Postgraduate Nurses Research Articles

Transferability of Mental Health Simulation Skills to Practice: A Nursing Post-Graduate Follow-Up Study.

The purpose of the current descriptive qualitative follow-up study was to explore perceptions of post-graduate nurses regarding transferability of student-learned mental health simulation knowledge and skills to actual acute care practice settings. The study used a survey design of eight questions on SurveyMonkey® and there were 11 participants. Questions were specific to knowledge and skills learned as students in three mental health simulation labs and whether they transferred to post-graduate acute care practice settings. Thematic analysis identified the following main themes: Learned Effective De-Escalation Techniques, Felt More Prepared With Psychiatric Assessments, and Feeling Empathy for Patients Hearing Voices. Subthemes were Being Therapeutic With Patients and More Confident in Psychiatric Emergencies. Post-graduate nurses described being able to transfer use of student-learned mental health simulation knowledge and skills to acute care practice settings. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(7), 39-45.].

Using Creative Thinking Teaching to Improve Abdominal Drainage Tube Care Integrity Among Two-Year Post Graduate Nurses (PGNs)

The abdominal drainage tube is an important device used in disease treatment and life maintenance. Drainage tube slippage leads to complications that increase both length of stay and costs of care. Four and seven cases of drainage tube slippage were reported, respectively, in 2018 and 2019 in our trauma wards. Among these, 9 cases were under the care of nurses in their post graduate year (PGY) training program. To increase to 94% the abdominal drainage tube care-completeness rate of nurses in the PGY program. Methods used included: establishing a standardized care module for abdominal drainage tube in the trauma wards, using the "drainage tube model" and multimedia teaching material in education to enhance skill proficiency, flexibly adjusting education schedules, using a creative-thinking teaching model in education, employing direct observation to evaluate PGY nurses' abdominal drainage tube skills; and establishing a drainage tube skill proficiency audit mechanism. After the intervention, the rate of care completeness for the abdominal drainage tube rose to 98.1%, participant awareness rose to 100%, and the rate of abdominal drainage tube slippage reduced to 0%. This project achieved good outcomes that may be expanded horizontally to other surgical wards. The use of the creative-thinking teaching model in training activities received good feedback from the nurse participants and will be incorporated into in-service education standards along with the computerized direct observation of procedural skills in the PGY e-learning passport to strengthen the completeness of learning processes.

Co-producing transgender awareness training for healthcare students and professionals.

Nurses and doctors must be culturally competent to care for transgender patients. However, there is little time dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus (LGBTQ+) health in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and medicine education and healthcare professionals often lack the competence and skills to treat transgender patients sensitively. At Queen's University Belfast, a transgender awareness training session was developed to enhance the cultural competence of nursing and medicine students and academic staff. The training was co-produced with students and transgender people and delivered by a transgender person. Training on transgender health should be designed in collaboration with transgender people and should be a core component of undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare curricula.

Improving Cultural Competence and Self-Efficacy Among Postgraduate Nursing Students: Results of an Online Cultural Care Training Program.

Since nurses and nursing students interact with culturally diverse clients in health care settings, training programs are required to improve cultural competence and self-efficacy among them. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an online cultural care training program on cultural competence and self-efficacy among postgraduate nursing students. The present interventional study used random sampling to allocate 80 postgraduate nursing students into the intervention and control groups. Cultural care training program was held for the intervention group. No significant difference in cultural competence and self-efficacy scores was found between the intervention and control groups in the pretest. However, the intervention group scored higher in terms of cultural competence and self-efficacy after the intervention. Given cultural diversity and prevalence of medical tourism, nursing instructors need to pay special attention to cultural care education at all academic levels.

The Effect of Graduates' Opinions and Experiences on Home Care Practices in Undergraduate Education on Postgraduate Nursing Interventions: A Qualitative Study.

AIMThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the opinions of nurses who completed the public health nursing internship program and are currently working in the clinic about the home care interventions they apply during nursing education and to evaluate the effects of these practices on the clinical studies.METHOD:The descriptive qualitative research was conducted in May-June 2016. The sample number determined by the criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, is 14 nurses. In the interviews, an introductory information form and an interview form consisting of open-ended questions were used. The data were collected via e-mail and evaluated by content analysis. The data were reported according to COREQ. Ethics committee approval was obtained.Results:Readiness to the profession was revealed with four themes including personal development, understanding the importance of home care practice, evidence-based and holistic care, and related sub-themes.Conclusion:Opinions of the graduates about the home care interventions they applied during their education and the effects of these practices on the clinical studies were multidimensional and positive.

