Exploring the status and critical issues in mixed methods research in doctoral nursing education in the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Mixed methods research (MMR) can be a pathway for doctoral nursing students to create innovative and noble contributions for the advancement of nursing theory, practice, and education. Several issues and challenges must be identified to successfully train, mentor, and support doctoral nursing students in conducting MMR. AIM: The study aimed to explore the status and critical issues in conducting, mentoring, and training MMR in doctoral nursing programs in the Philippines. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted by performing semi-structured online interviews with 10 purposively selected participants who were faculty and educators with doctoral degrees, involved in teaching and mentoring MMR among doctoral nursing students in the last 10 years. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Four key themes emerged, namely, (1) perceptions on the use of MMR, (2) facilitators to use MMR, (3) barriers to the use of MMR, and (4) recommendations to promote the use of MMR focused on the student, faculty, and educational institution levels. CONCLUSION: Providing educational, institutional, and research support for doctoral nursing students and faculty could flourish the use of MMR in doctoral nursing programs with deeper meaning and reasoning.

Peer patient round table: An innovative approach for evaluating clinical performance for nurse practitioner students.

Clinical performance is a crucial part of evaluation in nurse practitioner education and has traditionally been accomplished through faculty site visits. The evolution of distance learning and on-line programs along with the recent COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated completing site visits, requiring innovative strategies. 'The Peer Patient Round Table (PPRT)' was developed as an innovative evaluation method of student performance. It utilizes the standardized patient simulation concept and shared role-play modality via a telehealth platform. During the PPRT evaluation session, students were involved in a shared role-play of three roles; as a patient, a nurse practitioner student, and a preceptor in individual scenarios. A family nurse practitioner program at Radford University, located in Southwest Virginia, incorporated the PPRT method as the alternative student evaluation method starting May 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic for the last two years. After the first year of implementation of the PPRT, students and faculty were surveyed about the effectiveness of PPRT as a clinical evaluation method as well as their satisfaction with the modality. This article discusses the details of the PPRT procedures, PPRT experiences from faculty and students along with lessons learned.

Mentoring students in doctoral nursing programs: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Academic mentorship usually involves an ongoing, supportive relationship between experienced academics and research candidates, and is fundamental to establishing and nurturing scholarship and the skills for dealing with the changing demands of the academic environment. Mentoring is a valuable strategy for the development of students enrolled in doctoral nursing programs (Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing - PhD, Doctor of Nursing Practice - DNP, Doctor of Nursing Science - DNS, and Doctoral Education in Nursing - EdD). PURPOSE: To report mentorship experiences among doctoral nursing students and academic mentors, identify positive and negative attributes of mentors and the relationship between mentors and students, and assess the benefits and barriers of mentoring. METHODS: Relevant empirical studies published until September 2021 were identified using PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus electronic databases. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies published in English language which reported on mentorship among doctoral nursing students were included. Data were synthesized into a scoping review with findings presented as a narrative summary. RESULTS: The review included 30 articles, mostly from the USA, which reported on the mentoring relationship, experiences, benefits, and barriers of mentoring for the student and the mentor. Students valued mentor attributes such as being a role model, respectful, supportive, inspiring, approachable, accessible, a content expert and a good communicator. Benefits of mentoring included enhanced experience of research endeavours, scholarly writing and scientific publication, networking support, improved student retention, timely completion of the project, and career readiness, as well as developing one's own mentoring skills for future mentoring of others. Despite the identified benefits, there are a number of barriers related to mentoring including access to mentorship support, limited mentoring skills among faculty, and lack of compatibility between students and mentors. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlighted students' expectations versus their reality of mentoring, which suggested areas for improvement in mentoring doctoral nursing students, in particular the need for mentorship competency, support, and compatibility. Additionally, there is a need for more robust research designs to understand the nature and characteristics of mentorship programs for doctoral nursing students and to assess the expectations and wider experiences of mentors.

A programmatic taxonomy to define, differentiate, and classify nurse practitioner postgraduate training.

ABSTRACT: Postgraduate residencies and fellowships have become a growing foundational element in the early career path for new nurse practitioners (NPs) and for NPs changing areas of specialization. The proposed programmatic taxonomy provides a straightforward method to recognize and classify NP postgraduate training programs with differing missions, structures, and outcome objectives. Models of postgraduate training for NPs are identified, defined, and differentiated. Each model can serve as an essential and specific purpose for the sponsoring organization. The programmatic models for NP postgraduate training programs are residency, fellowship, and "additional programs." Differences between residency and fellowship are described. The taxonomy then compares and contrasts the three models on five overarching programmatic characteristics, namely, mission, goals, environment, evaluation, and duration. The potential impact of adopting the NP postgraduate training taxonomy on the NP profession, the public, funding, accreditation, and the early career development of NPs is explored. Recommendations for next steps are suggested.

