Effect of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Education Passport Program on Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Practice.

ABSTRACT: To meet the demands of complex health care systems with multiple professions, it is recommended that nursing students have interprofessional educational experiences throughout the curriculum. We assessed longitudinal changes in nursing students' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration in the context of an Interprofessional Education Passport Program. Students were surveyed using the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale at the beginning and end of the two-year curriculum. Students showed significant improvement from baseline to posttest in three of five subscales: Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities; Interprofessional Biases; and Community-Centeredness. A longitudinal interprofessional education curriculum may influence students' attitudes regarding teamwork, roles, responsibilities, and biases.

Concept Evaluation Using the PDSA Cycle for Continuous Quality Improvement.

As concept-based nursing education gains popularity, there is little literature on how to sustain quality after initiation of the curriculum. Critical appraisal of concepts in a university program revealed varying definitions, attributes, and exemplars resulting in student confusion. The Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle for continuous quality improvement was used for concept evaluation. The goals of the evaluation project were: 1) to develop common definition and attributes for concepts and 2) to develop horizontal and vertical leveling of exemplars to build on prior student learning. The continuous quality improvement process can be used to prevent "concept creep" and ensure internal consistency of concept definitions, attributes, and exemplars.

Curricular Mapping: Assessing Exemplars in an Integrated Concept-Based Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: A Midwest school of nursing initiated an integrated concept-based curriculum where essential content is taught using exemplars. The specialty courses were integrated to address content overload and the duplication of content with different populations. PROBLEM: The faculty wanted to determine if the previous curriculum had been sufficiently integrated into the exemplars and if there were curricular gaps. APPROACH: A curriculum mapping project was conducted to assess the integration of the previous curriculum into the exemplars. Specifically, faculty evaluated exemplars for characteristics of: (1) individuals, (2) health care systems, (3) specialties, (3) nurse characteristics, and (4) interprofessional practice. CONCLUSIONS: Exemplars in an integrated concept-based curriculum can provide a broad representation of individuals across the life span and settings. Curricular mapping is an assessment tool that can identify curricular gaps and the need for refinement within the curricula to meet current and future directions within the health care environment.

A Concept Analysis of Conceptual Learning: A Guide for Educators.

BACKGROUND: Concept-based curricula, coupled with conceptual approach to teaching, fosters conceptual learning. There is a need for clarity in the definition of conceptual learning. METHOD: Walker and Avant's method of concept analysis was used. RESULTS: Conceptual learning is a process in which learners organize concept-relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes to form logical cognitive connections resulting in assimilation, storage, retrieval, and transfer of concepts to applicable situations, familiar and unfamiliar. Attributes identified were (a) recognizing patterns in information, (b) forming linkages with concepts, (c) acquiring deeper understanding of concepts, (d) developing personal relevance, and (e) applying concepts to other situations. Antecedents were (a) learner cognitive potential, (b) organized conceptual framework, and (c) conceptual approach to teaching. Consequences were (a) enhanced synthesis and analysis, (b) improved problem solving, (c) ability to translate theory to practice, (d) appreciation of linear/nonlinear ways of thinking, and (e) enhanced concept construction. CONCLUSION: This analysis provides a referent for recognizing the occurrence of conceptual learning and developing instruments to measure its outcomes. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(1):7-15.].