Creating a Statewide Nurse Residency: Using an Apprenticeship Model.

The Institute of Medicine recommends residency programs be implemented for new graduates across all settings, yet hospitals have not consistently hardwired this into their organizations. The value proposition is in recruitment, retention, and the conservation of resources. New Jersey's experiences using the US Department of Labor apprenticeship model for nurse residency programs provides a strategy that can be implemented on a statewide basis.

Nurse Residency Immersion: Moving From a Predetermined Length to Competency-Based Validation.

Structured, evidence-based nurse residency programs have been accepted as necessary for the successful transition of new graduate nurses, and the coordination of programs is a large part of the nursing professional development practitioner role. Using best practices, the nursing professional development practitioner determines the development and design of the nurse residency program, including identification of competencies, curriculum, clinical experiences, and residency length.

Organizational Readiness of a Health System for Nurse Residency Program Accreditation.

The project aim was to assess the readiness of a healthcare organization to successfully achieve national accreditation of its nurse residency program and to determine the program's capacity to meet the accreditation standards. The only other discoverable article published related to this topic was conducted by Franquiz and Seckman (2016). This project further expands on their study and adds to the body of knowledge regarding organizational readiness to undergo nurse residency program accreditation.

Identifying and evaluating gaps in knowledge, skills, and qualities necessary for a career in academia.

INTRODUCTION: Due to demands for qualified faculty and educators, more pharmacy residency programs have adopted resident teaching certificate programs (RTCP). There is a lack of standardization and published research on what should be included in these programs. The primary objective of this study was to utilize an online survey to identify and evaluate perceived gaps in skills, qualities, and knowledge needed for a successful career in academia. METHODS: An IRB-approved Qualtrics® survey was developed and emailed to faculty at Ohio colleges of pharmacy in January 2018. RESULTS: Eighty of 299 total surveys (26.8%) were completed by faculty with representation from all seven colleges in Ohio. When asked to select from a provided list, the top five self-identified gaps in knowledge at the beginning of their career were: accreditation (80.56%), institutional finance (79.17%), programmatic assessment (79.17%), admissions/marketing (77.78%), and experiential site recruitment/retention (77.78%). However, when asked to list five gaps as a free response, the most common themes were tenure, teaching, research, curriculum, and work life balance/time management. Additional questions assessed skills, qualities, resources, and faculty development techniques. CONCLUSIONS: There are many identifiable gaps that participants recalled experiencing in their early years as a faculty member. The number of RTCPs is growing and RTCPs are often the only training residents receive in direct relation to academia and pedagogy. It is critical that RTCPs cover consistent content to expose residents to a career in academia and teach skills that residents need to successfully educate others.

Nursing students' perception of the quality of clinical learning: a mixed methods inquiry.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: As part of the Nursing Degree Course, the "internship" period represents a strategic lever to systemize the fundamental combination of theoretical study and nursing practice. However, only a few studies have examined in depth students' perception of this experience. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of the places in which the University of Parma's Nursing students did their internships based on their experience. METHODS: Through a quantitative and qualitative study, students who had completed at least one clinical internship (n.200) were asked to fill out a self-report questionnaire on the quality of learning using the CLEQUEI scale (1) and answer a few social and demographical questions. In addition to the questionnaire, 24 narrative interviews (semi-structured) were conducted; these interviews deepened the significance of the assigned internship experience. RESULTS: Throughout all the clinical contexts that were analyzed, the dimension of the perceived quality of the internship averaged a value ≥ 44 (the minimum cut-off indicating the presence of necessary elements to promote the processes of quality clinical learning). The perceived quality dimension particularly stands out in the Pediatric Area, in which it amounted to a mean value of 66 (close to the maximum cut-off value of > 66). This result indicates the opportunity to further develop the processes used in students' quality clinical learning. The latter describe the internship as a moment of both personal and professional growth of fundamental importance in one's own training process. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the University of Parma's Nursing students have a good perception of the quality of clinical learning. The significance of assigned internship presents some elements which are a relevant part of the new paradigm. However, there are still some aspects which need improvement, such as the necessity to reevaluate certain parts of the teaching organization of the professionalizing activities and of the clinical internships throughout the duration of the three-year course.

Accreditation of Transition to Practice Programs: Assessing the Value and Impact.