A Virtual World: New Graduate Education in the Era of COVID-19.

In this article, the authors share strategies of adult learning principles for successful transition to virtual learning for new graduate clinical nurses. Knowles' theory was used to redesign a simulation-based education approach to fulfill the diverse learning needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The delivery of efficient, effective, and meaningful education was achieved by leveraging technology. This evidence-based strategy was delivered via a cost-effective virtual platform that offered improved accessibility and convenience of education without compromising the quality of the educational outcomes, participant engagement, or learner satisfaction. This virtual platform incorporating a variety of active learning strategies exhibited effective practices, engaging the new graduate clinical nurses and enhancing their acquiring, retaining, and applying knowledge in providing high-quality and safe patient care. It demonstrated the promise that virtual education holds for future programs to enhance professional development and build the nursing workforce. Nurse educators can be instrumental in advancing this virtual agenda. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(7):307-311.].

Postgraduate Programs in Orthopaedic Surgery for Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners.

Postgraduate orthopaedic programs for physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) number 14 as of 2020. To better understand the characteristics of these programs a census was undertaken. The result is that most programs are 1 year in duration and in 2019 produced 40 graduates. The role of the orthopaedic PA and NP fellow is to gain an understanding of a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders, develop procedural skills, first assist in the operating room, and facilitate management of patients and discharge throughput. PA and NP fellows work alongside categorical orthopaedic physician residents. The number of graduates from PA orthopaedic training programs is estimated at 200, spanning 20 years. The other 11,145 + PAs (99%) are trained on-the-job. For hospital systems, the employment of orthopaedic postgraduate PA and NP fellows provides value through cost management and billable services.

Quantifying and Remediating the New Graduate Nurse Resident Academic-Practice Gap Using Online Patient Simulation.

BACKGROUND: There is an ever-widening academic-practice gap. Less than one third of new graduates demonstrate entry-level competencies required for practice. Hospitals expend many resources to create nurse residency programs to remediate this gap. Online interactive case simulation is effective to increase competencies and decrease the length of orientation and rate of turnover. The aims of this pilot research study were to quantify the academic-practice gap and to strengthen areas of development for competent and safe clinical practice through use of an online patient simulation program. METHOD: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study using an online patient simulation program was implemented in a convenience sample of nurse residents over 16 months. RESULTS: Twenty-nine residents completed more than 3,400 patient simulations. Improvement in pretest and posttest metrics included 100% of nurse residents committing a sentinel error event decreased to 20.7%, 766 medication errors decreased to 160, and failed-to-rescue an average of 81% of the time decreased to 23%. CONCLUSION: Interactive online patient simulation programs provide a powerful learning methodology in which learners improve patient safety and reduce failures to rescue. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(5):240-247.].

Percepción de la Calidad del Proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje según las dimensiones planificación, ejecución y evaluación en estudiantes de maestría de enfermería / Nursing Master's Students' Perception about the Quality of the Teaching-Learning Process in the Dimensions Planning, Execution and Evaluation

Introducción: La búsqueda de la calidad educativa es un desafío permanente en las instituciones universitarias, está asociada a diversos factores, entre los que predomina el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje; que es una política establecida por la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos que se orienta al buen vivir y a responder a las necesidades del país. Objetivo: Describir la percepción de la calidad del proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje según las dimensiones: planificación, ejecución y evaluación en estudiantes de maestría de enfermería. Métodos: Investigación descriptiva, transversal, en la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Facultad de Medicina, Maestría en Enfermería, período 2014 -2016. Se trabajó con toda la población, 65 estudiantes de maestría de enfermería. Se usó como técnica la entrevista y como instrumento una escala tipo Likert modificada, previamente validada por ocho jueces expertos y la prueba binomial (0,035), confiable mediante prueba piloto y el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson (0,96). Resultados: Sobre la calidad del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, 73 por ciento tenía una percepción medianamente favorable. En cuanto a las dimensiones se obtuvo similar percepción en la planificación 62 por ciento; 75 por ciento en ejecución y respecto a la evaluación 68 por ciento. Conclusiones: En los estudiantes de maestría de enfermería predominó la percepción medianamente favorable sobre la calidad del proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje, lo que implica establecer estrategias de retroalimentación para mejorar estos aspectos(AU)

