Graduate entry nursing students' development of professional nursing self: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated graduate entry nursing programmes require students to rapidly socialise to the profession. Professional identity is an important element of becoming a nurse. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to synthesise published literature reporting the development of professional identity, belongingness and self-concept as a nurse in students enrolled in a pre-registration graduate entry nursing programme. DESIGN: Scoping review. SETTING: Graduate entry nursing programmes. PARTICIPANTS: Graduate entry nursing students. METHOD: Following a pre-registered protocol, we searched electronic databases for publications investigating graduate entry nursing students' development of professional identity, belongingness and self-concept. Screening, data extraction and analysis were initially in duplicate and independent, and then by consensus. RESULTS: Of the 871 records identified, twenty met the inclusion criteria. Publications were from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. We identified one overarching theme of 'professional nursing self', with four sub-themes: 1) professional socialisation, 2) professional self-concept, 3) developing nursing agency, and 4) identity formation. Socialisation into nursing and belongingness to the profession occurred concurrently as students moved through their programme of learning. Due to the accelerated nature of the programmes, rapid professional socialisation was required, supported by positive relationships in the clinical setting. Strategies that enhanced belongingness and wellbeing enabled students to feel connected to the profession. CONCLUSIONS: The development of professional identity in graduate entry nursing students is impacted by their rapid professional transition through an accelerated programme. Students' growing sense of nursing agency is embodied in their experiences of thinking and acting as a nurse. Their previous professional identity is then reconstituted in their new graduate selves; educational programmes support this transition. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Scoping review finds professional identity development in graduate entry nursing students is rapid in accelerated preregistration degrees #belonging #connection.

Education pathways for graduate entry registered nurses to transition to advanced practice roles: A realist review.

OBJECTIVE: Explore potential education and clinical pathways for nurses entering the profession through a Graduate Entry Nursing programme to transition to advanced practice roles. DESIGN: Realist review. REVIEW METHODS: A two stage process included 1) a systematic search of the following electronic databases EMCARE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, and Scopus for published peer reviewed literature reporting academic pathways for graduates of graduate entry nursing programmes to progress to advanced nursing roles, and 2) consultation with key education programme stakeholders of graduate entry nursing programmes across Australasia, who undertook an inductive interpretive approach using realist logic to determine what works, for whom, and in what circumstances. RESULTS: Twelve published articles that explored advanced practice academic pathways for graduate entry nursing graduates were synthesised in terms of context, mechanisms, and outcomes. Data were then interpreted as to what works, for whom, in what context, and why, to develop new understandings of opportunities for advanced practice pathways for these students. No specific tailored academic pathway for graduate entry nursing graduates to progress to advanced practice was identified. Important relationships were identified between financial imperatives, political drivers, and registration requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Transformative strategies for new education pathways were identified as necessary to inspire innovation in nurturing graduate entry nurse graduates to progress to advanced practice roles. Effective collaboration and consultation within and across agencies and organisations are needed to both develop and implement accessible, expedient, and equitable programmes to enable this capable cohort to contribute to the health workforce.

Learning experiences of first year graduate entry nursing students in New Zealand and Australia: a qualitative case study.

BACKGROUND: Graduate entry nursing programmes provide students with an accelerated pathway to becoming a registered nurse. Motivations for study, together with commonly shared characteristics of students enrolling in such programmes is becoming well documented, however, their experiences of studying for a professional qualification in this manner is less understood. As a means of maintaining the relevance of these fast-tracked programmes in the future, an understanding of graduate entry nursing students' experiences of academic teaching and clinical placements is imperative. OBJECTIVE: To explore the academic and clinical experiences of students enrolled in the first year of graduate entry nursing programmes in New Zealand and Australia. METHODS: A qualitative case study approach was taken. Here we report the experiences of nine students enrolled in their first year of a two-year graduate entry nursing programme during 2020. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Three overarching themes were developed-affirmation, reflections on expectations and clinical experiences. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the experiences of first year graduate entry nursing students, with many experiencing affirmation that their altruistic career visions came to fruition. The findings indicate that these graduate-entry nursing students interviewed for this study tended to be flexible and adaptable in their approach to study as a means of meeting the challenges of the programme, all of which are key characteristics for a registered nurse; with personal growth and the development of the self, providing preparation for their second year of study.

