Exploring outcomes from an innovative, pediatric-focused intervention with undergraduate nursing students.

BACKGROUND: To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, a virtual pediatric skills day was developed to provide nursing students with practical experience prior to entering the pediatric clinical setting. Student assessment before and after participation indicate a virtual skills day is helpful in building student confidence prior to pediatric clinicals. METHODS: This mixed-method study involved a cross-sectional approach with a six-item survey administered before and immediately after the virtual pediatric skills day intervention to undergraduate junior nursing students. Outcome measures included comfort and preparation for pediatrics and families of pediatric patients. FINDINGS: After exploring outcomes from 93 students complete pre and post intervention measures, we addressed comfort themes including excited, nervous, and readiness while preparedness themes highlighted concerns with parental interactions, upset children, and COVID-19 restrictions. DISCUSSION: It is beneficial for nursing students to have clinical experiences with children prior to visiting a pediatric clinical setting. Such experiences decrease student stress and anxiety and allow meaningful opportunities to occur.

Teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education: Tutors' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Ethical dilemmas that arise in the clinical setting often require the collaboration of multiple disciplines to be resolved. However, medical and nursing curricula do not prioritize communication among disciplines regarding this issue. A common teaching strategy, problem-based learning, could be used to enhance communication among disciplines. Therefore, a university in southern Taiwan developed an interprofessional ethics education program based on problem-based learning strategies. This study described tutors' experience teaching in this program. AIM: To explore the phenomenon of teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education for medical and nursing students from the perspectives of tutors. DESIGN: Phenomenological qualitative research. METHODS: Medical and nursing students completed a 6-week interprofessional ethics education program moderated by either physician or nurse tutors. At the conclusion of the ethics education program, all 14 tutors were invited to participate in focus group interviews. Among them, six tutors (three nursing tutors and three physician tutors) participated in additional individual interviews. All of the contents from the focus group interviews and individual interviews were recorded and transcribed. Using the phenomenological approach, the phenomenon of teaching and learning in interprofessional ethics education were generated. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. FINDINGS: Three themes emerged from the tutors' teaching perspectives, including the instructor's motivation to teach, the use of narrative case scenarios, and the emphasis on improving interprofessional ethics communication. DISCUSSION: Problem-based learning creates an interprofessional communication platform in interprofessional ethics education. The phenomenon of value convergence between tutors and students, between different students' professions, and between different students' professional maturities is observed. CONCLUSION: Problem-based learning is an effective teaching strategy for creating a communication platform for interprofessional ethics education. Ethic curriculum should emphasize motivating instructor, use narrative case scenarios, and focus on interprofessional communication.

Introduction to Interdisciplinary Roles in a Nursing Leadership Course: If I Understand You, Then I Know How to Work With You.

ABSTRACT: Active learning experiences for undergraduate nursing students build upon their understanding of concepts that transfer to new learning skills throughout the curriculum. Faculty implemented a leadership simulation in the classroom focusing on communication skills as a nurse leader to better understand the role of the nurse in the interdisciplinary team. The classroom setting is an ideal platform to teach interdisciplinary collaboration when opportunities do not present in the clinical setting. Scaffolding simulation experiences throughout the curriculum helps bridge the knowledge and skills gap between classroom and clinical experiences.

A Community Respite Ministry/University Partnership Creates Meaningful Elder-Care Experiences.

As the North American population of older adults increases, so does the need for nursing students to gain skills in geriatric care. Locating appropriate clinical sites for undergraduate students, including community and health promotion opportunities, prompted a public university's school of nursing to partner with a faith-based respite program. The collaboration between a public educational institution and a church-based program benefited the geriatric participants, the program leadership, and the nursing students and faculty.

Alternate strategy for home health clinical experiences.

Healthcare is increasingly shifting from acute care, inpatient settings to home and community settings. At the same time, nursing schools are seeking to increase enrollment to meet the demands for nurses in all settings of healthcare. The limited availability of home health clinical experiences and preceptors creates a challenge for educators seeking to prepare students for providing nursing care in the home environment. Faculty developed an alternate home health experience that provided students the opportunity to complete a home evaluation, patient assessment, and teaching for a community resident with an acute or commonly occurring medical condition. The alternate home health experience enabled students to meet the clinical objectives to demonstrate effective communication, conduct a home assessment, and provide health promotion teaching within the community. Nursing faculty must be prepared to meet the needs of patients while maintaining a safe and meaningful clinical environment for the student; therefore, an alternative to the traditional home health clinical can be utilized to effectively prepare students for future home health experiences.

Opening the Door to an Alternative Teaching Strategy for Home Health Clinical.

BACKGROUND: Health care is increasingly shifting from inpatient to home settings. The limited availability of home health clinical experiences creates challenges for educators seeking to prepare students for providing nursing care in the home environment. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the implementation of a simulation to increase nursing students' experience in home health care. METHOD: A home health simulation was implemented with second-semester students. Effectiveness of the simulation in meeting student learning needs was measured using the Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified and student performance was evaluated using the Quint leveled clinical competency tool. RESULTS: The home health simulation was an effective teaching strategy to introduce second-semester students to the care of a patient in the home environment. CONCLUSION: Nurse educators can use simulation to equip students with clinical judgment skills to meet the needs of an increasing home health care population. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(2):97-100.].