“Concrete ways we can make a difference”: A multi-centre, multi-professional evaluation of sustainability in quality improvement education

Quality improvement (QI) projects are a mandatory part of postgraduate medical training in the UK and graduating medical students must be competent in QI theory. We evaluated an educational toolkit that links concepts of sustainable healthcare with established quality improvement methodologies (the SusQI approach, available at www.susqi.org). The SusQI approach was implemented across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and medical education contexts. Educational strategies included guided online learning, live interactive webinars, small group activities and scaffolded project work. The evaluation strategy was informed by theories of academic motivation, educational value within communities of practice and behaviour change. A simultaneous nested design was tested using a mixed methods survey with input from learners and teachers. 177 survey responses were analysed to quantify and compare self-rated impacts of teaching across different audiences. Qualitative data were inductively coded into themes that were categorised according to above theoretical frameworks. Participants felt that this was ‘time well spent’ and many described transformative impacts that guided their daily professional practice beyond learning about QI. We suggest that meaningful space is found within both undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare curricula for SusQI, as a way of engaging and motivating learners to contribute to the creation of a sustainable healthcare system.

Status of Palliative Care Course in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Nursing Programs: Practice of Turkey

Status of Palliative Care Course in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Nursing Programs: Practice of Turkey

Postgraduate nursing students' experiences in providing frontline and backstage care during the Covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

BackgroundSafety measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated universities to reorganise teaching to accommodate the students' needs, including nursing students who had been called back into clinical practice to support front-line nursing.PurposeTo describe the experiences of post-graduate students in nursing sciences (experienced in clinical nursing) during the Covid-19 pandemic.MethodThis qualitative descriptive study took place at a Swiss University delivering masters and doctoral programmes in nursing sciences. Participants were post-graduate students enrolled in masters and doctoral programmes. All current students were invited by email to participate in three focus groups, which were recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThirteen students participated, with a majority who had been called back into clinical practice. Four themes were identified: Challenges of caring for patients during the coronavirus pandemic, Challenges of being a student during the pandemic, Resilience amid the difficulties, and Recognition of the Clinical Nurse Specialist competencies.ConclusionsOur results showed that amid the challenges, post-graduate nursing students demonstrated high leadership skills, resilience, and a tremendous sense of professional duty, where patients' and families' best interest remained their main concerns. Educators and nurse administrators need to acknowledge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-graduate nurses, caught in the tension between their academic career aspirations and duty of care to patients, families, and the healthcare system.

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education in the context of postgraduate nursing.

To understand entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education in the context of postgraduate nursing. Qualitative study based on Grounded Theory. The theoretical sample consisted of 15 master's and doctoral students and seven professors from a postgraduate nursing program at a university in southern Brazil. Individual interviews were conducted between August/2018 and February/2019 in a location defined by the participants, in general the University. The data were collected and analyzed simultaneously by initial and focused coding. Three categories and 11 subcategories emerged that, interrelated, represented the phenomenon "Glimpsing entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education in postgraduate nursing". Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education, in the context of postgraduate nursing, were understood as incipient and promising processes. In this sense, it is necessary to intensify studies to demonstrate the entrepreneurial possibilities of the area.

Contextualisation of Early and Enhanced Clinical Exposure Model through Development of Curricula for Advanced Practice Nursing and Midwifery.

An Advanced Practice Nurse is a generalist or specialized nurse who has acquired thorough graduate education a minimum of a master's degree. The need for Advanced Practice Nurses is increasingly recognized globally. This paper describes the process, which was undertaken by School of Nursing Sciences, University of Zambia in reviewing and developing advanced practice nursing and midwifery curricula which will be implemented using the Early and Enhanced Clinical Exposure model (EECE). The curricula development/review process utilized a modified Taba's Model which followed a step-by-step approach including: 1) desk review, 2) diagnosis of needs (needs assessment), 3) stakeholder consultations, 4) content development, 5) validations and approval from which several lessons were learnt and recommendations made. Findings and recommendations from different stages were used as a basis for reviewing and developing advanced practice nursing and midwifery curricula. Desk review needs assessment and stakeholder consultations identified both strengths and weaknesses in the existing curricula. Major strengths were duration and core courses which met the minimum requirement for postgraduate nursing and midwifery training. Major weaknesses/gaps included some content that was too basic for the master's level and the delayed exposure to practicum sites which limited the development of advanced practice skills. Others were inadequate competence for advanced practice, inadequate research methodology course, lack of content to foster development of personal soft skills and predominant use of traditional teaching methods. Stakeholders recommended implementing advanced, clinical and hands-on Masters of Nursing and Midwifery programmes which resulted in the review of four existing and development of five demand-driven curricula. The reviewed and developed curricula were strengthened to close the identified gaps. Both the reviewed and developed curricula have been implemented using the Early and Enhanced Clinical Exposure Model with a view to producing Advanced Practice Nurses and Midwives who are competent to meet diverse health care needs and contribute to improving patient outcomes.

