Gerontological educational interventions for student nurses: a systematic review of qualitative findings.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review of qualitative studies explored interventions to improve student nurses' knowledge, attitudes or willingness to work with older people. Student nurses are likely to encounter older people in all health and aged care settings, however, research demonstrates that few have career aspirations in gerontological nursing. METHODS: Qualitative systematic review method based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. RESULTS: Search of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost and Scopus yielded 1841 articles which were screened to include primary research about educational interventions to improve student nurses' knowledge, attitudes and/or willingness to work with older people. Data extraction was performed on the 14 included studies, and data were analysed using directed content analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used the assess the quality of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions included theory or practice courses, or a combination of theory and practice. While most interventions changed nursing students' negative attitudes towards older people, few increased their willingness to work with them. Practice courses had the most significant impact on willingness to work with older people. Quality assessment revealed methodical limitations. More research is needed to better understand the elements of practice interventions that enhance student nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to work with older people, so that they can be replicated.

Development and validation of assessment instruments for cervical collar and spinal board placement in simulated environments for nursing students in the care of polytrauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Multiple trauma injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in people under the age of 45 and require prompt and specialised care. However, medical and nursing education programmes do not always include specific training in emergency pre-hospital care, resulting in a lack of basic practical skills in trauma management. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate two instruments for assessing nursing students' competence in cervical collar and spinal board application in simulated pre-hospital emergency scenarios. METHOD: This is an instrumental study that involves the development of two assessment instruments and the evaluation of their psychometric properties in a sample of 392 nursing students. Content validity was assessed using expert judgement, by calculating the content validity ratio (CVR) for each item and the scale level content validity index average (S-CVI/Ave) for the instruments. Exploratory factor analysis using the MINRES extraction method and Promax rotation was performed to analyse the performance of the items and structure of the rubrics. Internal consistency was analysed using the Omega coefficient and inter-rater agreement was assessed using Cohen's Kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Initially, two rubrics were obtained: one with six items for cervical collar placement (S-CVI/Ave = 0.86) and one with nine items for spinal board placement (S-CVI/Ave = 0.81). Both had a single-factor structure, with all items having factor loadings greater than 0.34 for the cervical collar rubric and 0.56 for the spinal board rubric, except for item 2 of the cervical collar rubric (λ = 0.24), which was subsequently removed. The final cervical collar rubric (five items) had an overall internal consistency of 0.84 and the spinal board rubric had an overall internal consistency of 0.90, calculated using the Omega statistic. The weighted Kappa coefficient for each item ranged from acceptable (0.32) to substantial (0.79). These results show that we have successfully developed two sufficiently valid instruments to assess the immobilisation competencies proposed in the objective of the study. CONCLUSION: Whilst further research is needed to fully establish their psychometric properties, these instruments offer a valuable starting point for evaluating nursing students' competence in cervical collar and spinal board application in simulated pre-hospital scenarios.

Promoting Safer Opioid Practices and Professional Collaboration Through Interprofessional Simulation.

ABSTRACT: Simulation-enhanced interprofessional education is widely viewed as an effective teaching pedagogy to foster effective communication and teamwork for healthcare students. Pharmacists and registered nurses must learn to work collaboratively during their educational programs in order to be prepared for the complexities of modern healthcare. This study evaluated prelicensure pharmacy and prelicensure nursing students' perceptions of professional collaboration before and after caring for a standardized patient exhibiting opioid dependence secondary to inappropriate use of an opioid analgesic. Statistically significant gains in communication, collaboration, roles and responsibilities, patient-centered care, conflict management, and team functioning were measured for both pharmacy and nursing students after the interprofessional simulation. This study adds to the existing evidence that suggests simulation-enhanced interprofessional education is an effective teaching strategy; however, this study demonstrates its usefulness for students learning about safer opioid analgesic practices.

The Effect of Addiction Course on Nursing Students' Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Individuals With Substance Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: The approach of nursing department students who will practice the nursing profession in the future, which they adopt for individuals with addiction, bears importance. This study was conducted to evaluate the changes in stigmatizing attitudes of nursing students who took the addiction course toward individuals with substance use disorder. METHOD: The study was conducted in a single group in a pretest-posttest order. Necessary approvals (institution and ethics committee) were obtained to carry out the study. The study sample was made up of 76 students who took an addiction course in the 2020-2021 academic year and who agreed to participate in the research. A questionnaire form and the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Stigmatizing Attitudes Scale were used as data collection tools. Cronbach's alpha value of the scale was found as 0.90. In addition to descriptive statistics, the paired sample t test was used in the analysis of the data from the dependent groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the participating students was 21.2 ± 0.73 years, and 93.4% were female. In the pretest, 10 (13.2%) students reported that they smoked, and seven students (9.2%) reported that they used alcohol. There were no individuals who used any substance other than cigarette or alcohol in the sample. The mean score of the students on the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Stigmatizing Attitudes Scale was 13.89 ± 5.16 in the pretest and 7.34 ± 5.51 in the posttest. This difference was found as statistically significant (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: It was established in this study that the addiction course reduced the stigmatizing attitudes of nursing students toward individuals with substance use disorder.

