Examining Student Preparation for Advancing Care in a Diverse Society.

BACKGROUND: Although many nursing programs include health equity in their curriculum, research investigating the efficacy of such curricula often is lacking. METHOD: Using criterion sampling, school of nursing alumni who could speak about their graduate preparation and current experiences working with diverse patient populations were recruited for this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 alumni regarding their curricular, clinical, and co-curricular experiences as graduate students to better understand the strengths and gaps in their preparation as health professionals. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged from the analysis of interview transcripts (n = 22). These themes included: (1) diversity and representation; (2) implicit bias and microaggressions; (3) skills and knowledge areas; and (4) supplemental learning through co-curricular experiences. CONCLUSION: Implications for policy, curriculum innovation, and clinical practice can better prepare students to advance care for a diverse society. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(4):228-232.].

Work With ChatGPT, Not Against: 3 Teaching Strategies That Harness the Power of Artificial Intelligence.

BACKGROUND: Technological advances have expanded nursing education to include generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. PROBLEM: Generative AI tools challenge academic integrity, pose a challenge to validating information accuracy, and require strategies to ensure the credibility of AI-generated information. APPROACH: This article presents a dual-purpose approach integrating AI tools into prelicensure nursing education to enhance learning while promoting critical evaluation skills. Constructivist theories and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development framework support this integration, with AI as a scaffold for developing critical thinking. OUTCOMES: The approach involves practical activities for students to engage with AI-generated content critically, thereby reinforcing clinical judgment and preparing them for AI-prevalent health care environments. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating AI tools such as ChatGPT into nursing curricula represents a strategic educational advancement, equipping students with essential skills to navigate modern health care.

Perceptions of nursing staff and students regarding attrition: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: This research aims to explore the perceptions of nursing students and directors of bachelor of nursing degree courses regarding reasons for attrition amongst nursing students. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using inductive thematic analysis. The study included a purposeful sample of 12 students and 4 directors of bachelor of nursing degree courses. RESULTS: As reasons for attrition, the directors highlighted a lack of preparation for nursing studies and students' limited awareness of possibilities for support and learning. The students emphasized insufficient support from academic staff and poor course organization. Economic and family issues and a misunderstanding of the professional role of a nurse were cited as reasons by both directors and students. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide important insight into attrition in the nursing programme. Further research is warranted, particularly in other contexts. Addressing student attrition requires a comprehensive approach that includes the provision of adequate support systems, mentorship, and resources for students.

Queering the Poster: Disruptive Knowledge at the AACN Diversity Symposium.

BACKGROUND: This article advances theory to practice by describing the application of queer norm-critical pedagogy to a poster given as part of a virtual session at the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity Symposium. METHOD: The authors created and facilitated the experience of a queered, conceptual poster, inviting a critical appraisal of both the limits and the possibilities of knowledge sharing and co-creation among nurse educators and nursing scholars. RESULTS: The poster was and remains a multimodal, democratic, space/time-transgressing performance whose reach extended well beyond the Symposium in both time and (virtual) space. CONCLUSION: Inviting learners into this co-created, ongoing educational activity up-ends the hierarchies of conference participation, breaking the fourth wall. This kind of work also has potential for the classroom. With planning and creativity, nursing educators can use the methods described here to queer their teaching. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(4):265-267.].

Learning Environments in Undergraduate Nursing Education During COVID-19: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed nursing education. PURPOSE: To map the existing literature on learning environments (LEs) in undergraduate nursing education during COVID-19 and identify the LE elements based on the 4 domains of Gruppen's conceptual framework: personal, social, organizational, and physical and virtual spaces. METHOD: Eligible articles were reviewed using the Joanna Briggs framework. RESULTS: The search retrieved 5003 articles, of which 80 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional and conducted in the United States. Of the studies included, 68 studies focused on the personal component of students, 67 investigated physical and virtual space components, 19 examined the social domain, and 15 examined organizational aspects. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the LE of nursing students. Based on the current review of LE in nursing education, nurse educators and researchers can develop interventions to maintain the quality and accessibility of nursing education in future crises.

Evaluation of Nursing Coursework for Biased Content.

ABSTRACT: Bias-free content in nursing education prepares students to provide equitable care. The process of assessing content promotes the dismantling of systemic bias in health care, advancing social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Unfortunately, there are no published studies to guide the evaluation of nursing curricula for the presence of bias. This innovative project aimed to identify bias in a course and develop a structure to guide the wider evaluation of the curriculum to identify and remove biased content. A modified version of the Upstate Bias Checklist was applied to a 15-week, three-semester hour, prelicensure, graduate-level nursing course.

Increasing Diversity in the Advanced Practice Nursing Workforce Through Partnerships With Historically Black Colleges.

BACKGROUND: Health inequities have enhanced efforts to diversify the nursing workforce. Despite recruitment strategies, the percentage of Black nurse practitioners (NPs) lags in comparison with the populous. PROBLEM: Barriers to improving workforce diversity can be traced to academic nursing's lack of diversity in faculty, under-resourced education opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds, and historical hurdles. APPROACH: One systems-level approach to increasing NP workforce diversity is developing pathway programs aimed at preparing, recruiting, and supporting Black students into advanced practice nursing education. Current undergraduate RN students from 2 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) attended a 1-week summer immersion program at a graduate school of nursing at a predominately White institution. CONCLUSION: Pathway programs for Black undergraduate RN students show promise for increasing awareness of graduate nursing, offering race and ethnicity concordant mentorship, and cultivating deep awareness for health equity.