Adoption of e-portfolios for Registered Nurses & Midwives Professional Registration and Revalidation in Ireland

In many countries, such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America, Nursing and Midwifery Professional Bodies undergo a revalidation process demonstrating evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) and clinical practice hours in order to remain an active member on the professional register. In most countries this process involves documenting evidence in paper format. However, in the UK, our closest neighbour, eportfolio submission is now offered as an option for revalidation. Ireland is imminently moving towards introducing documented evidence as a requirement for continued registration as currently, there are no requirements to demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development or clinical practice as part of the annual re-registration process. While there are plans to address this in the near future, there are no details regarding the revalidation requirements or process. Irish undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and midwifery students are beginning to use eportfolios for assessment purposes and are increasingly familiar with the online eportfolio platforms. In this paper, we provide a rationale for the Irish Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBI) to adopt eportfolios for the submission of documentary evidence for both initial registration and revalidation. We will examine the advantages and the barriers to the introduction of eportfolios in this context. The use of eportfolios would provide the NMBI an opportunity to lead the way in registration and revalidation processes internationally, enabling nurses and midwives in Ireland to embrace the opportunities that the digital age presents.

Improving learning in the management of gender violence. Educational impact of a training program with reflective analysis of dramatized video problems in postgraduate nurses

BackgroundMost gender-based violence victims who sought help in Spain did so through health services. Training on gender-based violence with active learning methodologies promotes the management of knowledge, reflection, and adaptation to change. Nurses, along with an educator, can construct knowledge with the same strategies they will use professionally. PurposeTo evaluate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes associated of postgraduate nurses on gender-based violence before and after a reflection-based training program with dramatized problem-videos. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the knowledge in the activation of protocols, skills, and attitudes in the management of women who are victims of gender-based violence, the consolidation of learning, and the applicability to the workplace. MethodsPre-post quasi-experimental study without a control group. A specifically validated and designed instrument was utilized to evaluate the dimensions of knowledge, skills, and attitudes when facing gender-based violence, before and after the training sessions, along with additional questions to assess if the participants possessed better tools to address gender-based violence. ResultsThe difference between the pre and post-tests was statistically significant for the dimensions knowledge, skills, and attitude (p < 0.05), with a smaller effect size in the dimensions skills and attitude. Also, high scores were observed in the consolidation of learning and applicability to the workplace. ConclusionReflection-based training with dramatized problem-videos improved the acquisition of tools necessary for the detection and management of gender-based violence of nurses.

Integrating Appreciative Inquiry into a Postgraduate Nurse Leadership Curriculum: Creating a Student Experience

Identifying what is working well in healthcare requires a different mindset from the traditional problemsolving approach. Integrating Appreciative Inquiry into healthcare can bring out the best in individuals, teams and the organisation as a whole. This paper presents our approach to educating nurse leaders about AI practice, by using AI to create a community of leadership and management practice in a postgraduate nursing course on leadership and management in health care.

Developing Strategies for Overcoming Challenges Faced by Postgraduate Nursing Students

Background: The research and thesis writing are critical components of postgraduate studies. Possible challenges affect the student's completion and attrition rate. In advocating for improved postgraduate experience, many postgraduate students adopted effective strategies in overcoming challenges encountered to be able to obtain their intended postgraduate degree certificate Aim: to investigate challenges faced by postgraduate nursing students, developing strategies for overcoming these challenges and assess face and content validity of the developed strategies. Design: A methodological study design was used at faculty of Nursing, Ain Shams University. Sample: consisted of two categories, namely postgraduate nursing students (236 master and doctorate postgraduate students at their last semester of studies) and Juries.Tools:1) A Self- administered questionnaire for students 2) Opinionnaire sheet for Juries. Results: a majority of the postgraduate nursing students view a number of factors really challenging them during their postgraduate studies, as 88.6 % of students found time pressure for studying and working together followed by 81.4 found library and internet facilities are the highest challenging .Conclusion: the student-related challenges consider the most challenging for students in comparison with the institution and supervisor – related challenges, Among the student-related challenges, the financial ones are the most challenging, whereas the academic ones were the highest among the institution – related challenges Recommendations: The developed strategies should be presented to and discussed with postgraduate students in the study setting for the purpose of improvement and for ensuring their acceptability.