Introduction: The search for educational quality is a permanent challenge in university institutions. It is associated with various factors, among which the teaching-learning process is highlighted. This is a policy established by Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos oriented towards good living and responding to the needs of the country. Objective: To describe a nursing master's students' perception about quality of the teaching-learning process according to the dimensions planning, execution and evaluation. Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional research carried out in the Nursing Master's course taught at the School of Medicine of Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in the period 2014-2016. We worked with the entire population of 65 nursing master's students. The interview was used as a technique. As an instrument, a modified Likert-type scale, previously validated by eight expert judges, was used, together with the binomial test (0.035), reliable by means of a pilot test, as well as Pearson's correlation coefficient (0.96). Results: Regarding quality of the teaching-learning process, 73 percent had a moderately favorable perception. Regarding the dimensions, a similar perception was obtained: 62 percent in planning, 75 percent in execution, and 68 percent in evaluation. Conclusions: Nursing master's students had a prevailing moderately favorable perception of the quality of the teaching-learning process, which implies establishing feedback strategies to improve these aspects(AU)

Aportes de la formación doctoral en la enfermería cubana / Contributions of Doctoral Training in Cuban Nursing

Introducción: La formación doctoral constituye una necesidad para la consolidación de la práctica de enfermería. Objetivo: Exponer los resultados alcanzados en Cuba por los profesionales de la enfermería durante la formación doctoral. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en el periodo 2005- 2018. Se analizaron los 57 egresados de las diferentes áreas de conocimiento: uno de Ciencias de la Comunicación, seis de Ciencias de la Salud, cinco de Ciencias de la Educación Médica, 23 de Ciencias Pedagógicas y 22 de Ciencias de la Enfermería. La fuente de información fueron las tesis doctorales. Resultados: Se obtuvieron resultados que constituyeron aportes a las diferentes áreas de conocimiento, entre ellos: metodologías para definición de funciones de enfermería, la identificación de competencias en el área de la neonatología y el desarrollo de capacidades para la realización de investigaciones en políticas y sistemas de salud. También se aportaron modelos teóricos de práctica para la atención a pacientes con afecciones oftalmológicas, la provisión de cuidados humanizados a la mujer durante el trabajo de parto y parto, la atención los pacientes con afecciones traumatológicas y ortopédicas y la consolidación de la relación enfermera-paciente-cuidador, en el servicio hospitalizado de geriatría. Conclusión: Los resultados aportados favorecen el ejercicio interdisciplinar durante la práctica y también suponen nuevos retos, que aún requieren incrementar el número de doctores en ciencias y para ello, consolidar el vínculo del pregrado y el posgrado(AU)

Introduction: Doctoral training is a necessity for the consolidation of nursing practice. Objective: To present the results achieved in Cuba by nursing professionals during doctoral training. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out in the period 2005-2018. The 57 graduates from the different areas of knowledge were analyzed: one of Communication Sciences, six of Health Sciences, five of Medical Education Sciences, 23 of Pedagogical Sciences and 22 of Nursing Sciences. The source of information was the doctoral theses. Results: Results were obtained that constituted contributions to the different areas of knowledge; for example, methodologies for defining nursing functions, the identification of competences in the area of neonatology, and the development of capacities to carry out research on policies and systems of health. Theoretical models of practice were also provided for the care of patients with ophthalmological conditions, the provision of humanized care to women during labor and delivery, the care of patients with trauma and orthopedic conditions, and the consolidation of the nurse-patient-caregiver relationship in the hospitalized geriatric service. Conclusion: The results provided improve interdisciplinary praxis during professional performance and also represents new challenges, which still require increasing the number of doctor of sciences and, in view of this, consolidating the link between the undergraduate and postgraduate levels(AU)

Exploring the role complexity and workforce needs of doctoral-prepared nurses.

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Nursing Services (ONS) is committed to encouraging and sustaining a positive culture that values doctoral-prepared nurses. Responding to needs cited in open-ended responses from the first ever survey of VHA's doctoral-prepared nurse workforce will require: providing and encouraging formal advanced degree achievement recognition; further opportunities for professional development and potential promotion; and support for nurse research activities at the local and national level. ONS recognizes the need for further research and evaluation related to VHA doctoral-prepared nurses to better understand both the outcomes they drive and what drives them.

Using a Manuscript Template to Foster Dissemination of Doctoral Students' Literature Reviews.

BACKGROUND: The author was asked to teach a new PhD course, Developing Literature Reviews. The course objective is to have students prepare a structured (e.g., integrative, systematic) literature review manuscript that is suitable for publication submission. METHOD: Course pedagogy and materials were created, including a novel literature review manuscript template. The template served as a guide for communicating essential section components of a rigorous and reproducible literature review manuscript and allowed for an iterative process and efficient faculty-student evaluation system to simulate the peer-review process. To measure student outcomes, standardized course evaluations were reviewed, and the number of students who were successful in disseminating manuscripts was recorded. RESULTS: Students' standardized course evaluations were high. Eighteen students published integrative or systematic literature reviews as first author. Eleven students have presented peer-reviewed abstracts at scientific conferences. CONCLUSION: The template successfully facilitates PhD student dissemination. The Doctor of Nursing Practice student pedagogy may also benefit from the template. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(2):111-115.].

