Student Learning Outcomes of Dedicated Education Units (DEU): A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate research conducted on the DEU to identify and synthesize student learning outcomes. A systematic literature review was conducted through Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After extracting data from seven (N = 7) published studies, eight (N = 8) valid and reliable instruments were identified to objectively evaluate student learning outcomes. Statistically significant objective learning outcomes of these studies included self-reported increased confidence and critical thinking, decreased anxiety, enhanced leadership skills and implementation of EBP, and feeling more supported by experienced nurses during training and transition to practice. With the exception of ATI assessments, HESI exam scores, and NCLEX pass rates, the instruments identified in this review measured personal perceptions of students' experiences. The majority of the instruments involved student nurses' self-reports, the lowest level of evaluation. From an academic standpoint, it is imperative to evaluate this model's impact on higher levels of learning and measurable behavioral changes after training. The collaborative model of DEU requires both academic and practice partners to collaborate to objectively measure the impact of the DEU model on student outcomes, new graduate nurses' transition to practice, and patient outcomes. While the results are promising, this systematic review suggests that more objective evidence is needed to determine measurable student learning outcomes of DEUs.

Exploring the Impact of a Dedicated Education Unit on New Graduate Nurses' Transition to Practice.

Adequately preparing new graduate nurses for contemporary practice remains a challenge. This innovative mixed-method study explored the impact of a dedicated education unit on new graduate nurses' transition to practice. Results indicated that new graduate nurses with dedicated education unit experience were better prepared for contemporary practice compared to their peers with traditional clinical experiences. This study highlights the positive impact collaborative clinical teaching models can have on preparing new graduate nurses for practice.

Interpretations of stillbirth.

BACKGROUND: Continuity is a major concept in the father-son domain of the Han Chinese value system in Taiwan. Aspects of continuity may include structure, interactions and other facets of family; however, providing descendants is the keystone of women's reality in these families. In a culture in which death is seen as a taboo subject and the unborn child has not been recognized as a real baby, losing a long-expected child at the end of pregnancy becomes a great challenge to women who have experienced stillbirth. AIM: The aim of this paper is to report a study exploring Taiwanese mothers' interpretations of stillbirth, and their unique sociocultural context. METHOD: An interpretive ethnographic approach was used. Over a two and a half-year period, 20 women who had experienced such losses after at least 20 weeks of pregnancy were interviewed to find out how they interpreted their babies' deaths. Interview data were analysed thematically. FINDINGS: The four major themes identified were: 'loss of control', 'broken dream', 'shattered self' and 'something wrong with me'. Interpretations of stillbirth among Taiwanese women indicate a strong sense of incompleteness and personal failure, triggering reactions in terms of not only maternal identity, but also female cultural roles. Many interviewees blamed themselves for the deaths of their unborn children, a viewpoint resulting in excessive guilt feelings. CONCLUSION: Culturally bound taboos against talking about death, participating in death-related events, and expressing grief in public affect the adaptation and grieving processes of Taiwanese women who have had a stillbirth. Nurses should, therefore, make an effort to listen to the perspectives of such patients in order to assist them with coming to terms with their loss. As part of their education, nurses require information on cultural beliefs so that they can provide appropriate care to grieving mothers.