A meta ethnography of the cultural constructs of menopause in indigenous women and the context of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The researchers aim in this synthesis is to interpret the cultural constructions of menopause in Indigenous women and apply these interpretations to the context of Maori women in Aotearoa/New Zealand. There is a lack of research about Indigenous women's interpretations of health, and how culture mediates understandings and experiences of menopause. There is even less research regarding Maori women's understandings and experiences of menopause, as the discourse is dominated by Western ideology. Using meta ethnography methodology, the researchers selected eight studies, that provided the foundations to enable the interpretation of the cultural constructions of menopause in Indigenous women. The findings were then translated into four metaphors- natural, cultural protection, freedom and idiomatic and then were subsequently translated to Maori concepts mana wahine, Matauranga Maori, tikanga and pepeha. We suggest that broader mainstream understandings of the cultural constructions of menopause for Indigenous women are necessary to provide equitable health outcomes for Maori and other Indigenous women. The researchers further developed a model that can be used to represent the foundations of Maori women's conscious understandings and experience of menopause.

Exploring the experiences and perceptions of students in a graduate entry nursing programme: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Students commencing graduate entry fast-tracked nursing programmes leading to registration are highly motivated and characterised by rich life experiences. Given their unique motivations and characteristics, gaining insight into their experiences of graduate entry programmes will inform strategic directions in education. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise graduate entry nursing students' self-reported experiences and perceptions of their accelerated programme. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Emcare, Education Resources Information Centre, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Psychological Information and Scopus. Qualitative studies published in English and reporting primary data analysis including experiences and perceptions of graduate entry nursing students were considered. REVIEW METHODS: Qualitative studies were systematically identified and critically appraised. The meta-synthesis used an open card sort technique to organise data into a matrix of graduate entry nursing students' experiences and perceptions. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included. The analysis revealed three primary themes: what I bring and what I come with, developing a sense of self and nursing self, and what I need. Within these themes we found potential enablers of student success in learning; space, working together, and balancing work and life and learning to bridge two worlds. Students reflected on the benefits of academic support and shared their experiences of learning in clinical placement. In addition, students acknowledged the importance of clinical educators and preceptors who provided bridging that was further scaffolded by simulated learning experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate graduate entry nursing students have important needs and expectations of support in transition. The experiences and perceptions of graduate entry nursing students differentiated into what students arrived with, what support they need in their journey to become a nurse, alongside their experience of building a sense of self and their nursing self. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020220201.

What Motivates People to Start a Graduate Entry Nursing Programme: An Interpretive Multi-Centred Case Study.

INTRODUCTION: While graduate entry nursing programmes are well established in the United Kingdom and the United States of America (USA), they are relatively new to New Zealand and Australia. These programmes have been developed to meet the demands of the health workforce and provide graduates an alternative pathway to becoming a RN. Nursing is viewed as an attractive career option for this growing market of graduate entry students. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the motivations underpinning students choosing a graduate entry MNSc degree over a traditional undergraduate nursing programme. METHODS: A qualitative, longitudinal single case study design, informed by Yin was used. The first phase of the study is reported here. All students commencing a MNSc degree at the beginning of 2020 across four education providers (3 in New Zealand & 1 in Australia) were eligible to take part in the study. Ten students agreed to take part and undertake an interview. Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. RESULTS: Three key themes of motivation were identified from the data: the attraction of nursing; the clarity nursing offers in terms of career progression; and the design of the intensive programme. CONCLUSIONS: The motivations to choose a MNSc degree were deeply considered, multifaceted, and influenced by nursing role models. Students wanting to engage with a graduate entry MNSc programme did so through a reflective process of assessing their current career status and future career values. Participants in this study believed nursing would provide a secure and sustainable career path, potentially creating new horizons or possibilities beyond their previous work and life experiences. Having insight into what motivates individuals to enrol in such programmes may assist both education providers and the health sector with RN graduate recruitment and graduate entry programme enrolment.

