Defying the Pandemic, Applications to Nursing Schools Increase.

But faculty shortages and other challenges continue to limit enrollment.

Postgraduate Programs in Orthopaedic Surgery for Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners.

Postgraduate orthopaedic programs for physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) number 14 as of 2020. To better understand the characteristics of these programs a census was undertaken. The result is that most programs are 1 year in duration and in 2019 produced 40 graduates. The role of the orthopaedic PA and NP fellow is to gain an understanding of a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders, develop procedural skills, first assist in the operating room, and facilitate management of patients and discharge throughput. PA and NP fellows work alongside categorical orthopaedic physician residents. The number of graduates from PA orthopaedic training programs is estimated at 200, spanning 20 years. The other 11,145 + PAs (99%) are trained on-the-job. For hospital systems, the employment of orthopaedic postgraduate PA and NP fellows provides value through cost management and billable services.

Minimizing Unconscious Bias in Nursing School Admission.

BACKGROUND: The potential exists for unconscious bias to influence decisions throughout the admission process to nursing school and derail holistic admission review processes. Although little is known about unconscious bias in nursing school admissions, unconscious bias has been demonstrated in nurse educators at levels similar to the general population. METHOD: This article examines concepts of unconscious bias, factors that may interfere with accurate and fair assessment of applicants to nursing school, and ways to mitigate unconscious bias in the application and admission decision processes. RESULTS: Interventions that have shown success in reducing unconscious bias center on increased awareness of the presence of unconscious bias and cognitive strategies that include motivation and effort to counter the unconscious bias. CONCLUSION: Creating structures in the admission process that promote fairness and reduce the risk of relying on automatic judgments can minimize the influence of unconscious bias on admission decisions. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(6):317-323.].

Strategies and criteria targeting the reform and development for the teaching resource of nursing undergraduate: A multi-center cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Teaching resource of nursing students play an important role in improving clinical performance, while there is a little know and dearth of the access and development criteria or guidance of teaching resources for nursing undergraduates.To develop the admission and development criteria of education resources for nursing undergraduates, and to explore and determine its composition and connotation.A cross-sectional survey has been used.A total of 22 Chinese nursing schools and affiliated teaching bases (hospitals and community health centers).A total of 20 nursing experts were consulted to develop the questionnaire of admission and development criteria of teaching resource for nursing undergraduates in China, and then 285 valid experts from 22 Chinese nursing schools and affiliated teaching bases (hospitals and community health centers) conducted the questionnaire survey to evaluate experts' consensus rate and view on the composition and connotation of the developed criteria.There were 6 domains and 43 items included in the admission and development criteria of teaching resource for nursing undergraduates, which domains included educational budget and allocation of resources, infrastructure, clinical teaching bases, books and information services, educational experts, and educational exchanges. The experts' consensus rate was more than 90.2%.The standard is helpful to guide the future admission and development of teaching resource for nursing undergraduates, and favor the education quality improvement of nursing undergraduates.

Understanding the Experiences of African American Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Although African Americans represent the largest racial minority group, their nursing program success rates are lower. Understanding circumstances that lead to nursing school success may facilitate changes in educational practices that increase graduation among African American students. METHOD: A qualitative, phenomenological research study of 11 African Americans was used to understand their experiences as nursing students. Data were collected through an interview process, and Colaizzi's analysis methods and synthesis of themes were used. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: Resolve to Succeed, Ineffective Education Models, A Need for Support of the College Experience, and Finding African American Mentors. CONCLUSION: Enhanced student connections via racial minority mentors and revised teaching pedagogies, including integration of classroom and clinical learning and use of case studies and simulation, may foster retention in nursing education and promote graduation. Increasing the number of practicing African American nurses may improve the care experience for African Americans. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(3):150-154.].

Forging Unique Paths: The Lived Experience of Hispanic/Latino Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of Hispanic/Latino nursing students, as shared by new graduates of baccalaureate nursing programs in the southeastern United States. METHOD: This research used descriptive phenomenology with in-depth, private, semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis methods consistent with Braun and Clarke. RESULTS: Data analysis resulted in four main themes: Being an Edge Runner, Connections Matter, Looking Within, and We Are Not All the Same. CONCLUSION: Analysis revealed that the lived experience of Hispanic/Latino baccalaureate nursing students is complex and multifaceted. Fostering these students' connections within nursing, understanding their unique paths, and recognizing the individuality that each brings to the learning environment are key factors in promoting their success. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(1):13-19.].

The quest for workload equity in nurse faculty teaching.