Career adaptability and correlating factors among secondary vocational nursing students in China.

Background: Career adaptability significantly affects college students' career happiness in the future, and it is essential to make a detailed evaluation of its correlation for making a targeted intervention plan. However, the applicability of occupational adaptability to secondary vocational nursing students is still an unexplored field in academic research. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current situation of career adaptability and its influencing factors on secondary vocational nursing students in medical schools. Methods: A total of 1,414 secondary vocational nursing students from three secondary colleges and universities in Southwest China from July 2022 to September 2022 were selected for the survey. A questionnaire was used to assess secondary vocational nursing students' sociodemographic, Career Adaptability, Psychological Control Sources, and the Meaning in Life. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation analysis, t-test, analysis of variance and multiple. Results: Secondary vocational nursing students scored (51.03 ± 9.64) for the meaning in life, (81.46 ± 25.39) for psychological control sources, and (94.12 ± 15.55) for career adaptability. Career resilience was significantly and positively correlated with the opportunity and internal control factors of psychological control sources (r = 0.091, -0.488, p < 0.01); and career adaptability was significantly and positively correlated with the sense of seeking meaning and possessing meaning factors of sense of meaning in life (r = 0.725, 0.734, p < 0.01); Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that academic performance, mother's educational level, search for meaning, sense of meaningfulness, opportunities, and internal control entered the regression equation (p < 0.05), explaining 64% of the total variance. Conclusion: The overall career adaptability of secondary vocational nursing students is at a moderately high level, with significant individual differences closely correlated with locus of control, meaning in life, and career adaptability. Nursing educators can provide targeted intervention measures based on influencing factors to promote the development of secondary vocational nursing students' career adaptability, enabling them to better adapt to future clinical work.

Clinical learning of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Limpopo province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND:  The Nursing Education Programme was affected during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting in nursing students being unable to participate in the clinical experiential learning required by the South African Nursing Council. OBJECTIVES:  The study seeks to explore and describe nursing students' experiences of clinical experiential learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD:  A qualitative, explorative and descriptive, research design was used in the study. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used, and 55 nursing students participated in the study. Data were collected through six focus group discussions, consisting of 8-12 nursing students in each group. Data were analysed following Tesch's open coding method. RESULTS:  Three themes emerged from the study's findings: The impact of COVID-19 on the clinical experiential learning of nursing students, the effects of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of nursing students, and nursing students' experiences of support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, 11 sub-themes emerged. CONCLUSION:  The findings of this study reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the Nursing Education Programme, highlighting the challenges of inadequate clinical hours, restricted clinical access and the significant psychological impact on students.Contribution: This study adds to the literature on students' experiences during clinical experiential learning in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Progress Test in nursing: perspectives for undergraduate education.

OBJECTIVE: to reflect on the perspectives of adopting the Progress Test in undergraduate nursing education. METHODS: this is a reflective study, based on authors' critical thinking and supported by national and international literature on the Progress Test application in undergraduate health courses. RESULTS: the Progress Test is as a valuable teaching-learning strategy, with potential applications and benefits for students, professors, and academic management. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: systematic nursing education assessment indicates valuable information for different stakeholders. Understanding its potential benefits, the Progress Test is presented as a strategy that can be replicated in undergraduate nursing education, either individually, by institutions, or collaboratively, by the establishment of partnerships or consortiums of institutions.

Nursing students' mindfulness and emotional regulation: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: to identify the scientific evidence available in national and international literature on the relationships between nursing students' mindfulness and emotional regulation. METHODS: an integrative literature review, in four databases, with a time frame from January 2002 to December 2022. Articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese available in full were included. RESULTS: the sample consisted of six original articles, predominantly with a quantitative approach, with cross-sectional designs standing out. CONCLUSION: the synthesis of scientific production revealed that there is a lack of research at national and international level on the subject with experimental and qualitative designs that enable conclusions about cause and effect and/or take into account subjective experiences of the applicability of mindfulness-based practice in nursing students' emotional regulation.

