An NCLEX-RN Improvement Project: A Study of Student Attributes Associated With Test Success.

BACKGROUND: A school of nursing developed a process to improve graduates' NCLEX-RN scores through a committee tasked with identifying approaches to assist students in passing the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. METHOD: The process involved: (1) engaging the faculty to use current published evidence; and (2) conducting an anonymous survey of previous graduates to identify the factors associated with NCLEX-RN success in the school's student population. Logistic regression analysis was conducted on a sample of 165 graduates of the program. RESULTS: The analysis of the graduates' psychosocial, academic, and NCLEX-RN preparation attributes compared with NCLEX-RN outcome revealed grade point average was the strongest significant predictor of success. CONCLUSION: The NCLEX-RN success program served to engage the school of nursing faculty. In addition, a study of the program's graduates revealed a predictor of potential student success that can identify students who may need additional support early in the program. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(2):102-107.].

Transforming Nursing Education and the Formation of Students: Using the Humanbecoming Paradigm.

Transforming nursing education is a current focus across the country, the result of recent national reports that have made significant contributions for evaluating and changing curricula and ways students are taught. However, the need to ground these strategies for change within our discipline's ontological foundation through nursing theory must be addressed. The purpose of this article is to use Parse's Humanbecoming Paradigm to provide educators with exemplars of discipline-specific theory-based changes across educational levels. The exemplars are situated within the important tensions that educators face today in undergraduate, advanced practice, and doctoral programs. Conclusions are drawn regarding continuing efforts to ensure that nurse educators incorporate discipline-relevant theories when transforming nursing education.

Impact of Interruptions, Distractions, and Cognitive Load on Procedure Failures and Medication Administration Errors.

Medication administration errors are difficult to intercept since they occur at the end of the process. The study describes interruptions, distractions, and cognitive load experienced by registered nurses during medication administration and explores their impact on procedure failures and medication administration errors. The focus of this study was unique as it investigated how known individual and environmental factors interacted and culminated in errors.

The creative élan of nursing theory: indispensable to leadership.

The author discusses how nursing theoretical knowledge contributes to nursing leadership and how the use of nursing theory can build confidence in nurse leaders in all settings, drawing on examples from selected theorists' work. It is suggested that when nursing theory is not fully valued by the profession, not only knowledge is lost but also the language that helps nurses to lead. However, the vision and the voice of nursing theory will allow nurses to lead with creativity and to tap into innovation that facilitates contributions to healthcare. To be firmly, intellectually, and enthusiastically grounded in one's disciplinary knowledge sets the stage to being able to lead effectively. Four aspects of leadership are addressed: clinical, interdisciplinary, nursing education, and interpersonal nursing. Our accumulated nursing theories can help nurse leaders to meet contemporary healthcare challenges by providing answers that help to focus on improvement, patient-centered care, critical reflection, and caring.

Nursing's role in courage development in patients facing complications of diabetes.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of nurses in relation to courage development in patients with disabling complications of diabetes. The phenomenon of courage has been explored in philosophy, theology, literature, and other fields of inquiry rooted in the humanities. Nursing inquiry has not often been directed toward an exploration of courage, although coping, compassion, caring, and other experiences integral to the nurse-patient relationship have been examined. The holistic view of the cascading effect of complications on the individual patient is often overlooked. This qualitative study used phenomenological inquiry and included face-to-face interviews of nurses to explore their experience in assisting patients in the development of courage. The experience of courage is investigated as it relates to a specific group of patients who have complications of diabetes. Four categories representing the unique opportunities for courage development by nurses were generated. These categories included education, advocacy, relationship building, and humanization. Each category described nursing intentions and actions and taken together formed an essential structure of courage development. Conclusions indicated that nurses recognize and are able to describe their role in courage development. Implications for improved health through deliberate caring nursing interventions, aimed at courage development, are presented.

Blending evidence and innovation: improving intershift handoffs in a multihospital setting.

Ineffective handoffs have been identified as a barrier to patient safety and quality and as a key area for improvement. Handoffs require a process for effective transfer of critical information. A redesigned nurse-to-nurse intershift handoff was implemented in 7 hospitals of a multisite system. The redesign included combining evidence and an innovative approach developed by nurse managers to improve intershift report. Results included an increase in nurse and patient satisfaction.

Creating a culture of shared Governance begins with developing the nurse as scholar.

The relationship between shared governance and nursing scholarship is investigated with an emphasis on the connection between stages of scholarly development and nursing action in the evolution of professional practice models. The scholarly image of nursing is described and four critical stages of scholarship (scholarly inquiry, conscious reflection, persistent critique, and intellectual creation) are presented. The development of nursing scholars is described with emphasis on intellectual virtues as described by philosophers and values as described by nursing theorists that are foundational to this process. Shared governance is viewed holistically as a true scholarly process when these elements are in place and are used by nurses.