Knowledge, Attitudes, Confidence, and comfort of Nurses and Nursing Students Caring for Military Veterans and Their Families.

BACKGROUND: National initiatives such as 'Joining Forces' and the 'Have you ever served in the military?' campaign increased awareness of the needs of the military and veteran population. Yet, empirical evidence suggests that nurses and other healthcare providers continue to report insufficient cultural competency, as well as knowledge and awareness of unique healthcare needs to provide optimal care to this population. PURPOSES: The study purposes were to explore nurses' and nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and comfort levels to care for veterans and their family, identify potential factors associated with these outcome measures, and examine the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and comfort. METHOD: A quantitative, cross-sectional study design guided an online survey of 153 respondents. The military and veteran family cultural competency model provided a theoretical foundation. FINDINGS: Overall, the confidence in skills and abilities, and comfort levels on addressing military culture, providing care, and discussing health issues increases as participants' gain knowledge and awareness of the military. Having an immediate family member(s) who served in the military was a significant factor related to confidence. IMPLICATIONS: Nursing students and nurses in practice need education aimed at addressing the veteran care competencies, specifically military/veteran culture.

Supporting nursing faculty to teach veteran's care: a mixed method, multi-intervention study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to (a) describe nurse educators' attitudes towards veterans after workshop participation, (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and timed digital interventions (TDI) on nurse educators' integration of veteran-centered content into their courses and curricula, and (c) describe nurse educators' experiences with transferring learning from the workshop to teaching practice. METHODS: A longitudinal multi-intervention, multi-method pilot study was conducted using pre- and post-workshop surveys and interviews. RESULTS: Twenty-six nurse faculty reported a neutral attitude toward working with veterans during the pre-workshop survey period. TDIs kept veteran-centered content fresh on faculty minds, yielding evidence of integration into nursing courses. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing faculty preparation and development is crucial to effectively integrate specific veteran care content into nursing education to ensure a competent and culturally sensitive workforce. Integrating TDIs using widely accessible technologies is a cost-effective way of increasing engagement with new information and bridge implementation gaps associated with traditional professional development activities.

Using Digital Interventions to Support Faculty Development and Enhance Learning Transfer.

BACKGROUND: New approaches to faculty development are needed. A longitudinal multimodal approach to faculty development was undertaken to enhance content learning transfer from a workshop to teaching practice. METHOD: Ten timed digital interventions were delivered to nurse educators every 3 to 4 weeks over 10 months following a 5-hour workshop. The Kirkpatrick model was used to evaluate the intervention. RESULTS: Postintervention results support timed digital interventions as an innovative way to leverage technology used by faculty every day to facilitate transfer of learning of veteran-centered care content covered during a workshop to their teaching practice. CONCLUSION: Future considerations include application to other areas of nursing education practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Influencing leadership in nursing education and practice: A qualitative study of military nurse officers.

BACKGROUND: The potential positive impact military nurse officers (MNOs) make on the nursing profession, as well as lessons learned, often is unknown beyond inner military circles. PURPOSE: Describe the experiences of MNOs in the advancement of the profession of nursing and nursing education, and how military service influenced nurse leaders' impact on civilian practice. METHOD: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative study using semistructured interviews of MNOs (N = 21). FINDINGS: Analysis revealed three themes: Deliberately developing personal leadership capacity, Building bench strength through team investment, and Balancing people and systems to achieve the mission. DISCUSSION: Leader development in the military afforded participants the necessary skills to advance the profession of nursing and nursing education in multiple ways that span individual, group/team, and organizational impact. Transferability and application of these skills to civilian settings may enhance leader development in nurses without military service.

Assessment of Nurse Educator Leadership: Instrument Development and Psychometric Analysis.

AIM: Study purposes were to 1) establish the relevance and clarity of a new instrument, the Leadership in Nursing Education (LNE©) for nurse educators, and 2) provide evidence to support the reliability and validity of the LNE. BACKGROUND: The future of nursing education is dependent upon the leadership of nurse faculty. Competency development requires self-assessment to engage in meaningful pathways for leadership development. METHOD: A Delphi study was conducted with 50 nurse faculty leaders to determine the content validity of the LNE. The final instrument was then sent to nurse faculty across the United States to assess its psychometric properties. RESULTS: The LNE was determined to be a reliable instrument for the population tested. Three distinct subscales emerged from the exploratory factor analysis: strategic, relational, and authentic. CONCLUSION: The LNE fills a gap in nurse educator leadership assessment and provides evidence to support the instrument's reliability and validity.

The NLN/Jonas Ten-Year Story: Perceptions of Nurse Educator Scholars.

ABSTRACT: The aim of the NLN/Jonas Scholars Program is to support doctoral nursing students whose program of research focuses on research in nursing education. As a 10-year review, 23 nursing students pursuing a doctorate participated in focus groups with the goal of describing the influence of a year-long mentoring program on their career trajectory. Analysis of the data revealed two themes: having someone believe in me and my research topic and being mentored and learning to mentor others. The findings support that being skilled in conducting pedagogical research with mentorship advances nursing education practice, scholarship, and leadership.

Faculty as Learners: Neuroscience in Action.

