Team Teaching in Nursing Education: Lessons Learned During COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Team teaching involves multiple faculty teaching a single course and can follow different formats that can result in an enhanced experience for students and faculty. METHOD: Team teaching was adopted for prelicensure students during the COVID-19 pandemic to maximize faculty time and expertise, eliminate duplicate work, and build in redundancy should faculty become ill. Using a tag-rotation model design, faculty were assigned content and activities, as well as assessments for the content. All work was housed on the learning university's platform. RESULTS: Novice faculty were mentored, duplication was eliminated, and efficiency was actualized through team teaching. Most faculty found the benefits to be advantageous and continued to use the model by choice. CONCLUSION: Team teaching promotes a culture of debate and critical thinking as well as interprofessional learning. Faculty relationships and planning for both students and faculty are essential elements for team teaching success. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(4):249-252.].

Analyzing traditional and accelerated nursing student exam answer changing behaviors: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined differences in exam answer changing behavior among baccalaureate students based on program pace, semester in the program, exam scores, and grade point average. DESIGN: The study is a retrospective review of quantitative data. SETTING: The data was collected using standardized testing results taken by students at a private, liberal arts university in the midwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS: 774 normed standardized nursing exams were reviewed retrospectively for number and type of answer changes and analyzed between traditional and accelerated baccalaureate students early, middle, and late in the curriculum. RESULTS: Most answer changes (50%) were beneficial to grades. Answer changing decreased late in the program. Students scoring higher changed fewer answers. Program pace and grade point average did not influence answer changing. CONCLUSION: Answer changing should not be generally discouraged. Promoting adequate preparation and test taking skills may benefit nursing students, especially early in programs.

Teaching evidence-based practice: Knowledge to implementation in a BSN program, part 2.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education at the undergraduate level has started teaching the process of research integration through evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation rather than solely focusing on teaching nursing research. This is Part 2 of a two-part series. AIMS: To discuss strategy on how to teach undergraduate nursing students the process of implementing EBP over two courses and to assess their learning outcomes. This article focuses on Course 2, Leadership and Management, which takes place during senior year and builds on student learning from their junior year through application of an EBP capstone project. METHODS: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Nursing Practice (2008) was used to guide the discussion and course development. An anonymous survey was used to measure the level of student perceived achievement of the learning objectives related to EBP. Students responded to statements using a 5-point Likert scale for level of agreement (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). RESULTS: In Course 2, Leadership and Management, senior year students focused on the remaining EBP steps (four through six) and completed an EBP capstone project with a nurse manager. A total of 83 students responded to the anonymous evaluation survey, and mean learning objective scores were 4.0 or above, indicating a high degree of perceived level of achievement. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Teaching the EBP process with active learning strategies over two courses enhances student learning.

Teaching evidence-based practice: Knowledge to implementation in a BSN program, part 1.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased recognition for the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP), nurses still identify a need for more education and skill-building in the process used to provide evidence-based care. Nurse educators play a vital role in addressing these needs. This article is part 1 of a two-part series. AIMS: To describe an interactive learning process regarding EBP taught over two courses that allow students to not only appraise evidence but also implement evidence on a clinical unit. Part 1 focuses on course one, Evidence-Based Practice, which takes place during junior year. METHODS: In course one, students learn about EBP steps 1-3. Faculty assign students to teams of three to four for an evidence-based project. Project scenarios are written ahead of time by faculty, and student teams are given class time for project completion. After course completion, an anonymous survey was distributed to measure the student perceived achievement for the EBP learning objectives. Students responded to statements using a 5-point Likert scale for level of agreement (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) regarding achieving course objectives. RESULTS: The evidence-based project culminated with a PowerPoint presentation to the class with recommendations for nursing practice based on the best evidence for the scenario they were provided. Eighty students responded to the evaluation survey, and mean scores were 4.0 or higher. This finding indicates that students had a high degree of perceived achievement. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Interactive learning in teams promotes discussion and understanding of EBP and mimics real-life EBP implementation. Implementing EBP steps should be tied to clinical scenarios or clinical situations to enhance student learning.

"I Am Surprised at the Change in Me": What Is It Like for Nurses to Be in the Process of Completing a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing?

BACKGROUND: The percentage of nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) affects patient morbidity and mortality, so health care organizations are encouraging staff nurses to finish their BSN degree. However, there is little data related to what it is like for RNs to return to school. METHOD: In this qualitative, descriptive study, 16 RN-to-BSN students were interviewed using naturalistic inquiry processes to gain an understanding of what it is like for students in the midst of an RN-to-BSN program. RESULTS: Students encountered financial and work-life barriers to seeking BSN completion yet found it to be worth the effort. Indeed, they are "surprised at the change in" themselves. CONCLUSION: Support that could benefit RN-to-BSN students is detailed, including from employers (e.g., flexible scheduling), faculty (e.g., rapid feedback and grading), and students themselves (e.g., understand personal time constraints). More research is needed to determine the priorities of support that facilitates RN-to-BSN students. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(7):307-314.