BACKGROUND: While nurse faculty may believe that they teach more than faculty in other academic departments, their perceptions are difficult to corroborate when workload policies are not transparent at institutions. PURPOSE: This descriptive study was designed to examine inequities in teaching workloads between nurse faculty and their academic colleagues from the perspectives of Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs. METHODS: A web-based, investigator-developed survey was emailed to Nurse Unit Leaders in spring, 2019. The final sample included 224 respondents. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. FINDINGS: Nurse Unit Leaders perceived that nurse faculty teach larger classes and more courses than their academic peers. Survey respondents attributed these and other variations at their institutions to the complexity of teaching responsibilities in nursing units and the limited understanding of these responsibilities by university administrators. DISCUSSION: Ensuring equitable teaching workloads requires transparent policies and an organizational culture committed to faculty governance.

Prevalence of Coping Strategy Training in Nursing School Curricula.

BACKGROUND: Stress and burnout are plaguing critical care nurses across the globe and leading to high levels of turnover. Resilience-building strategies such as mindfulness, self-care, and well-being can help shield nurses from the negative effects of workplace stress. As the first line of defense, nursing schools could provide students with strategies that build resilience; however, little is known about the availability of such resources in nursing education. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of resources and curricula targeting resilience training and stress reduction at nursing schools across the United States. METHODS: Raters analyzed publicly available college/ university websites and course catalogs of a sample of nursing schools in the United States to determine the availability of resilience resources and curricula. RESULTS: None of the schools surveyed regularly screened their students for burnout syndrome, and only 9% of schools had a formal curriculum that included resilience training. CONCLUSIONS: Training in practices to build resilience and prevent burnout is essentially absent from accredited nursing schools. This highlights an important opportunity to modify existing curricula to include preventative strategies-such as developing positive coping skills- that could mitigate symptoms of workplace stress in future generations of nurses.

Academic and professional characteristics of Australian graduate emergency nursing programs: A national study.

BACKGROUND: Specialist graduate emergency nursing education programs are essential to the delivery of high quality and safe healthcare to patients with complex needs in emergency care. Little is known about tertiary emergency nursing programs in Australia. This study aimed to determine the academic and professional characteristics of Australian emergency programs. METHOD: This embedded mixed-method study examined the academic and professional characteristics of Australian emergency programs in two interdependent phases: (1) document and content analysis of Australian graduate emergency nursing program websites; and (2) semi-structured interviews with the associated convenors. The data underwent framework analysis using eight pre-identified categories of (i) course entry, (ii) fee arrangement, (iii) mode of delivery, (iv) volume of learning, (v) clinical assessment, (vi) employment requirements, (vii) graduate expectations, and (viii) influence of healthcare employers and professional engagement. RESULTS: Prior clinical experience and the requirement for concurrent practising in an emergency care environment influenced were common, however fee arrangements were not clearly articulated. The College of Emergency Nursing Australasia Practice Standards for the Emergency Nursing Specialist featured in part within 12 programs, principally to guide development of clinical assessments. CONCLUSION: Establishment of emergency nursing graduate practice standards could better inform the design and delivery of emergency nurse programs, and yield benefits in terms of graduate expectations and satisfaction and improved patient care.

National Institute of Health (NIH) funding patterns in Schools of Nursing: Who is funding nursing science research and who is conducting research at Schools of Nursing?

BACKGROUND: Developing the next generation of nurse researchers must be a priority to advance the discipline's science. A comprehensive description of the current federally-funded research is useful for understanding the research enterprise in Schools of Nursing. PURPOSE: To describe the past 5 years of National Institute of Health (NIH) funding patterns in US Schools of Nursing. METHOD: Data were extracted from NIH RePORTER for years 2014-2018. The total number of award types (F, K, R, U, P and T) granted to a School of Nursing in the US was summarized and organized by Institute. Grants were then characterized according to whether the Principal Investigator had a nursing degree (yes or no). Finally, the total funding from each NIH Institute/Center that was awarded to a School of Nursing was assessed. FINDINGS: Nearly 50% of the National Institute of Nursing Research's (NINR) extramural budget is awarded through grants to Schools of Nursing in the US. NINR funds 80% of training grants and >70% of Center grants, which support the education and infrastructure for research, respectively, at Schools of Nursing. Among top ranked research-intensive Schools of Nursing, awards to non-nurse Principal Investigators (PIs) averaged 34.5% across all years. The percentage of NIH funds awarded to non-nurse PIs ranged from 0% at 3 Schools to as high as 97% at 1 School of Nursing. Over the past 5 years, the following Institutes have consistently been the largest funders (total dollars) to Schools of Nursing: NINR, National Institute of Aging, National Institute of Minority and Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the current funding streams for Schools of Nursing as well as opportunities for expansion. Preparing a cadre of nurse scientists who can generate new knowledge to advance our health care is critical to the success of our profession and to ensuring the health of the people for whom we provide care.