Approximately half of the nursing students confirmed their willingness to participate in caring for older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Global population aging poses a significant global challenge, necessitating an increased demand for proficient caregivers specialized in elderly care. In our study, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to synthesize the evidence concerning nursing students' willingness to participate in caring for older people. METHODS: Eligibility criteria focused on cross-sectional studies involving nursing students' willingness to participate in caring for older people and were reported in English or Chinese. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WANFANG databases were searched from inception until July 24, 2022. The methodological quality assessment in the included studies was evaluated using the AHRQ instrument. The pooled effects of the nursing students' willingness to participate in caring for older people were computed using a random-effects model. Funnel plots and Egger's test were employed to evaluate publication bias. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to verify the robustness of the meta-analysis findings. All statistical tests were conducted with Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 68 studies of medium or high quality met the eligibility criteria, involving 30,328 nursing students. The rate of nursing students' willingness to participate in caring for older people was 49.0% (95% CI = 46-53%, I2 = 98.1%, P = 0.000). The results of meta-regression analysis showed that the following four predictor variables were significantly associated with nursing students' willingness to participate in caring for older people: experience of living with and caring for older people, nursing as their first choice and their year-level in education, respectively. Subgroup analyses for these four predictor variables revealed the following pooled estimates of nursing students' willingness: having experience of living with older people (0.54, 95% CI = 0.46-0.62) vs. no such experience (0.38, 95% CI = 0.30-0.46), having experience of caring for older people (0.55, 95% CI = 0.48-0.63) vs. no such experience (0.38, 95% CI = 0.30-0.46), nursing as their first choice (0.54, 95% CI = 0.51-0.58) vs. not their first choice (0.44, 95% CI = 0.35-0.53), being in the first year of nursing education (0.44, 95% CI = 0.34-0.55), second year (0.45, 95% CI = 0.34-0.56), and third and fourth year (0.62, 95% CI = 0.53-0.71). CONCLUSION: The study found that approximately half of the nursing students confirmed their willingness to participate in caring for older people.The present study can serve as a resource for policymakers to increase the willingness of nursing students to participate in caring for older people.

The growth and development of a novel distance accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program.

Severe nursing shortages threaten the sustainability of US health systems. Rural and underserved communities are disproportionately affected by staffing crises and associated facility closures, as well as health disparities. A major factor contributing to geographic gaps in care is the absence of nursing schools, nursing faculty, and locations for clinical rotations in many rural and underserved areas. Emory School of Nursing is helping to solve for these issues through the Distance Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (DABSN) program. The DABSN is establishing accelerated pipelines of nursing students into practice in locations where nursing education has historically been difficult or impossible to access. This innovative nursing education model allows students to enroll in a top-ranked nursing school while remaining in their home communities. Students complete synchronous didactic coursework with peers in every US time zone while performing clinical rotations in local healthcare facilities. This paper details the growth and development of the DABSN. It describes the challenges and opportunities we have navigated in implementing the program, along with information about its pedagogy, clinical placement practices, and student/faculty characteristics. We share program outcomes and conclude with recommendations for the future.

Innovating to meet AACN essentials in a bachelor of science in nursing program.

Our large, two campus (one urban and one suburban) and two track (RN-BSN and Entry-level BSN) program has revised our BSN curriculum to reflect the new Level One American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021). This article describes the work to revise the curriculum to meet the demands of contemporary nursing education with increased elective choices for Generation Z learners, professional role courses on wellness and resiliency, a course on palliative care and symptom management, increased clinical hours to include virtual simulation and more community and public health experiences, and increased innovative student experiences with our clinical partners. A revised clinical evaluation tool (CET) was also developed to evaluate students in competency-based education and to reflect our new program outcomes.

Nursing educators' experiences of cultural competence in the nursing education program: A qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: To meet the population's increasing diversity and the health system's needs, it is necessary to prepare nursing schools to produce culturally qualified students. PURPOSE: This study aimed to extract the experiences of nursing educators about the cultural competence of nursing students. METHOD: In this qualitative descriptive study, data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 nursing educators affiliated with three medical sciences universities in southeastern Iran. Purposive data sampling and analysis were performed using Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis methods. RESULTS: One main theme, 5 categories, and 18 subcategories were extracted. The main theme was "cultural equality, the essence of care and education". Categories included "Toward culturally-based caring and education", "Charter of cultural rights", "The need for cultural competence facilitators", "Cultural exposure", and "Modifying the curriculum policies". CONCLUSION: This study shows that nursing educators strive to take into account students' cultural competence, even though cultural competence is not explicitly integrated into nursing curricula. The acquisition of cultural competence requires multifaceted changes in education, in clinical centers, and in the creation of cultural infrastructure.

