Medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students within European context.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in six European countries and analyse the associated factors. BACKGROUND: Medication calculation skills are fundamental to medication safety, which is a substantial part of patient safety. Previous studies have raised concerns about the medication calculation skills of nurses and nursing students. DESIGN: As part of a broader research project, this study applies a multinational cross-sectional survey design with three populations: graduating nursing students, nurse managers and patients. METHODS: The students performed two calculations (tablet and fluid) testing medication calculation skills requiring different levels of conceptual understanding and arithmetic. The managers and patients answered one question about the students' medication kills. In total, 1,796 students, 538 managers and 1,327 patients participated the study. The data were analysed statistically. The STROBE guideline for cross-sectional studies was applied. RESULTS: Almost all (99%) of the students performed the tablet calculation correctly, and the majority (71%) answered the fluid calculation correctly. Older age, a previous degree in health care and satisfaction with their current degree programme was positively associated with correct fluid calculations. The patients evaluated the students' medication skills higher than the nurse managers did and the evaluations were not systematically aligned with the calculation skills tested. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students have the skills to perform simple medication calculations, but a significant number of students have difficulties with calculations involving multiple operations and a higher level of conceptual understanding. Due to the variation in students' medication calculation skills and the unalignment between the managers' and patients' evaluations and the calculation tests, further research is needed. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Graduating nursing students enter clinical field as qualified professionals, but there is still room for improvement in their medication calculation skills. This calls for attention in the fields of clinical nursing, education and research.

Nurse managers' perceptions of the competence of newly graduated nurses: A scoping review.

AIM: To summarize nurse managers' perceptions of newly graduated nurses' (NGNs) competence and connected factors. BACKGROUND: Nurse managers recruiting staff are responsible for employing competent nurses to ensure quality care and professional standards. Knowledge of managers' perceptions about the competence of NGNs is needed to understand the expectations of the health care system towards future professionals. EVALUATION: A scoping review was conducted. A total of 12 research publications met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using inductive content analysis. KEY ISSUES: Managers' perceptions can be divided into three perspectives: NGNs' competence descriptions, assessment of competences and connected factors. The NGNs' level of competence was assessed to be at least satisfactory, and dependent on prior exposure to the work setting, change in the degree of responsibility and lack of confidence. CONCLUSION: Existing knowledge about nurse managers' perceptions of NGNs' competence is limited and rather fragmented. There is a clear need for rigorous empirical studies with comprehensive views of managers, emphasizing the key role of managers in the evaluation of nurse competence. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers can use the results of this review in recruitment, performance reviews and the development of job orientation programmes aimed at enhancing NGNs' transition to the nurse workforce.

Discontinued students in nursing education - Who and why?

There has been increasing interest in student nurse attrition due to the high level of attrition rates in many countries. Studies about nursing education and attrition have been conducted internationally, but only a few have explored attrition from the perspective of the students' own experiences. The purpose of this study was to describe who is a discontinued student in nursing education and the students' own experiences of reasons for leaving a nursing school. A descriptive design and qualitative approach was used. 25 nursing students were interviewed at two different universities of applied sciences in Finland. Four different types of discontinued nursing students were identified: those who moved to another school, those who faced a life crisis, those who made the wrong career choice and those who lived 'busy years'. The results show that the nursing student population is diverse, which has an effect on the students' career intentions, their learning and their ability to cope with studies. In nursing education, it is important to identify students who are at risk of discontinue their studies and develop individual support systems to help nursing students complete their studies and enter into the workforce.