Emotional intelligence of nursing applicants and factors related to it: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Emotions influence patient care decisions and professional relationships. Emotional intelligence has been proven to predict nursing students' success in clinical practice and academic performance. Scarce amount of studies have assessed the emotional intelligence in the nursing student selection context. OBJECTIVES: To assess the emotional intelligence of applicants to undergraduate (bachelor level) nursing education and the factors related to it. DESIGN: Cross-sectional quantitative study. SETTINGS: The data collection took place in four Universities of Applied Sciences in October 2016. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were nursing applicants (N = 529) who took part in the entrance exams of the four Universities. Overall, 430 applicants (response rate 81%, 75 males) gave permission to access their results for the study's purposes. METHODS: The Rankein Scale measure of emotional intelligence was used. All of the nursing applicants undertook the same electronic entrance exam in supervised computer classrooms. Statistical analysis included the use of two independent samples tests to compare differences in emotional intelligence scores and ANCOVA models to investigate whether background variables explained the observed differences. RESULTS: In this study, nursing applicants' level of emotional intelligence was found to be average (on a scale of below average, average, above average). However, total scores ranged between 102 and 160 (of 160). Approximately 4% of the applicants scored below the minimum score (<130) and therefore failed the emotional intelligence test. A statistically significant difference was found between the pass and fail groups in terms of the total score. Significant differences were also found in the three subscores and in the total score of admitted and not admitted applicants. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing applicants enter their studies with differing EI skills. This finding may have a major impact on how nursing students experience emotions during their studies. More research is needed to establish the use of EI in student selection context.

Analysis of Nursing Education Excellence in Indonesia Using Baldrige Criteria.

This research aimed to analyze nursing education excellence in 54 nursing schools in East Java, Indonesia, using Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (BCFPE) to evaluate competitive advantage on an international level. Data were collected through interviews; questionnaires; and documentation from heads of departments, lecturers, and students. Data obtained using the Baldrige modified questionnaire were analyzed with descriptive statistics and then classified using the BCFPE score. Results showed that these schools of nursing were still in the early growth stages in all areas measured. Their overall achievement scores were below 50%. The schools of nursing could achieve world-class performance and competitive advantage in nursing education, emerging as industry leaders, by improving leadership; customer focus; strategic planning; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resources focus; and learning process.

Educational characteristics and content of postgraduate nurse practitioner residency/fellowship programs.

BACKGROUND: Nurse practitioner (NP) residency/fellowship programs are an emerging industry across the country. PURPOSE: This study aimed to conduct an in-depth exploration about postgraduate NP residency/fellowship programs in the United States and to gain an understanding of program characteristics, educational content, and implementation methods to assist NPs to transition to practice. METHODS: This exploratory study used a quantitative design to conduct an online survey of program directors of NP residency/fellowship programs to collect data about program characteristics to assist graduates to transition to practice. Descriptive statistics were calculated for continuous variables, whereas frequency and percentage were calculated for categorical variables. RESULTS: Nurse practitioner residency/fellowship programs lack consistency in standards for educational content and delivery methods. Only 26% of the programs were accredited, and the programs were not consistently based on nationally recognized competencies. Ninety percent of the programs relied on didactic and clinical supervision delivery methods. More than 90% of the residents/fellows cared for adults older than 65 years of age and managed chronic diseases. Family Nurse Practitioner was the most commonly cited population track offered (73%). Nurse practitioner residency/fellowship programs are sparsely offered in the most rural states with underserved populations. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study provides data and insight into the emerging industry of postgraduate NP residency/training programs for educators and employers. In addition, it informs regulators and decision makers about the quality and consistency of programs and the impact of programs on the care delivered by new graduate NPs.

Role of Coping in Stress, Anxiety, Depression among Nursing Students of Purbanchal University in Kathmandu.