Accreditation of transition to practice (TTP) programs are rapidly increasing. A review was completed on 13 TTP programs, accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program. The review found six benefits of TTP accreditation that can translate into value for organizations. Nursing professional development practitioners should seek accreditation for TTP programs to elevate the potential for funding from national agencies.

Perceptions of acute care nurse residencies: Perspectives from one state.

AIM: To describe how new nurses transition into practice in acute care settings. BACKGROUND: The Institute of Medicine (2010) landmark report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health recommends implementing nurse residency programs. However, not all organizations in the state have offered them. Evaluation of the effectiveness of them has been weak. METHOD: A qualitative study using content analysis was conducted. Six focus groups were held 19 educators, 21 nurse residents and 10 chief nursing officers. Co-investigators reviewed the data separately and then met to analyse common categories to gain consensus. RESULTS: Five major categories were identified: pre-residency, program structure, preceptor, resident support and evaluation with additional sub-categories. Although the participants agreed that a residency program was important, the results showed an incongruence between what was needed and what was provided. CONCLUSION: An adequate supply of nurses for the future in health care systems is needed. Addressing transition to practice models can be one strategy that assists with retention of the new graduate. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse leaders need to evaluate the effectiveness of their current nurse residency programs. Standardizing curricula and data collection can improve measurement of outcomes.

The Journey to Accreditation of a Nurse Residency Program.

The purpose of this article is to describe the process from inception to accreditation of a post-baccalaureate nurse residency program between a VA Healthcare center and a university school of nursing so that other nurse educators can benefit from its development. Establishing a nurse residency program bridges the gap between education and practice and provides support to graduate nurses entering the workforce.

Simulated versus traditional occupational therapy placements: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Professional practise placements in occupational therapy education are critical to ensuring graduate competence. Australian occupational therapy accreditation standards allow up to 200 of a mandated 1000 placement hours to include simulation-based learning. There is, however, minimal evidence about the effectiveness of simulation-based placements compared to traditional placements in occupational therapy. We evaluated whether occupational therapy students completing a 40 hour (one week block) Simulated Clinical Placement (SCP) attained non-inferior learning outcomes to students attending a 40 hour Traditional Clinical Placement (TCP). METHODS: A pragmatic, non-inferiority, assessor-blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled trial involving students from six Australian universities was conducted. Statistical power analysis estimated a required sample of 425. Concealed random allocation was undertaken with a 1:1 ratio within each university. Students were assigned to SCP or TCP in one of three settings: vocational rehabilitation, mental health or physical rehabilitation. SCP materials were developed, manualised and staff training provided. TCPs were in equivalent practice areas. Outcomes were assessed using a standardised examination, unit grades, the Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised and student confidence survey. A generalised estimating equation approach was used to assess non-inferiority of the SCP to the TCP. RESULTS: Of 570 randomised students (84% female), 275 attended the SCP and 265 the TCP (n = 540, 94.7% retention). There were no significant differences between the TCP and SCP on (i) examination results (marginal mean difference 1.85, 95% CI: 0.46-3.24; P = 0.087); (ii) unit score (mean (SD) SCP: 71.9 (8.8), TCP: 70.34 (9.1); P = 0.066); or (iii) placement fail rate, assessed using the Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised (100% passed both groups). CONCLUSION: Students can achieve equivalent learning outcomes in a 40 hour simulated placement to those achieved in a 40 hour traditional placement. These findings provide assurance to students, educators and professional accreditation bodies that simulation can be embedded in occupational therapy education with good effect.

StrengthsFinder® signature themes of talent in pharmacy residents at four midwestern pharmacy schools.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: StrengthsFinder® is a widely-used assessment that can be used to help student pharmacists discover their talents (i.e., signature themes [STs]) and develop their leadership skills. The assessment has also been used in pharmacy residents, but the prevalence of various STs in that group has not been compared to those in student pharmacists. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Residents from four midwestern pharmacy institutions completed StrengthsFinder® 2.0 and received their top five STs. STs were organized and examined by domains (executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking). StrengthsFinder® data on student pharmacists were obtained from a previously published study. The distribution of the themes and domains was compared between residents and student pharmacists. FINDINGS: Responses from 31 residency program cohorts, including 290 pharmacy residents from a pool of 304 (95.4%) possible respondents, were included in the study. The learner ST was more frequently reported in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (42.8% versus 35.5%, p = 0.022). The woo and communication STs were also more frequently reported in the top five, while the consistency ST was reported less frequently in the top five in pharmacy residents versus student pharmacists (p < 0.05). The executing and relationship building domains had the highest average number of STs (1.58 and 1.56, respectively). DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY: The ST profile of pharmacy residents at residency programs affiliated with four midwestern schools of pharmacy is generally similar to that of pharmacy graduates. However, several STs were more or less prevalent in pharmacy residents. Recognition of these differences may assist residency program directors in marketing and design of programs and ranking of candidates.

