relation to office hours and nursing faculty perceptions: (a) “At any point my door is always open”, (b) “I like having that flexibility, it does help”, and (c) “I’m basically 24/7. I really am”. Technology was embedded throughout the themes. Some limitations existed, such as reflexivity of the researchers, small sample size, and final sample bias.Conclusions: Findings from the study can guide policies in higher education, specifically the way office hour mandates are implemented. Increasing student-faculty interaction outside the classroom is a worthwhile goal that is important in schools of nursing where success on high stakes NCLEX testing reflects the integrity of the school.

A Qualitative Study of Nursing Student and Faculty Perceptions of Attrition

Institutions of higher learning struggle to supply enough Registered Nursing Professionals to meet demands in today’s healthcare environment. Hundreds of thousands of students are accepted into nursing programs each year, though many fall short of program completion. High attrition and low retention in registered nursing programs is a problem. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate attrition and retention of registered nursing students over a four-year period at a Technical College in Georgia to determine factors impacting successful completion of the Associate of Science in Nursing Program (ASN). It further proposed to identify possible solutions to reduce attrition among nursing students. This study analyzed nursing student and nursing faculty perceptions on the causes of high attrition and low retention and perceived solutions to attrition rates. This study provides insight in the development of steps to decrease attrition in registered nursing programs, and other higher education programs of study.

The Importance of Meaningful Faculty Recognition in Creating a Healthy Academic Work Environment: A Mixed-Methods Study.

The purpose of this study was to understand nursing faculty's perceptions of meaningful recognition and how it contributes to a caring academic climate. A supportive, healthy work environment is critical in recruiting and retaining nursing faculty. Research on caring for faculty through meaningful recognition and the impact on the workplace climate is limited. The study employed a parallel mixed-methods design in which quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated into synthesized conclusions. A total of 193 full-time faculty participated in the survey portion of the study; 15 full- and part-time faculty participated in video-conferenced focus groups. Results of this study demonstrated that meaningful recognition contributes to a caring workplace, motivates faculty work performance, and impacts faculty roles in positive ways. For recognition to be meaningful, it must be genuine, aligned with faculty's perceptions of performance, commensurate with level of effort, and relevant to individuals.

Nursing Faculty Perceptions of a Virtual Reality Catheter Insertion Game: A Multisite International Study

Faculty and nursing professionals participated in a usability study of a second-generation Virtual Reality Sterile Urinary Catheter Insertion Game (VR SUCIG). Background: Faculty are key decision makers in acquiring technologies that lead to learning and retention of psychomotor skills in nursing. Methods: Fourty-six nursing faculty and professionals from 8 US and 1 Australian nursing school participated. Participants played the VR SUCIG and completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) and a User Reaction Survey. Results: The SUS for the second generation of the VR SUCIG was 47, or low-medium usability. User reactions were mixed. Participants stated the game was fun, challenging, and engaging, but were frustrated with technical issues, and did not enjoy learning to function in the virtual environment. Conclusions. Nursing faculty and professionals had mixed reactions to the VR SUCIG. Further game refinement is needed.

Transitioning to Teaching Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic many nursing educators have been required to abruptly convert to an online delivery model. Faculty need resources and support to transition face to face courses into an online format.PurposeThe purpose of this article is to highlight nursing faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of resources, support, and methodologies for online teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used to collect data about nursing faculty resources, support and methodologies used to transition at least one undergraduate or graduate degree nursing course to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsEighty-four faculty who taught in ten university colleges of nursing used varied teaching methodologies in online courses, but included some consistent methods such as websites and web based tools. The student engagement strategies that faculty were most satisfied with were journal writing and projects. Most faculty reported having information technology support and access to instructional design resources.ConclusionNursing faculty were resourceful, adaptive, and willing to use both novel and existing resources and methodologies to meet their teaching objectives and engage students. They were also, overall, satisfied with the administrative support they received from their respective institutions. Many of these resources, methodologies, and supports will continue to be used by faculty as likely more programs and courses will continue to be managed online.

Nursing Faculty Perceptions Regarding Students With Physical Disabilities.

Students with physical disabilities continue to face barriers seeking entry into nursing programs even as the nursing profession advocates vigorously for the rights of these individuals. The purpose of this study was to identify faculty perceptions that create barriers for students with physical disabilities to meet the requirements of a BSN education. Nursing faculty (n = 111) completed an online survey about the ability of a student who uses a wheelchair for mobility to meet required outcomes. Participants believed students could meet the 14 cognitive and affective domain outcomes (88%-100%) for generalist practice. Their agreement that students could meet psychomotor domain outcomes was lower (66%-90%). Younger faculty expressed more positive perceptions. Using the psychomotor requirements of bedside nursing as the technical standard for nursing education is a barrier for students with physical disabilities. Faculty should expand their perceptions of the essentials of nursing education to create an inclusive environment.

Teaching Ethics in Classroom Settings: Nursing Faculty Perceptions in Baccalaureate Programs.

The complexity of the current health care system has resulted in increasing demands on nurses to act as patient advocates and moral agents. Understanding faculty's experiences teaching ethics is instrumental to deliver ethically competent care. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nursing faculty teaching ethics content in the classroom setting to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students. This qualitative, descriptive phenomenological design asked 11 nursing faculty with recent experience teaching ethics within prelicensure baccalaureate nursing programs to complete qualitative interviews. Participants expressed the importance of teaching ethics in undergraduate nursing curricula but experienced significant challenges. Three main themes were identified in the data analysis: Lacking Prior Preparation, Difficult Content, and No Place Holder for Ethics Content. Intentional curriculum design incorporating ethics content is necessary for the preparation of prelicensure nursing students, along with formal and informal opportunities for faculty to explore ethics including philosophical underpinnings. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(9):506-509.].