BACKGROUND: Today's nursing education environment requires a contemporary approach to teaching and learning that consistently challenges nurse educators to develop their expertise and embrace advanced teaching techniques. The application of neuroscience principles is one such approach. METHOD: For this descriptive study, nurse faculty (N = 16) attending a 10-week faculty development course were recruited to participate in focus groups. Discussion topics included the influences of a program using neuroscience principles to enrich an educator's teaching practice. RESULTS: Qualitative content analysis resulted in a model depicting a safe learning container contributing to a cognitive shift from teaching to learning in mind. Safe learning included communication of shared vulnerability, intentionality, and transparency. The shift required energy, risk taking, and time. CONCLUSION: The findings contribute to an increased understanding of how neuroscience principles are perceived through direct application by faculty using a novel approach to teaching and learning, thus advancing the science of nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(5):291-297.].

Cognitive and Noncognitive Factors Influencing Nursing Students' Academic Success: Structural Equation Model Analysis.

AIM: The study aim was to identify and explore relationships among cognitive and noncognitive factors that may contribute to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students' academic success across their program of study. BACKGROUND: Nurse educators are challenged to improve students' academic success. With limited evidence, cognitive and noncognitive factors have been identified in the literature as potential factors that influence academic success and may support students' readiness for practice as new graduate nurses. METHOD: Data sets from 1,937 BSN students at multiple campuses were analyzed using an exploratory design and structural equation modeling. CONCLUSION: Six factors were conceptualized as contributing equally to the initial cognitive model. The final noncognitive model, with deletion of two factors, yielded the best fit for the four-factor model. Cognitive and noncognitive factors were not significantly correlated. This study provides a beginning understanding of cognitive and noncognitive factors associated with academic success that may support readiness for practice.

Nurse Faculty Administrators' Experiences of Communication, Cooperation, Coordination, and Collaboration During Educational Disruption.

AIM: The primary purposes of the study were to describe nurse faculty administrators' experiences of rapid transition and disruption in nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: The disruption and shift to remote learning for nursing education programs posed challenges for these administrators. METHOD: A descriptive survey methodology with a convenience sample was used with the Four Cs of Disaster Partnering framework. RESULTS: The findings revealed that key elements of the Four Cs framework played a role in the successful adaptation to new learning environment realities. Time was an overarching finding. Connectedness with faculty, staff, and students was a significant challenge. CONCLUSION: The application of the Four Cs of Disaster Partnering framework demonstrated utility for examining academic nurse administrators' preparedness.

The Feasibility of Accelerating to Practice™ for Senior Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Capstone Experience.

ABSTRACT: With the ongoing debate on transition-to-practice gaps and lack of readiness for practice by novice nurses, curricular enhancements and innovation are imperative. A feasibility study was undertaken to inform and assess the integration of an Accelerating to Practice (A2P) curriculum in an academic context. Data from senior capstone students, faculty, and clinical preceptors provide evidence of the usefulness and applicability of A2P to provide intentional learning outcomes targeted at new graduates' areas of weakness. This experience was aimed at clinical decision-making with psychomotor skill-laden activities deemphasized. A2P scaffolding aided in deeper learning and resulted in improved student learning.

Building Academic Leadership Capacity Through Coaching.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of coaching in a 12-month leadership development program for nurse faculty and administrators who transition to leadership positions or who aspire to lead. BACKGROUND: There is a critical need in nursing education to build leadership capacity. One strategy to foster leadership development is through coaching. Although developmental leadership programs for nurse educators exist, limited empirical data exist in nursing academia examining the effectiveness of coaching on leadership. METHOD: The design was qualitative descriptive. Using a semistructured interview guide, participants ( N = 12) responded to open-ended questions about their coaching experience. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed three themes: encouraging intentional reflection of self and leadership, validating perceptions of challenging professional situations, and strategizing options for action plans and behaviors. CONCLUSION: Coaching holds a great deal of promise as a means to develop the next generation of academic nurse leaders.

Veteran Competencies in Nursing Textbooks: Implications for Educators.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the adequacy of military/veteran-related content in nursing textbooks used in prelicensure programs. BACKGROUND: With increased numbers of veterans receiving care in civilian settings, nurses may lack essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes outlined in competencies required to provide culturally sensitive veteran-centered care. One explanation for this may be inadequate preparation during prelicensure nursing education. METHOD: A quantitative, descriptive study guided the analysis and rating of 32 key words in 24 textbooks across eight content areas. RESULTS: Key words were included in most textbooks but frequently not connected to military service or veterans. The key word with the highest mean rating was posttraumatic stress disorder; the highest rated content area was psychiatric/mental health. CONCLUSION: With limited textbook resources, nurse faculty must engage in deliberate efforts to include veteran content in nursing curricula. As competency-based education trends evolve, these findings are relevant and should be considered in curricular design and revision.

Analysis of Content Gaps in Prelicensure Nursing Textbooks to Meet Veteran Care Competencies.

BACKGROUND: Despite the Joining Forces initiative and recently published veteran care competencies, nursing students and graduates are often unprepared to care for veterans who have unique service-connected illnesses and injuries. PURPOSE: The purpose was to evaluate identified content gaps in prelicensure nursing textbooks with the veteran care competencies knowledge, skills, and attitude (KSA) domains. METHODS: A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted of veteran content in prelicensure nursing textbooks. RESULTS: The skills and attitude domains of veteran care competencies were poorly addressed in nursing textbooks. Overall, the knowledge domain was adequately covered; however, most had limited connection with veterans and veteran care. Competency-focused recommendations for expanding and enhancing veteran content, KSAs, and teaching strategies are offered. CONCLUSIONS: Prelicensure textbooks met the knowledge domain for each veteran competency. Overcoming content gaps needed to achieve requisite skills and attitudes requires interaction with veterans through clinical immersion experiences in various care settings.