Trainees' use of supervision for therapy with sexual minority clients: A qualitative study.

In the supervision literature, research on sexual orientation considerations often focuses on sexual minority supervisees and less often on their work with sexual minority clients. Yet both heterosexual and sexual minority supervisees serve sexual minority clients and may have different supervision needs. Twelve predoctoral interns from 12 APA-accredited counseling center internships were interviewed about how they made use of supervision for their work with a sexual minority client. The sample consisted of 6 heterosexual-identified supervisees and 6 supervisees who identified as lesbian, gay, or queer (LGQ). Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. All participants reported positive gains from supervision that carried over to their work with heterosexual and sexual minority clients, even when not all supervisors disclosed or discussed their own sexual orientation. Heterosexual supervisees used supervision to ensure that their heterosexuality does not interfere with an affirmative experience for their sexual minority client, whereas LGQ supervisees used supervision to explore differences in sexual identity development between themselves and their client to minimize the negative impact of overidentification. Thus, affirmative supervision may unfold with different foci depending on supervisees' sexual identity. Implications for training and supervision are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Implementation of a pharmacy research committee to enhance the pharmacy resident research experience.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents complete at least one research project as part of their graduation requirements. The research skills learned prepare residents to address research questions and generate evidence-based recommendations for patient care. However, there are multiple steps involved in a research project, and streamlining this process can be difficult. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), a large academic center located in Chicago, IL, developed a research committee (RC) to facilitate research within the department of pharmacy for residents and to maintain residency research support materials. These materials included a charter to help guide the organizational structure and operations of the RC, research timelines, and a seminar series. FINDINGS: The RC works to ensure that the residents overcome any challenges that they may incur during their research projects by setting clear expectations and milestones. Feedback is provided by the residents and incorporated into the research process and support materials. DISCUSSION: The RC allows for individualized attention and personalization of the research experience for each resident. The program endeavors each year to provide the message that publication should be the final goal of a research project and not presentation at a conference. SUMMARY: Pharmacy residents receive support from the RC from throughout the year, not only when issues surround their project arise. Institutions may implement or modify existing programs based upon the resources provided.

Sport science internships for learning: a critical view.

Sport science has gained vast popularity with students who have an interest in both physiology and the underpinning mechanisms of exercise concerning performance and health. The high numbers of graduates each year, coupled with the low number of graduate positions working in sports, has led to a high level of competition between students. To stand out from the crowd, sport science students may undertake an internship placement as part of their course, designed to enhance theoretical, practical, and soft skills in an applied setting. In the present article, we highlight some of the positives and negatives of sport science internships and ways in which they can be implemented and facilitated. Suggestions have also been provided to make students more aware of the reality of working in professional sports, which includes awareness of the potential for long and unsociable hours of work.

Evaluation of a health sciences internship for Latino and Native American library students.

PURPOSE: This paper presents a qualitative evaluation of a graduate-level internship for Latino and Native American library science students or students who are interested in serving those populations. METHODS: The authors analyzed semi-structured interviews with thirteen internship program graduates or participants. RESULTS: The analysis suggests that the program increased participants' interest in health sciences librarianship and led to improved career opportunities, both in health sciences libraries and other libraries with health information programming. It also highlights specific factors that are likely to contribute to the strength of career pipeline programs aiming to bring Latino and Native American students and students who are interested in serving those communities into health librarianship. CONCLUSIONS: Exposing graduate-level interns to a broad range of health sciences librarianship tasks, including outreach to Latino and Native American communities and formal mentorship, is likely to maximize interns' interests in both health sciences librarianship and service to these communities.