Fostering ethical integrity in nursing: An ongoing examination of diverse perceptions

In this qualitative replication study (Phase II), nursing faculty perceptions related to student academic integrity were explored at a public university in the Midwest. A comparison with the Phase I study findings conducted at a similar private university determined nursing faculty at both are concerned about the corrosion of ethical values among nursing students. Furthermore, faculty proactively seek to promote academic honesty and ethical professional practice. Provided is a list of strategies from faculty for use in nursing educational settings.

Associate Degree Nursing Faculty Perceptions of a Concurrent Associate–Baccalaureate Nursing Partnership

The purpose of this project was to explore and understand community college faculty experiences and perceptions of working with students enrolled in one public university concurrent enrollment nursing program (CEP). Three focus groups were conducted with faculty members of three partner community colleges. Several benefits for students enrolled in the CEP were noted, including students achieving the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree more rapidly with increased postgraduation employment opportunities. Challenges for students and faculty are also reported.

Clinical stress among undergraduate nursing students: perceptions of clinical nursing faculty

Clinical faculty have a critical role in recognizing the stress students experience in the clinical environment. Despite an increasing body of research on stress and student perceptions of stress, faculty perceptions of student stress have been relatively unexplored. A qualitative descriptive design provided a rich description of clinical nursing faculty perceptions of undergraduate baccalaureate nursing student stress in the clinical environment. Colaizzi's method guided data analysis. Four themes that emerged from the interview data were: feeling overwhelmed when encountering the unknown, which included the sub-themes of facing self-doubt and experiencing insecurity in nursing actions; struggling with personal life factors; enduring uncivil clinical interactions; and contending with nursing faculty interactions. This study assists in filling the gap for nursing education by providing a rich description of student stress as described by faculty. Implications include providing faculty a clearer understanding of the stress phenomenon so they may better educate and evaluate students.

Importance of and Satisfaction With Characteristics of Mentoring Among Nursing Faculty.

Mentoring programs have the potential to influence the nursing faculty shortage by increasing job satisfaction while providing novice faculty with support during the transition from clinical practice to nursing faculty. This study aimed to determine nursing faculty perceptions of the importance of mentor characteristics and a mentoring relationship, and the level of satisfaction with mentoring within the nursing education profession. A cross-sectional design offered an online survey that was completed by 61 nursing faculty teaching in baccalaureate programs or higher in a midwestern state. The results did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship among survey items; however, mentoring characteristics that demonstrated both high importance and high satisfaction were trust and support. Deeper insight into the characteristics of mentoring that are of importance and produce satisfaction is essential to the development of formal mentoring programs to make a positive, lasting effect on the nursing education profession. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(10):595-598.].

Nursing Faculty Perceptions of Service-Learning: An Integrative Review.

Nursing faculty plays a central role in facilitating service learning experiences, yet little is known about their perceptions of service-learning. Whit-temore's and Knafl's method for integrative review was used to analyze sources from CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE Complete, ProQuest LLC, and ScienceDirect. Literature about nursing faculty perceptions of service-learning was scarce. Therefore, a thematic analysis was completed on 17 diverse sources regarding general faculty perceptions. Limited research was discovered related to nursing faculty perceptions, exposing a gap in the literature. Further research may clarify the role of service-learning in nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(10):584-589.].

A Delphi Study to Identify Best-Practices to Affect Change in Nursing Student Incivility At a Southeastern U. S. Community College

This research study focused on the phenomena of student incivility in nursing education and the perception of part-time and full-time Associate Degree in Nursing (AND) nursing faculty regarding the issue. Nursing student incivility has become a threat to learning and instructor job satisfaction (Bittner & O’Connor, 2012). The Incivility in Nursing Education (Revised) Survey was used to identify nursing faculty perceptions of student uncivil behavior within an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) nursing program at a Southeastern United States community college. I utilized the Delphi technique to reach consensus among practice experts to determine best practices to prevent and manage student uncivil behaviors. Results of the study can be used for further academic policy development regarding student incivility.

Exploring nursing student and faculty perceptions of incivility in the online learning environment

Objective : The purpose of the study was to explore student and faculty perspectives regarding what constitutes incivility in the online learning environment (OLE). Online learning is increasingly prevalent in nursing education. Scant research describes characteristics of OLEs contributing to, or inhibiting, learning or affecting civility among learners/faculty. Educators must effectively manage uncivil behavior to reduce incivility in learning and work environments. Attribution theory is helpful in examining issues related to incivility. Methods and Results : Faculty (n = 34) and students (n = 44) reported perceptions of what constitutes incivility via an online survey, the Incivility in the Online Learning Environment (IOLE), an instrument described by Clark and colleagues. The groups reported somewhat different perceptions of the extent of incivility experienced but agreed on identification of uncivil behaviors. Both groups agreed that rude comments and name calling were definitely uncivil, however, several areas of disagreement existed between faculty and student groups as to other types of behaviors. For example, lack of timely feedback on assignments and an unclear syllabus were seen as incivility by students. High internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of .98 on the faculty scale, and .96 on the student scale) was obtained for the IOLE in this sample. Qualitative comments regarding suggested ways to promote civility were similar from both groups, including role modeling and penalizing incivility; students emphasize the need for clearly stated course requirements. Conclusions : Best practices are essential for developing/delivering online courses and in orienting faculty and students regarding expectations for professional behavior online. Faculty development should focus on using best practices to ensure online courses incorporate essential components enabling accessibility and efficiency for students navigating through them. Attention to this unique and increasingly typical learning environment is essential to the goal of prevention of incivility in both learning environments and subsequently in workplaces.