What motivates people to commence a graduate entry nursing programme: a mixed method scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The global deficit of nurses demands urgent attention in the recruitment and education of this future workforce. Graduate entry nursing (GEN) programmes are one option for people with undergraduate degrees who are seeking nursing education. Determining the key motivations for enrolling in these programmes will support the development of new initiatives in the education sector to both recruit and retain this future workforce and inform future primary research. This scoping review aims to comprehensively describe what motivates graduates to enrol in GEN programmes. METHODS: Peer reviewed studies of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method research investigating motivations to commence a graduate entry nursing programme were included, following a pre-determined protocol. Electronic databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Emcare, ERIC, Medline and Scopus. Screening, data extraction and analysis was initially in duplicate and independent, then consensus reached. Qualitative and quantitative data was analysed and reported separately then combined thematically as a narrative synthesis in a convergent segregated approach. Reporting followed preferred reporting guidelines for scoping reviews. RESULTS: Of the 491 studies retrieved in July 2020, across the five databases and reference list search, six met the inclusion criteria. Four were qualitative studies, one mixed-methods, and one quantitative, respectively from Australia, USA, and New Zealand. Four themes of motivation were identified: 1) finding meaning and purpose through altruism and caring; 2) seeking a satisfying career, 3) looking for a change in direction and, 4) reduced financial burden due to course length and provision of scholarships. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of studies specifically seeking to investigate student motivations for enrolling in a GEN programme and only limited studies giving insights into motivators for enrolling in a GEN programme, therefore this scoping review contributes new understandings on the reason's students choose GEN programmes. These are both altruistic and practical and include personal desires to help others, the need to pursue a satisfying and meaningful career and the shorter period out of the workforce offered by an accelerated programme of study.

Mobile computing in a New Zealand Bachelor of Nursing Programme.

Mobile computing is rapidly becoming a reality in New Zealand health care settings. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are the most frequently used of these mobile technologies, giving nurses access to clinical learning resources, including drug references, medical encyclopaedias and diagnostic information. The implementation of mobile computing at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) will ensure graduates of our Bachelor of Nursing Programme are able to meet health care service demands for knowledge in contemporary information technologies as well as the information technology requirements defined by the Nursing Council of New Zealand and the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act 2003 for registration as a nurse in New Zealand. This opinion paper presents strategies for the implementation of mobile computing as a core element of the curriculum for the Bachelor of Nursing Programme at Wintec in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Doing phenomenological research collaboratively.

Collaborative research between nurses employed in the academic and practice sectors is a cost-effective and innovative way to investigate aspects of clinical practice, articulate clinical and teaching expertise, and extend professional practice knowledge. In collaborative ventures, researchers from different institutional cultures often work together to investigate a particular area of interest. This poses challenges in relation to the perceptions, understandings, and interpretations of the research question and of the mode of inquiry, particularly when investigating through the qualitative paradigm. The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to clarify some of the challenges experienced while conducting collaborative research and describe the steps taken to ensure consistency between the purpose of the research and the phenomenological research design used to explore the learning that nursing students acquire in their final clinical practicum. Second, it was thought that by illuminating this learning, registered nurses working as preceptors and those supporting new graduates could gain insight into the complexities of learning the skills of safe and competent practice from the student's perspective. This insight is essential in creating a strategy between education and practice to minimize the duplication of learning opportunities and lessen the cost of supporting newly registered nurses, which may be at the expense of investment in the professional development of experienced registered nurses.