Barriers to effective clinical preceptorship in nurse anesthesiology.

BACKGROUND: Clinical preceptorship is an effective teaching tool for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs). Strategies for success and barriers to effective clinical preceptorship have been explored across the literature to improve learning experiences for SRNAs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this literature review was to identify barriers to effective clinical preceptorship in the field of nurse anesthesiology. METHOD: A rapid review of the literature utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library ultimately yielded 14 relevant articles. RESULTS: Clinical preceptorship in the discipline of nurse anesthesiology has a significant impact on both student experiences and preceptor satisfaction. Barriers within the clinical preceptorship model have been identified across the literature from both the preceptor and student perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: The overarching theme is that development of clinical preceptor workshops and specific guidelines would enhance the experiences of both clinical preceptors and students and allow goals and objectives to be more easily met.

Implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion modules into a nursing trends and issues course: A quality improvement project.

BACKGROUND: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) supports integrating diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) into nursing curricula to aid in preparing students to administer competent care for diverse patient populations. AACN highlights equitable healthcare as the overarching goal and catalyst for improving patient health, reducing health disparities, and addressing social determinants of health. AIM: The aim is to plan, implement, and evaluate diversity, equity, and inclusion modules in a nursing trends and issues course. DESIGN: The design is a quality improvement project using the PDSA cycle as a framework. RESULTS: Students strongly agree that incorporating DEI modules into the course promotes learning. Nursing faculty acknowledge that more revisions are needed to the course modules to address and compare learning gaps in DEI between nursing cohorts for next semester. CONCLUSION: Incorporating DEI in nursing curricula may demand the application of strategies and structure for students learning. With a lack of faculty experience on DEI topics, this process may require effective interventions to address the learning needs of students.

Effective use of role-modeling videos for end-of-life education.

BACKGROUND: Role-modeling videos portray how to complete a task or behave in a situation. As posited by Social Learning Theory and the Model of Transformational Learning, role-modeling videos used in the Catalyzing Relationships at the End-of-Life Program (CAREol Program©) were developed to engage and transform student learning. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to understand how role-modeling videos about difficult family relationships at the end of life enhance preparation of nursing and medical students for clinical practice. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative analysis was used to explore the understanding of 156 nursing and medical students' knowledge of end-of-life care expressed through journal reflections after experiencing a role-modeling video. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the qualitative descriptive analysis: comfort, communication, time together, and forgiveness/reconciliation. CONCLUSION: Through the lens of Social Learning Theory and the Model of Transformational Learning, students learn about the importance of comfort, communication, time together, and forgiveness in family relationships at the end of life.

Social entrepreneurship and public health nursing knowledge: Opportunities for innovating nursing education in population health.

Public health nursing (PHN) competencies are fundamental for addressing population health inequities. Few pathways exist for employing these competencies in the United States (US). Social entrepreneurship in nursing education might provide opportunities for innovating engagement in population health. Partnerships between business and nursing schools have the potential to fulfill this opportunity. PURPOSE: Explore opportunities for re-invigorating public health nursing through social entrepreneurship education in nursing-business partnerships in U.S. universities. METHODS: Reviewed programs in nursing/business school partnerships from Carnegie-classified R1 Universities. Identified appropriate coursework. RESULTS: Of 96 identified nursing schools, eight had business school partnerships, providing 12 programs. Most programs (n = 11) targeted graduate students and addressed core competencies for entrepreneurship. Five business schools had entrepreneurship expertise. Five nursing schools had PHN expertise. Three programs included population health competencies. DISCUSSION: Despite missed opportunities for advancing social entrepreneurship education among undergraduate and graduate nursing students, existing curricular offerings in the partnerships provide promise. Business/nursing partnerships and PHN knowledge can stimulate the preparation and agency of nurses in addressing population health inequities.

