Development of a competency framework for advanced practice nurses: A co-design process.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to develop a comprehensive competency framework for advanced practice nurses in Belgium. DESIGN: A co-design development process was conducted. METHODS: This study consisted of two consecutive stages (November 2020-December 2021): (1) developing a competency framework for advanced practice nurses in Belgium by the research team, based on literature and (2) group discussions or interviews with and written feedback from key stakeholders. 11 group discussions and seven individual interviews were conducted with various stakeholder groups with a total of 117 participants. RESULTS: A comprehensive competency framework containing 31 key competencies and 120 enabling competencies was developed based on the Canadian Medical Education Directions for Specialists Competency Framework. These competencies were grouped into seven roles: clinical expert and therapist, organizer of quality care and leader in innovation, professional and clinical leader, collaborator, researcher, communicator and health promoter. CONCLUSION: The developed competency framework has resemblance to other international frameworks. This framework emphasized the independent role of the advanced practice nurse and provided guidance in a clear task division and delegation to other professionals. It can provide a solid foundation for delivering high-quality, patient-centred care by advanced practice nurses in the years to come. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: This competency framework can guide further development of advanced practice nursing education in Belgium and represents a starting point for future evaluation of its feasibility and usability in education and clinical practice. Advanced practice nurses and healthcare managers can also use the framework as an instrument for personal and professional development, performance appraisal, and further alignment of these function profiles in clinical practice. Finally, this framework can inform and guide policymakers towards legal recognition of advanced practice nursing in Belgium and inspire the development of advanced practice nursing profiles in countries where these profiles are still emerging. IMPACT: What problem did the study address? The absence of a detailed competency framework for advanced practice nurses complicates legal recognition, role clarification and implementation in practice in Belgium. A rigorously developed competency framework could clarify which competencies to integrate in future advanced practice nursing education, mentorship programs and practice. What were the main findings? The competency framework outlined seven roles for advanced practice nurses: clinical expert and therapist, organizer of quality care and leader in innovation, professional and clinical leader, collaborator, researcher, communicator, and health promoter. Differentiation from other expert nursing profiles and clinical autonomy of advanced practice nurses were pivotal. Where and on whom will the research have impact? The comprehensive competency framework for advanced practice nurses and the collaborative methodology used can inspire other countries where these profiles are still emerging. The competency framework can be used as an instrument for role clarification, performance appraisals, continuous professional development, and professional (e-)portfolios. The competency framework can guide policymakers when establishing Belgian's legal framework for advanced practice nurses. REPORTING METHOD: The authors have adhered to CONFERD-HP: recommendations for reporting COmpeteNcy FramEwoRk Development in health professions. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution in the design of the study. A patient advisory panel commented on the developed competency framework.

Prevalence and factors associated with academic burnout risk among nursing and midwifery students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of academic burnout (AB) and its associated factors among nursing and midwifery students during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A correlational cross-sectional study. METHODS: An online survey was distributed from November to December 2020 to nursing and midwifery students in Belgium. The risk of AB was assessed using the MBI-SS Academic Burnout Inventory scale. Factors associated with AB were related to the personal life and level of education of the student and to the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The prevalence of overall AB risk was 50.0% (95% CI 48.5-53.1). Factors significantly associated with higher risk of AB were having a child, having a job, the level of academic training, working overtime, insufficient personal protective equipment against viral contamination during the last internship, work overload due to the pandemic, personal proven or possible SARS-CoV-2 infection and having a relative who died related to COVID-19.

Self-esteem and learning dynamics in nursing students: An existential-phenomenological study.

AIM: To describe nursing student self-esteem changes over time and its impacts on learning strategies. DESIGN: Existential phenomenology. METHODS: Interviews were conducted in Spring 2018 in a purposive sample of 39 nursing students, exploring events critical to self-esteem and their impacts. Transcriptions were analysed descriptively and interpretatively to decipher the process that links self-esteem, events and learning behaviour. RESULTS: What led to self-esteem changes were "relationships with nurses during internships" and "receiving evaluations." The students interpreted events and drew conclusions about their aptitude for nursing, which in turn prompted proactive or defensive learning behaviours. Their interpretations both depended on their self-esteem and impacted it, in a vicious or virtuous circle. Exploring self-esteem allows a better understanding of the importance of students' relationships with nursing teams, and of some of their defensive behaviours. Understanding the role of nursing student self-esteem in the learning process could help improve student well-being and competence.

Exploring the relationship between first-year nursing student self-esteem and dropout: A cohort study.

AIM: To describe nursing student self-esteem prior to the influence of nursing education and to explore the relationship between self-esteem and dropout. DESIGN: Cohort study. METHODS: At the beginning of their first year of study, in October 2017, 464 nursing students completed a questionnaire that assessed their self-esteem level via Tafarodi & Swann Scale and self-esteem profile following Mruk's model, along with sociodemographic information, state anxiety, self-efficacy, intention to continue and social support. One year later, data on grades and re-enrolment were collected. Multivariate analyses explored the factors influencing self-esteem level (multiple regression), self-esteem profile (multinomial logistic regression) and dropout (binary logistic regression). RESULTS/FINDINGS: The mean level of self-esteem was 50.8 (9.0), scale of 16 to 80. Forty-nine per cent of self-esteem profiles were classified as 'high', 20.1% as 'defensive acceptance based', 11.2% as 'defensive achievement based' and 19.6% as 'low'. State anxiety (p < 0.0001), self-efficacy about completion of the nursing programme (p < 0.0001) and self-efficacy about internship (p < 0.0001) were associated with self-esteem. The dropout rate was 21.5%. Self-esteem level (p = 0.039) and academic performance (p < 0.0001) were associated with dropout. CONCLUSION: While nursing student self-esteem is often described as low, we know little about its baseline before entering the nursing programme and the factors that influence it. The dropout rate among first-year nursing students is high, but self-esteem is rarely explored as a possible explanation. We found that students had medium, and potentially fragile, self-esteem when starting their nursing education, and that self-esteem was associated with dropout. IMPACT: Given that association and the impact of self-esteem on well-being and professional behaviour, educational institutions should foster self-esteem both generally and in students with anxiety or low self-efficacy. Future research should explore nursing student self-esteem using a longitudinal mixed methods approach. Society should value nurses and nursing students.