The Relationship between Self-Esteem and Academic Motivation among Postgraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Among different variables affecting students' performance, academic motivation is one of the most vital factors. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and academic motivation in postgraduate nursing students.Method: A total of 220 postgraduate nursing students were selected from 10 nursing schools in a cross-sectional study using multistage randomized sampling with replacement in 2014-2015. The Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire and the Academic Motivation Scale of Vallerand were the data collection tools. A hierarchical regression model was used in seven blocks for evaluating the demographic, educational, familial, social, and spiritual well-being course characteristics.Results: According to the results, postgraduate students in nursing had low self-esteem (13.968) and moderate academic motivation (128.318). The correlation between self-esteem and academic motivation was 0.313 with a t-statistic of 4.874 at a significant positive level (p <0.001). The spiritual well-being course (P <0.0001) (as an educational variable) had a significant impact on academic motivation with an average increase in self-esteem.Conclusion: Self-esteem should be considered as a criterion for screening applicants for master's degrees given the sensitivity of nursing postgraduate students' personal and occupational performance. Since the spiritual well-being course affects self-esteem, introducing cultural patterns and interventions in this field can be associated with increasing students ’self-esteem.

Self-Learning Methodology in Simulated Environments (MAES©) as a Learning Tool in Perioperative Nursing. An Evidence-Based Practice Model for Acquiring Clinical Safety Competencies.

Background: The self-learning Methodology in Simulated Environments (Spanish acronym: MAES©, (Murcia, Spain) is a type of self-directed and collaborative training in health sciences. The objective of the present study was to compare the level of competence of postgraduate surgical nursing students in the clinical safety of surgical patients, after training with the MAES© methodology versus traditional theoretical–practical workshops, at different points in time (post-intervention, after three months, six months post-intervention, and at the end of the clinical training period, specifically nine months post-intervention). Methods: We conducted a prospective study with an experimental group of surgical nursing postgraduate students who participated in MAES© high-fidelity simulation sessions, and a control group of postgraduate nursing students who attended traditional theoretical–practical sessions at two universities in Catalonia (Spain). The levels of competence were compared between the two groups and at different time points of the study. Results: The score was higher and statistically significantly different in the experimental group for all the competencies, with a large effect size at every measurement point previously mentioned. Conclusions: The postgraduate nurses were the most competent in the clinical safety of surgical patients when they trained with the MAES© methodology than when they learned through traditional theoretical–practical workshops. The learning of surgical safety competencies was more stable and superior in the experimental group who trained with MAES©, as compared to the control group.

Comparison Between Peer Learning and Conventional Methods in Biostatistics Course Among Postgraduate Nursing Students’ Final Score, Statistics and Test Anxiety: A Quasi-experimental Study with a Control Group

Background: Biostatistics course is considered essential for nursing education. Thus, conceptual learning in biostatistics is highly critical for postgraduate nursing students. A large proportion of students identify this course as the most anxiety-inducing course. The largest part of students’ anxiety in the semester in which they take biostatistics course is manifested in the form of statistics anxiety in addition to test anxiety. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of the peer learning method in biostatistics course among postgraduate nursing students’ final score and test and statistics anxiety. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted during the first semester of the academic year 2019 - 2020 in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Students were divided into two separate classes according to their courses. In one class, biostatistics course was taught by peers, and the lecture method as the conventional method was used for teaching in the other class. Test and statistics anxiety questionnaires were completed by the students of both groups before the educational intervention and at the end of the semester. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20 using nonparametric tests. Results: The mean final score in the lecture and peer learning groups were respectively 9.9 ± 4.60 and 11.55 ± 4.76 (P = 0.245). At the end of the course, the mean scores of statistics and test anxiety decreased in the intervention group in comparison to the conventional group. Conclusions: Using the peer learning method in biostatistics course has a positive effect on reducing test and statistics anxiety and increasing final scores in postgraduate nursing students.

