Defining Nurse Practitioner Core Entrustable Professional Activities: Essential Step Toward Competency-Based Education.

BACKGROUND: Gaps between educational preparation and clinical practice readiness have led to innovative approaches to competence assessment. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) show promise as a competence assessment framework in graduate nursing education. PURPOSE: This study sought to develop and validate a set of EPAs that reflect the core activities performed by all nurse practitioners (NPs). METHODS: Eight EPAs were developed. A Delphi approach was used to validate the EPAs by NP practice experts located across the United States and representing most NP populations. RESULTS: Consensus was reached after 2 Delphi rounds. CONCLUSIONS: The EPAs developed and validated in this study map multiple advanced-level NP competencies to workplace expectations and provide a shared framework for competency-based workplace assessment among NP preceptors from varied health care professions.

Teams of community health workers and nursing students effect health promotion of underserved urban neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE(S): The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of CHW/nursing student teams in promoting secondary protection and improving access to care for residents of three urban underserved neighborhoods. The study also sought to measure CHW and resident satisfaction of such a program. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Quasi-experimental and non-experimental designs were used for the study. Convenience samples consisted of residents who participated in the CHW program during 2005-2006, CHWs and residents who participated in the CHW program during 2005-2007 and a systematic random sample of residents across the three neighborhoods. MEASURES: Three quantitative measures were used in the study: a pre/post test with residents who participated in the program, a satisfaction survey of CHWs and participants, and a community assessment survey of the neighborhoods in which the program occurred. RESULTS: CHW/nursing student teams were shown to increase awareness of community resources, increase access to dental care, decrease use of the ER, promote use of a medical home/regular source of care, and increase the percentage of people having their blood pressure screened in the last 2 years. CONCLUSION: CHW/nursing student teams can positively impact the health of underserved populations.

Activating the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials Through Competency-Based Leadership in Graduate Student Organizations.

BACKGROUND: As nursing programs across the nation shift toward a competency-based education model, academic institutions are working to quantify student learning outcomes based on the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2021) Essentials, domains, competencies, and sub-competencies. METHOD: Leveraging AACN Essentials, faculty and graduate nursing students engage in student organizations with the focus of Population Health, Professionalism, and Personal, Professional and Leadership Development (AACN, 2021). RESULTS: Graduate student members are involved in practicum activities throughout the course of their education. Through collaboration with faculty, the student body, and other community partners, student leaders integrate experiences applicable to professional roles outside of academia (AACN, 2021). As a result, students gain skills in leadership and communication, while also gaining confidence and professional identity formation. CONCLUSION: Other academic institutions may replicate this approach in promoting competency-based education, experiences and development in alignment with the AACN Essentials. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(10):580-583.].

Synthesis of nursing care across the life span using laboratory simulation: a senior-level course.

The use of simulation activities in nursing education helps students develop critical thinking skills and also enhances student learning and confidence in the practicum setting. As students complete their education, they need to integrate all they have learned to design care for patients across the life span. This article describes a senior-level skills laboratory simulation course in a baccalaureate nursing program designed to foster the shift toward independent critical thinking. The primary goal of the course was synthesis and application of students' cumulative knowledge through teamwork, assessing, critical thinking, prioritizing, and decision making in care for diverse patients across the life span. Specifics of course development and design are included along with student responses and lessons learned.

A Multisite Study on Knowledge, Perceived Motivators, and Perceived Inhibitors to Precepting Nursing Students within the Clinical Environment in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Preceptorship constitutes an important component of the educational process of training nursing students. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceived motivators, and perceived inhibitors to precepting nursing students at the clinical placement sites in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 442 nurses and midwives aged 27-56 years with at least three years of work experience. Data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, exploratory factor analysis, and point biserial correlation. RESULTS: The results indicate that the participants had a high knowledge of preceptorship of up to 91.2% (n = 404). A significant proportion of up to 88.2% (n = 390) had an intention to precept nursing students in the near future. The three important perceived motivational factors to precepting nursing students were the learning and professional needs of students, helping students to develop skills, and experience and formal recognition of the role of preceptorship. The main perceived inhibitors to engage in a preceptorship role were lack of preparation for the role, lack of support from faculty and nurse managers, and additional work burden. The results further indicate a significant strong positive correlation between experience and professional recognition of preceptorship and the intention to precept nursing students in the near future (r = 0.99, p=0.037). CONCLUSIONS: The nurses and midwives who participated in the study are knowledgeable about preceptorship and have the intention to precept nursing students. Having enough experience on the job and being formally recognized as a preceptor may motivate these professionals to precept nursing students. However, there are critical perceived barriers that need to be addressed, to enable more nurses and midwives with the desire to precept students to engage in the preceptorship role.

A Feasibility Study of Women's Confidence and Comfort in Use of a Kit to Monitor Ovulation.

INTRODUCTION: The focus of this study was to examine whether low-income adult women will use ovulation test strips, a menstrual calendar chart, thermometer, temperature graph, and cervical mucus assessment to monitor their ovulation time and other menstrual changes. Women's confidence in their ability to detect ovulation time and understand the menstrual cycle changes were also examined. METHODS: This is a descriptive study. Twenty-two low-income women aged 18 to 39 years living in medically underserved neighborhoods participated in this study. The women were introduced to and taught how to use a knowing your body (KB) kit, which consisted of ovulation test strips, monthly calendars for menstrual logs, digital thermometer for basal body temperature, and graphs to chart temperature. The women were interviewed 6 to 8 weeks later to confirm their experiences with the use of the KB kit. RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of the women used the ovulation test strips (mean, 3.8 strips); 77.3% were very to extremely confident that they could properly use the ovulation strip, 54.6% knew when they ovulated, and 31.8% could use the thermometer to confirm when they were ovulating. Seventy-three percent of the women were very to extremely comfortable using the ovulation test strips, 81.8% using the thermometer, 45.5% using the temperature graph, and 31.8% using the TwoDay Method (cervical mucus observation). DISCUSSION: The use of the ovulation test strip and other content of the KB kit provides a new opportunity for low-income women to learn about their bodies by monitoring their ovulation time and other menstrual changes as a pregnancy planning and early pregnancy recognition tool.

Impact of Integrating Community-Based Participatory Research Into a Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is rapidly gaining respect within the health care community as a means to promote public health and address health disparities. It has also recently been named as one of the competencies needed by public health professionals to be effective. METHOD: This article describes an educational innovation where CBPR is integrated into a baccalaureate nursing curriculum as a strategy to create meaningful learning experiences for nursing students while benefitting the health of the community. RESULTS: The impact of this approach was analyzed over a period of 12 years. The positive outcomes for the community, students, and faculty are described, along with the unique challenges. CONCLUSION: Integrating CBPR into a nursing curriculum is an innovation that is worthy of further assessment.

Community participatory research: student nurses collaborate to reduce lead exposure by educating paint retailers.

Collaboration is a hallmark of the nursing profession as advocated in practice standards and nursing experience. The authors describe a unique experience in which senior students participated in community-based participatory research, working collaboratively with another school, a community organization.