Making explicit the development of PhD-prepared nurses to steward the discipline.

Leadership is a core curricular element of PhD programs in nursing. Our PhD faculty began a dialogue about being a leader, a steward of the discipline. We asked ourselves: (a) What expertise do PhD prepared nurse needs to begin to steward the discipline? (b) How do faculty engage PhD nursing students to assume responsibility for stewarding the discipline? Lastly, (c) How do we work with PhD nursing students to create their vision for how their work contributes to stewarding the discipline, from doctoral coursework throughout their career? We support the need for PhD graduates to have the skills to generate knowledge, conserve that which is important, and transform by disseminating new knowledge to a broad audience. Examples of nurses stewarding the discipline when pioneering research, critiquing traditional approaches to inquiry or trends in nursing practice, and developing policy, are highlighted along with examples of how PhD nursing students begin to steward the discipline.

Using Objective Structured Clinical Examination as a Teaching Tool in a Hybrid Advanced Health Assessment Course.

BACKGROUND: Advanced health assessment is a required course in advanced practice RN (APRN) education, essential to providing the foundation for differential diagnosis (DD) skills and the ability to formulate a plan of care. PROBLEM: Feedback from clinical preceptors revealed that our doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students struggled to make a DD. APPROACH: This educational quality improvement project collected data from 7 cohorts of DNP students in either the Family Nurse Practitioner or Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program to evaluate their readiness for clinical practicums and to inform necessary curriculum revisions. OUTCOMES: Data revealed that students' ability to identify 3 DDs correctly during the summative health assessment objective structured clinical examination was inconsistent. Qualitative data revealed students lacked understanding on how to use results from the physical assessment to formulate a DD. CONCLUSION: The findings of this project corroborate those from the literature that suggest we should teach APRN students DD skills explicitly.

Inconsistency in Faculty and Student Perceptions of DNP and PhD Leader Scholarly Activity.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify faculty and student perceptions of scholarly activities for doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and PhD leaders. BACKGROUND: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing describes DNP as a practice-focused degree and PhD as a research-focused degree. In 2016, the Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing (now Association for Leadership Science in Nursing) published in the Journal of Nursing Administration sample practice objectives for DNP and research objectives for PhD leaders. METHODS: Using the published objectives, we surveyed faculty and students to quantify congruence with the publication and consistency within groups. The data informed intraprofessional education constructed using action research. RESULTS: There was low congruence between faculty and student responses with the article. PhD faculty had the least, and PhD students, the greatest, consistency in survey responses. CONCLUSIONS: Confusion exists within our faculty and students around differentiating PhD and DNP scholarly activities. Data supported need to clarify scholarly role boundaries through intraprofessional education.

Exploring telehealth in the graduate curriculum.

BACKGROUND: With an increase in patient demand and a decrease in healthcare professionals, telehealth is able to provide needed services to patients, but appropriate training in telehealth is crucial for providers to deliver excellent patient care. METHOD: Nurse researchers developed a quality improvement project targeting telehealth in the graduate nursing curriculum. A two-part evidence-based curriculum was developed for graduate family nurse practitioner (FNP) students. Part one consisted of a lecture that focused on increasing students' knowledge, and part two enhanced skills through simulation. RESULTS: Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative surveys. The qualitative data were analyzed for themes and statistical analysis of the quantitative data was completed (t-scores and descriptive statistics). Results showed that FNP students perceived the telehealth curriculum as educational and recommend it be continued for future FNP cohorts. CONCLUSION: Using evidence-based practice and telehealth experts graduate nursing programs should introduce the telehealth curriculum for FNP students through in class lecture and simulation.

Use of Course-Specific Open Educational Resources in a Graduate Nursing Course.

BACKGROUND: This article evaluates a single-institution educational innovation using course-specific open educational resources (OER). METHOD: This educational innovation uses a course-specific library resource guide of OERs and evaluates students' perspectives on the quality, integration, and experience with the resources. At the completion of a nursing graduate course, the OER Satisfaction Scale was administered to the course participants. The course-specific OERs were assessed compared to students' experiences with traditional course materials. RESULTS: The overall score on the OER Satisfaction Scale was 4.01 on a 5-point Likert Scale. Students appreciated that the resources were free and found that the information was manageable and easy to navigate. However, they were challenged with shutting out other distractions and taking useful notes. CONCLUSION: Using OERs enhanced student engagement with the course content by requiring learners to assume a more active role as course participants. Further work is needed to understand the effectiveness of OERs, particularly in graduate nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(10):577-580.].