The Effect of Innovative Teach-back Tool Kit Session on the Postgraduate Nursing Students’ Knowledge About Injectable Artesunate

Background: Injectable artesunate (inj AS) is a new anti-malarial treatment recently introduced in Sudan for the treatment of severe malaria . Inj AS has demonstrated its superiority over injectable quinine in African and Asian patients. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of innovative teach-back tool kit session on the knowledge of inj AS among the postgraduate nursing students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. &#x0D; Methods: This interventional pre–posttest studyincluded30postgraduatenursing students selected though a full-coverage sampling method and meeting the selection criteria. Data were collected using standardized self-administered questionnaire after taking a written approval from the participants. The pretest included an initial assessment followed by implementation of interactive session about new anti-malaria treatment using an innovative teach-back toolkit, and the final assessment was conducted after two weeks (posttest). The collected data were then analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics based on the objective and hypothesis of the study. A two-tailed p-value at 0.05 was considered as the level of significance using SPSS version 20.&#x0D; Results:&#x0D; Majority of the participants were aged between 20 and 30years; of them, 26 (87%) were female and 4(13%) male, and all of them had &gt;1year of experience. The findings of the study showed that half of the participants (15[50%]) had a good knowledge score, 12 (40%) had a poor knowledge, and 3(10%) had a very poor knowledge score in the pretest. However, the knowledge scores increased significantly to 86.7% posttest, which is very good. The overall mean of pretest knowledge scores regarding inj AS was7.4 with a statically significant difference (p=0.000). The mean score was increased to 12 with a statically significant difference posttest (p=0.000).&#x0D; Conclusion:&#x0D; There was a statistically significant improvement in the knowledge scores of the postgraduate nursing students about inj AS after the implementation of interactive teaching session using innovative teach-back tool kit.&#x0D; Keywords:inj artesunate, teach back-toolkit, nursing students, session

Action learning sets for supporting postgraduate mental health nurses' transition to professional practice: A qualitative study.

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of postgraduate mental health nurses participating in a monthly facilitated action learning set (ALS) in order to support them while they transition from PGMHN to independent professional practice. The aim of the study was to determine what the impact of participating in an ALS would have on how they perceived clinical practice issues. The ALS comprised a small group of PGMHN supported by a facilitator in order to explore issues from clinical practice by using Socratic questions to challenge their thinking. Data were collected via a single focus group and a 20-item survey. Focus group textual data were coded line by line, and codes were synthesized thematically. The major theme to emerge from the qualitative results was as follows: 'Learning from doing an action learning set'. Three subthemes were identified: Think outside the box: Developing Socratic questions; there's rarely one right way: Applying action learning to practice; and Not easy to implement: Action plans in action. A 20-item evaluative survey indicated that ALS increased participant's confidence as a mental health nurse. Using critical questions increased participants' confidence to explore different perspectives when engaged in problem-solving.

Developing Strategies to Overcome Challenges Faced by Postgraduate Nursing Students

intended postgraduate degree certificate.&#x0D; Aim: To investigate challenges faced by postgraduate nursing students, develop strategies for overcoming these challenges, and assessing face and content validity for the proposed strategies.&#x0D; Methods: The study was carried out at the Faculty of Nursing at Ain Shams University using a methodological design. The sample consisted of two groups, namely postgraduate nursing students including all master and doctorate postgraduate students in different specialties at the last semester of their studies during the academic year 2017/2018; their total number was 236 students and a Jury group (25 professors and assistant professors from different nursing faculties). Three tools were used to achieve the aim of this study. They were a self-administered questionnaire for students to investigate challenges faced during their studies, an opinionnaire sheet to examine the face and content validity of the developed questionnaire, and an opinionnaire sheet to validate the proposed strategies.&#x0D; Results: The student-related challenges revealed that the psychological-related challenges had the highest mean (2.5±0.4) among the student-related challenges, while the financial-related had the lowest mean (2.2±0.5). The administrative and academic challenges were the most challenging, with a mean (2.2±0.5) for the institutional-related challenges.&#x0D; Conclusion: Based on the identified challenges and their prioritization, overcoming strategies were developed and were found to have high levels of the face, and content validity by experts' opinions and Content Validity Indicator CVI was (0.99). The study recommended that the developed strategies should be presented to and discussed with postgraduate students in the study setting to improve and ensure their acceptability.