'I'm a bit of an invisible worker' - Health care and social sector students' experiences of casual and temporary agency work.

OBJECTIVES: In the wake of national and global personnel shortages, it is becoming increasingly common for students to undertake casual and temporary agency work in the health care and social sectors. This phenomenon can have both advantages and disadvantages for these workers. The objective of this study was to describe health care and social sector students' experiences of such work. METHODS: Students currently undertaking casual work in the health care and social sector in Finland were recruited (n = 28). Qualitative semi-structured interviews of these students were conducted in March to May 2021. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Respondents reported some positive aspects of casual work. In particular, they liked the freedom to choose the workplace and working times that suited them. However, respondents' experiences were mostly negative. They perceived the induction into work as being insufficient, felt they had too few opportunities to give and receive feedback and believed they were not accepted into the working community. CONCLUSIONS: Students who have bad experiences while undertaking causal work in the health care and social sectors may develop an aversion towards working in those sectors after graduating. In order to ensure the sectors are attractive to graduates, casual student workers' induction and experience of the workplace must be improved.

Design-based research in designing the model for educating simulation facilitators.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of design-based research, its appropriateness in creating education-based models, and to describe the process of developing such a model. The model was designed as part of the Nurse Educator Simulation based learning project, funded by the EU's Lifelong Learning program (2013-1-DK1-LEO05-07053). The project partners were VIA University College, Denmark, the University of Huddersfield, UK and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. As an outcome of the development process, "the NESTLED model for educating simulation facilitators" (NESTLED model) was generated. This article also illustrates five design principles that could be applied to other pedagogies.

Towards identifying nurse educator competencies required for simulation-based learning: A systemised rapid review and synthesis.

OBJECTIVES: This paper presents the results of a systemised rapid review and synthesis of the literature undertaken to identify competencies required by nurse educators to facilitate simulation-based learning (SBL). DESIGN: An international collaboration undertook a protocol-based search, retrieval and critical review. DATA SOURCES: Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, ERIC, the Cochrane Library and Science Direct. The search was limited to articles published in English, 2002-2012. REVIEW METHODS: The search terms used: nurse*, learn*, facilitator, simula*, lecturer, competence, skill*, qualificat*, educator, health care, "patient simulation", "nursing education" and "faculty". The search yielded 2156 "hits", following a review of the abstracts, 72 full-text articles were extracted. These were screened against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria and nine articles were retained. Following critical appraisal, the articles were analyzed using an inductive approach to extract statements for categorization and synthesis as competency statements. RESULTS: This review confirmed that there was a modest amount of empirical evidence on which to base a competency framework. Those papers that provided descriptions of educator preparation identified simulation-based workshops, or experiential training, as the most common approaches for enhancing skills. SBL was not associated with any one theoretical perspective. Delivery of SBL appeared to demand competencies associated with planning and designing simulations, facilitating learning in "safe" environments, expert nursing knowledge based on credible clinical realism, reference to evidence-based knowledge and demonstration of professional values and identity. CONCLUSIONS: This review derived a preliminary competency framework. This needs further development as a model for educators delivering SBL as part of nursing curricula.

Factors influencing partnerships between higher education and healthcare.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the factors influencing partnerships between higher education and healthcare. BACKGROUND: Partnerships have often been studied as organisations' internal processes or multi-professional team activities. However, there has been less research on the partnership as a phenomenon between organisations and, until now, the research has mainly focused on experiences in the US and the UK. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in Finland. Staff from a university of applied sciences and a service unit for the elderly took part in nine focus group interviews (n=39) and produced self-evaluations based on diaries (n=13) and essays (n=24). The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The factors influencing partnerships were: a joint development target, agreeing on collaboration, providing resources for partnership, enhancing mutual understanding, sharing operational culture, commitment and participatory change management and communication. CONCLUSIONS: This study updates, and complements, previous reviews on factors influencing partnerships, by providing some new concepts and a new cultural perspective from Finland on a partnership between higher education and healthcare. The results provide information on factors that influence partnerships and develop and manage their sustainability.

Journal club intervention in promoting evidence-based nursing: perceptions of nursing students.

This study focused on nursing journal clubs as an intervention in promoting evidence-based nursing. Nursing journal clubs refer to arranged meetings where nurses convene to discuss the use of research knowledge in nursing practice. Researchers and directors of a university hospital planned the intervention. The study aimed to assess learning and utilization of research knowledge after implementation of nursing journal clubs from the perspective of nursing students. In journal clubs, answers were sought from scientific nursing articles to solve nursing problems specified by each ward/outpatient unit. Nursing students paired up to make an oral presentation of a research article to staff nurses. After the presentation, they acted as chairpersons in the discussion. The students had a vocational nursing diploma and were aiming at bachelor's degree in nursing. After the final club meeting, the students (n = 53) responded to a questionnaire. The results indicated that the students were not able to utilize the studies to the same extent as they learnt from them. Age, work experience and participation in research and development activities were connected to learning. Despite limitations, the results may be used to develop nursing journal clubs as a learning and collaboration method between nurse education and health care.

Patient knowledge of atrial fibrillation: 3-month follow-up after an emergency room visit.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study to assess patient knowledge about atrial fibrillation, its determinants and evolution during 3 months after a visit to the emergency room. BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common single diagnoses in the emergency room, and care often results in treatment modifications after which most patients are discharged home. METHOD: A knowledge test was developed to measure patients' knowledge of atrial fibrillation. Patient data from 200 patients were assessed by examining quartiles and medians. The statistical significance of changes was tested with the Sign test. A logistic regression model was built to identify variables possibly related to patient knowledge. The data were collected in 2003 in three emergency rooms in Finland. RESULTS: Patients had only moderate knowledge about atrial fibrillation in the emergency room, and their knowledge showed only limited improvement 3 months after the visit. They had best knowledge of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation and its effects on everyday life. There were gaps in their knowledge about this disease and how it is treated, including anticoagulation, detection of symptoms and when to seek treatment, both during the emergency room visit and 3 months thereafter. Male gender, previous atrial fibrillation diagnosis and sense of good coping with the disease were statistically significantly associated with better knowledge. CONCLUSION: Informational support should be available for patients with atrial fibrillation during and after the emergency room visit. The knowledge test introduced in this paper could be developed to evaluate the educational needs of individual patients.