Changing test answers: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Various disciplines at all education levels worldwide are steeped in contradictions regarding the value of answer changing on exams. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to explore the current evidence related to answer changing at the graduate and undergraduate level with a focus on nursing education. DESIGN: The scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework. The team used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guideline to report the findings. DATA SOURCES: Using identified keywords such as answer changing, backtracking and test wiseness, researchers located forty-nine relevant studies from multiple databases. After applying the predetermined inclusion criteria including college students from all disciplines at the undergraduate or graduate level, ten remained for review. REVIEW METHOD: The a priori protocol was; changing answers on tests will lower scores. Studies were randomly assigned to each researcher for a first and second review using an author designed abstraction tool. Verbal reconciliation was the third and final review of each article. RESULTS: The scoping review revealed that answer changes produced more wrong to right answers. In addition, total score improvements with answer changes were as high as 45.15 %. CONCLUSION: The synthesis of findings from 10 articles refuted assumptions that answer changing would negatively impact the number of correct responses and potentially lower the overall exam score. The findings from this scoping review support permitting answer changes. However, the varied research approaches in the studies reviewed also suggest the need to conduct further research on the topic.

Hidden No More: Addressing the Health and Wellness of LGBTQIA+ Individuals in Nursing School Curricula.

BACKGROUND: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals face barriers to equitable health care access. During clinical encounters, LGBTQIA+ individuals interact with nurses and health care providers who often lack a thorough understanding of LGBTQIA+ cultures, terminology, and strategies for culturally affirming care. This article details the process undertaken to include LGBTQIA+ health elective courses. METHOD: To outline LGBTQIA+ health education, a curriculum crosswalk was conducted. Course descriptions, objectives, and outcomes were crafted with faculty input. Priority LGBTQIA+ areas were analyzed, and textbook content was cross-referenced to identify topics for inclusion. RESULTS: In Spring 2022, two LGBTQIA+ courses were launched. Undergraduate students at New York University Meyers (n = 27) and undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania (n = 18) comprised the inaugural classes. CONCLUSION: LGBTQIA+ individuals experience poorer health outcomes due to longstanding health inequities. These disparities are partly fueled by the minimal exposure nursing students receive in their undergraduate education. Guidelines on the development of courses designed to highlight needs may address disparities, leading to better health outcomes. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(5):307-311.].

An Innovative Academic/Practice Partnership to Support Nursing Workforce Needs and Student Clinical Education.

ABSTRACT: Innovation is needed to solve nursing workforce issues during times of crisis. A collaborative effort between a hospital system and several universities resulted in the Bridge to Professional Practice Program that was implemented during a period of high patient volume and nursing student downtime. The program provided support for staffing needs and clinical hours to promote readiness for practice for students. The program evaluation outcomes and recommendations for improvement are addressed.

Transforming Clinical Education During a Global Pandemic: Building New Approaches to Clinical Education.

ABSTRACT: The sudden and severe impact of COVID-19 on nursing education brought about many challenges and opportunities. The Community of Inquiry model and Online Collaborative Learning theory provided a guiding framework for preparing faculty to develop curriculum and deliver online/virtual synchronous clinical and laboratory experiences for junior and senior nursing students, overcome identified challenges, and evaluate the experiences. The swift change to virtual clinical education required careful reflection about how we teach, evaluate learning, and move forward with precision while establishing new best practices.

Health Care Experiences of Lesbian Women: A Metasynthesis.

Lesbian women experience discrimination within the health care system that leads many to cautiously navigate a heteronormative system. This metasynthesis offers a richer contextual understanding about lesbian health care experiences. The 4 overarching themes that emerged are: (a) sizing up the provider and the environment, (b) to say or not to say: "paradoxes of disclosure," (c) reactions to provider's assumptions, (d) and acknowledging my partner. Lesbian women perceive their health care experiences based on the nature of the relationship with the provider. These women are more likely to seek care from health care providers who acknowledge, affirm, and respect a woman's sexual identity, cultural beliefs, and family structures.

Emancipatory knowing: empowering nursing students toward reflection and action.

Nursing students in the 21st century are entering highly complex health care systems that require advocates for social justice and human rights on behalf of patients. Nurses are well positioned as patient advocates. This article presents a brief overview of the historical and theoretical perspectives underpinning emancipatory knowing and proposes several methods nursing faculty can use to empower nursing students to provide care informed by this way of knowing. Nursing faculty are urged to adopt a curriculum that supports an emancipatory and caring praxis and to mentor students to provide care supportive of social justice, particularly for the vulnerable and marginalized members of society. Nursing students who learn to embrace and value emancipatory knowing during their educational program may likely continue this praxis after they graduate.