Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of adaptable academic nurse educators.

AIM: Using the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSAs) framework, the aim of this study was to explore the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes of adaptable nurse educators to help inform the preparation of current and future educators for smooth transitions during periods of change. BACKGROUND: External events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and wildfires can force programs to relocate and suspend classes for several days or weeks. These natural disasters have the potential to have a negative impact on the number of nursing students graduating on time as well as the quality of the clinical education experience and preparation for practice. Many lessons about educator adaptability can be learned from the COVID-19 restrictions. Identifying the KSAs of adaptable nurse educators during the rapidly changing educational landscape provided the opportunity for a foundational needs assessment to guide the preparation of educators for seamless transitions during times of change. DESIGN: To identify the KSA's of adaptable nurse educators, an exploratory qualitative study using focus groups was conducted. The study used thematic analysis. METHODS: The research team developed, and pilot-tested focus group interview questions based on content areas identified in the literature. Targeted questions included queries specific to the KSAs necessary for adaptation and successful teaching using simulation. Educators from pre-licensure nursing programs in the United States participated in one of five 60-minute focus groups held virtually via a secure online meeting platform. RESULTS: Adaptable nurse educators have knowledge of resources, ongoing assessment, evaluation and teaching strategies and an understanding of the skillsets of their colleagues. Their skills include leadership, teamwork, redesigning learning and assessment. They demonstrate qualities such as resilience, empathy, acceptance, openness and positivity. CONCLUSION: With the current nursing workforce crisis, external events cannot be allowed to slow academic progression and graduation from nursing programs. In this exploratory qualitative study using focus groups, the KSAs held by adaptable nurse educators were explored. The findings of this study highlight the importance of collaboration and teamwork in academic institutes. The findings can be used as the foundation for nursing programs to prepare for future external events.

Describing the evidence linking interprofessional education interventions to improving the delivery of safe and effective patient care: a scoping review.

Empirical evidence indicates that collaborative interprofessional practice leads to positive health outcomes. Further, there is an abundance of evidence examining student and/or faculty perceptions of learning or satisfaction about the interprofessional education (IPE) learning experience. However, there is a dearth of research linking IPE interventions to patient outcomes. The objective of this scoping review was to describe and summarize the evidence linking IPE interventions to the delivery of effective patient care. A three-step search strategy was utilized for this review with articles that met the following criteria: publications dated 2015-2020 using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods; the inclusion of healthcare professionals, students, or practitioners who had experienced IPE or training that included at least two collaborators within coursework or other professional education; and at least one of ten Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measures (length of stay, medication errors, medical errors, patient satisfaction scores, medication adherence, patient and caregiver education, hospice usage, mortality, infection rates, and readmission rates). Overall, n=94 articles were identified, providing overwhelming evidence supporting a positive relationship between IPE interventions and several key quality health measures including length of stay, medical errors, patient satisfaction, patient or caregiver education, and mortality. Findings from this scoping review suggest a critical need for the development, implementation, and evaluation of IPE interventions to improve patient outcomes.

Course development for web-based nursing education programs.

Developing and launching online programs requires nurse educators to reframe content and rethink traditional teaching methodologies. Creating a framework for course design and standardization of templates can result in online learning that is student centered while allowing the institution to scale up enrollment with quality education at the core. This article explores the considerations needed for effective, interactive online course delivery in nursing education. Working in conjunction with other university technology stakeholders, nurse educators can select the learning management system with the features that will work best for the program, develop the course structure and organization through adherence to template rules for both syllabi and course modules, and develop appropriate learning activities to assure student exposure to content identified in the course objectives. With these structure pieces in place process becomes the second focus for nurse educators in online programs. Process activities for active engagement are discussed.

West Texas nursing education portal project: developing a regional centralized application system.

Because of the nursing shortage and a demand for maximum enrollment, a group of five baccalaureate and seven associate degree nursing programs in West Texas first met in 2007 to form the West Texas Nursing Education Consortium (WTNEC). To emphasize the importance of scale and distance, the West Texas region is larger than all of the northeastern states combined. The founding group agreed that the first mission of WTNEC should be to pool resources in order to increase admission and graduation rates for WTNEC schools. Two years later, this mission is being accomplished by the implementation of a plan designed to increase participating schools' admissions, retention, and graduation rates. A grant proposal was written and funded to develop a central regionalization of the application process for entry into WTNEC generic programs (associates degree in nursing and bachelor of science in nursing), with the goal of decreasing and possibly eliminating student vacancy rates in member schools and perhaps reducing the resources needed by each school for the admission process. The implemented centralized application system allowed prospective students to apply online to the centralized admission portal. Students maintained the freedom to choose the nursing program(s) they wanted to attend, but they were also made aware of possible openings in other participating schools. The admission portal also saved potential students time and money by submitting one centralized application, resulting in consolidation of the nursing school application process. Eleven of the 12 consortium schools participated in the centralized application system.