The influence of individual factors on the career preferences and specialty choices of final-year nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Statistical evidence shows that nursing students prefer a professional career in hospital settings, leading to a lack of career interest in non-hospital settings such as community and residential aged care facilities. The lack of preference for non-hospital settings has persisted over several decades and presents a need for different approaches that may reveal new information to better understand the individual factors that influence specialty choices and preferences from the students' viewpoints. PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to (1) explore individual factors that impact the nursing specialty choices of final-year nursing students and (2) explore how these factors influence the final-year nursing students' career decision-making process. METHOD: A narrative inquiry approach using semi-structured interviews was carried out with purposively sampled nursing students (n = 12) who had undertaken a final-year clinical placement(s). Data was analysed using two main steps. First, the interviews were restoried and then analysed using the three-dimensional framework. Subsequently, thematic analysis was applied to generate themes. RESULTS: Data analysis generated three main themes: demographic factors, social factors, and career goals. Participants' characteristics and interactions with other individuals and systems influenced their nursing specialty preferences and professional career plans. CONCLUSION: Nursing students' career interests are influenced by individual factors external to their nursing education, such as their age, gender, and life experiences. These student characteristics and experiences facilitated or inhibited a career in some nursing specialties, with the students gauging their ability to practice in a specialty during their CPs. Nursing education should expose and inform students about the core skills, career opportunities, and how to advance their careers in the different nursing specialties. Most importantly, final-year students may need formal career guidance to encourage nursing students' positive attitudes and career interests in different nursing specialties and make realistic career decisions.

Publication patterns of graduates from a DNP program with submission of a manuscript as a degree requirement.

BACKGROUND: Nurses who earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree are expected to make essential contributions to the scholarship of practice and the improvement of health care outcomes. The DNP program at Duke University School of Nursing requires that students demonstrate scholarship competence by writing a manuscript based on their DNP project and submitting it for publication. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to share an evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach. METHODS: The authors used a bibliometric study design. RESULTS: This study demonstrates that manuscripts authored by students based on the DNP projects they conduct while earning their DNP degree can be published and are cited by other scholars. Additionally, the majority of these authors continue to publish scholarly work in the nursing and broader health-focused literature after they graduate. CONCLUSION: Nurses who developed and submit manuscripts for publication based on their DNP project contribute to the literature and evidence base for practice.

Defining sense of belonging in nursing - An evolutionary concept analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this analysis is to develop the concept of sense of belonging in nursing. The secondary purpose is to identify the antithesis or direct opposite beyond the negative consequences related to a lack of belonging in nursing. DESIGN: Rodgers' evolutionary method guided the analysis and advancement of sense of belonging in nursing. DATA SOURCES: Following PRISMA guidelines, peer-reviewed English articles and dissertations were reviewed from PubMed, ERIC, CINAHL, and PsychINFO. Forty-seven articles describing sense of belonging in the nursing profession, both academic and workforce, were included. REVIEW METHODS: Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine recurring themes of the antecedents, attributes, consequences, and antithesis of belonging in nursing. RESULTS: A welcoming, positive atmosphere encouraging a culture of mentorship is key to developing an environment of belonging. The attributes of belonging include being trusted, valued, and an accepted part of the team, and encouraging a connection to the community. Nurses and nursing students have improved confidence, self-esteem, and motivation to learn when a sense of belonging is present. They feel supported and respected in the environment. However, historically minoritized students and nurses report discrimination, bias, and condescension resulting in feeling invisible, isolated, excluded, and neglected. Nurses and nursing students feel invisible, isolated, excluded, and neglected without a sense of belonging. CONCLUSION: Developing a sense of belonging in nurses and nursing students is critical to our profession. Further research is essential to develop interventions and strategies for cultivating a sense of belonging in nursing.

Leverage pre-requisite courses to teach bachelor of science in nursing students about social determinants of health.

BACKGROUND: Nurses have frequent opportunities to address social determinants of health (SDOH) in practice. However, many nurses graduate without completing coursework in SDOH, and there remain barriers to incorporating SDOH content into nursing curricula. PURPOSE: We propose the revision of nursing pre-requisites to include substantive, introductory coursework on SDOH. METHOD: We explored the history and professional context surrounding nursing's current pre-requisite course expectations. We also performed an assessment of the credit hour requirements and pre-requisite course titles for the nation's 100 top-ranked nursing programs. FINDINGS: Our assessment revealed that the allocation of credit hour requirements for most programs leaves little room for SDOH-focused credits once nursing coursework starts; also, based on title analyses, foundational coursework on SDOH may be missing from most programs' pre-requisite listings. DISCUSSION: Nursing pre-requisites should include SDOH content for reasons including the limited availability of credit hours for SDOH-focused electives and the importance of students developing a strong foundation in SDOH before their nursing coursework begins.