BACKGROUND: Unresolved stress among nursing students may occur due to the failure to use effective coping strategies, which may lead to problems such as anxiety and depression.The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among nursing students and examine its relationship with coping styles. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 680 nursing students enrolled in nine colleges affiliated to a university in Nepal during academic year 2018. Depression anxiety stress scale- 21 was used to assess the levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Coping was measured using brief cope inventory. RESULTS: Majority of students (51%, n = 350) reported moderate to extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.Students mostly used problem-focused coping strategies. A one-way MANOVA revealed statistically significant differences among the levels of problem- focused coping (Wilks' Lambda = .96, F (3, 676) = 8.11. p = <.001 and emotion-focused coping (Wilk's Lambda = .90, F (3,676) = 23.69,p = <.001 with stress, anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The findings can be sourced to create awareness among faculty and administrators of nursing colleges regarding high occurrence of stress, anxiety and depression among students. Future studies can focus on the need to establish the counseling centers in nursing colleges that may aid in teaching students the effective coping strategies.

Individual and institutional characteristics associated with short tenures of deanships in academic nursing.

BACKGROUND: The departures of chief academic administrators of nursing programs within a short tenure are likely to affect the operation of their institutions significantly. PURPOSE: To help nursing schools improve recruitment and retention of chief academic administrators. METHODS: We obtained deans' records from the membership database of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for 11 starting cohorts between 2001 and 2011 and matched the data with dean data collected in the AACN Annual Survey to retrieve additional information on individual and institutional characteristics. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the association between a characteristic and short tenures (less than 5 years). FINDINGS: We found that 41% of deanships have short tenures, and the figure increased from earlier cohorts to later cohorts in general. We did not find that first-time deans were more likely to experience a short tenure. However, we found in bivariate analyses that deans in newly created nursing programs have a higher likelihood of leaving deanships in less than 5 years. We also found in bivariate and multivariate analyses that an individual characteristic, age 60 or older, and three institutional attributes, deans with a title as Chair, Director, or Department Head, deans in nursing schools without a tenure system, and deans in baccalaureate or associate degree granting institutions are more likely to have a short tenure. In brief, our findings show that deans in smaller nursing programs are more likely than deans in larger nursing programs to experience a short tenure DISCUSSION: Our findings that deans in smaller programs and newly created programs are more likely to experience early attrition provide useful information to the nursing education community so more focused efforts can be made to improve the retention of chief academic administrators in nursing programs.

National Assessment of Nursing Schools and Nurse Educators Readiness for Radiation Emergencies and Nuclear Events.

Nurses will play a crucial role in responding to a public health emergency resulting from nuclear war or other large-scale release of radiation into the environment and in supporting the National Health Security Strategy. Schools of nursing are ultimately responsible for developing a competent nursing workforce prepared to assess a population's public health emergency needs and respond to these low-frequency but high-impact events. This responsibility includes the provision of specific content and training regarding how to respond and care for patients and communities in the event of a nuclear or radiation emergency. To date, however, there has been a lack of empirical evidence focusing specifically on nursing schools' capacity to prepare nurses for radiation emergencies and nuclear events, as well as perception of risk. This study employed a cross-sectional survey administered to a nationwide sample of nursing school administrators and faculty to assess content, faculty expertise, planning, and perception of risk related to radiation emergencies and nuclear events.

Is it possible to become a midwife in a refugee camp?

The historical backdrop of Western Sahara has meant that, for the last 43 years, part of its indigenous population has survived in refugee camps located in the Algerian desert. International aid from abroad has become the main source of sustenance for all people living in this hostile environment. Since the beginning of this type of settlement, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been concerned with creating the necessary infrastructures to meet the health needs of the people living in these conditions. As a result, the Ahmed Abdel-Fatah School of Nursing was created in the Sahrawi refugee camps, which began to train midwives to care for women during the stages of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in 2002. The aim of this paper is to provide an approach to the origin and evolution of midwifery education for the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the only school of nursing that exists worldwide in a refugee camp.

A group think tank as a discourse coalition to promote minority nursing faculty retention.

BACKGROUND: The nursing profession will need one million more nurses by 2024, yet nursing schools are turning away applicants due to insufficient numbers of nursing faculty. Likewise, minority nursing faculty are needed in order to attract diverse nursing students who can then address health care disparities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a group think tank (GTT) as a mentoring strategy for supporting the recruitment and retention of minority nursing faculty. METHOD: Guided by Kotter's theory of change, this paper describes the application of the GTT approach with 5 African American (AA) faculty, one AA doctoral student and a cross-cultural mentor. FINDINGS: Results are presented based upon the metrics typically used to support career advancement, promotion and/or tenure. DISCUSSION: The GTT is a promising mentoring model that can be used to integrate cross-cultural and peer mentoring into academic communities to support diversity in academia.