An Innovative Academic/Practice Partnership to Support Nursing Workforce Needs and Student Clinical Education.

ABSTRACT: Innovation is needed to solve nursing workforce issues during times of crisis. A collaborative effort between a hospital system and several universities resulted in the Bridge to Professional Practice Program that was implemented during a period of high patient volume and nursing student downtime. The program provided support for staffing needs and clinical hours to promote readiness for practice for students. The program evaluation outcomes and recommendations for improvement are addressed.

Nursing Education Practice Update 2022: Competency-Based Education in Nursing.

Introduction: Competency-based education (CBE) is increasingly emphasized in nursing. Professional organizations and regulatory bodies are calling for radical transformation in nursing education along with increased emphasis on developing clinical judgment. Methods: This practice update article provides a brief history of CBE in a variety of educational settings including health professions education and demonstrates the value of CBE strategies. The article also provides examples of the application of CBE to nursing education. Conclusion: CBE offers the opportunity to enhance interprofessional education, increase the use of simulation, and improve clinical judgment in new graduate and advanced practice nurses.

Reshaping the Future: An Innovative Academic-Practice Collaboration for COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for health care organizations, schools of nursing, and surrounding communities. Health care organizations encountered rapidly changing guidelines and shortages in the health care workforce and critical medical supplies. Schools of nursing were responding to abrupt suspensions of clinical placements, uncertainties about the transmission of the novel virus, and shortages of personal protective equipment. Despite these challenges, health care organizations and schools of nursing were laser-focused on the need to ensure a competent nursing workforce and timely pandemic response efforts. Thus, an innovative academic-practice collaboration between Yale New Haven Hospital and Quinnipiac University School of Nursing was developed to meet community vaccination and testing needs. The partnership was designed to provide undergraduate student nurses with valuable community health clinical hours during the spring 2021 semester while meeting the hospital's needs for supporting the COVID-19 vaccine clinics and testing sites. The positive outcomes of the collaboration and specific lessons learned are discussed.

Educating Nursing Students Through the Pandemic: The Essentials of Collaboration.

INTRODUCTION: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting regulatory educational requirements and graduating students competent for nursing practice was essential. Competent graduates were needed to support a strong nursing workforce in Connecticut during this chaotic time in health care. This paper describes the powerful impact of statewide collaboration toward meeting this goal. METHODS: The Connecticut League for Nursing Council of Deans and Directors (Council) organized six work groups to address the practice issues brought about by COVID-19 to continue educating nursing students and ensure a robust nursing workforce for the state. Volunteers from the Council offered to lead the groups and members joined based on interest. The six work groups were: (1) enhance communication with the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing (BOEN), (2) examine academic progression policies across programs to ensure academic rigor, (3) examine integration of nursing students into professional practice and the provision of support for new graduates, (4) Strategize on transition to practice issues, (5) ensure APRN students meet the required 500 precepted direct client care hours, and (6) examine summer clinical experience options for RN and LPN students. CONCLUSION: The Council's top priority was to graduate competent nursing students ready for practice. This necessitated the establishment of a framework for ongoing deep, timely discussions among Council members and with the BOEN regarding the new education imperative for creative patient care learning experiences. Through collaborative efforts, the Council was able to enhance robust and timely sharing of strategies, policies, and other guidelines. The Council has partnered with the Connecticut Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, and the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce to provide a strong united nursing voice for executive decision-making and within the political arena in support of the role of nursing students and faculty, and their continuous involvement within direct caregiving environments.

Perceived Patient Safety Competence of Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Descriptive Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Patient safety is an issue of utmost concern within health care. An interrelated approach between nursing education and practice is needed. For more than a decade, nursing education programs have responded to calls for curricular reform, integrating strategies to prepare graduates for safe nursing practice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the descriptive study was to examine self-perceived safety competencies among baccalaureate (BSN) nursing students at end of program (n = 72) using the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey. In addition to the objective of describing self-perceived safety competencies of BSN students, another objective was to investigate any significant differences in self-perceived competencies between traditional 4-year and accelerated 12-month program students. METHODS: A descriptive comparative design was used with a purposive sample of baccalaureate nursing students from both traditional and accelerated second-degree programs at a comprehensive university in the Northeast. RESULTS: Students rated self-confidence with patient safety learned in the clinical environment higher than within the classroom setting. Overall, students reported a high level of self-confidence within each of the seven patient safety dimensions with knowledge gained from the clinical setting higher than knowledge gained from the classroom setting. Paired t-test analyses revealed statistically significant differences (p < .05) between self-confidence gained in classroom and clinical environments with communicating effectively and managing safety risks. Independent t-test analyses revealed accelerated students reported lower self-confidence than traditional students, with statistically significant differences (p < .05) in dimensions of culture of safety, working in teams, managing safety risks, and disclosing adverse events/close calls. CONCLUSION: In most patient safety dimensions, students felt confident with their competencies within each of the dimensions of patient safety. Results also revealed that accelerated second-degree students report lower confidence with their knowledge of patient safety gained from classroom and clinical settings. Nursing programs must continue to emphasize a culture of safety within the nursing curriculum.

After the Gap Analysis: Education and Practice Changes to Prepare Nurses of the Future.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to describe the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition's work in identifying and addressing gaps between nursing education and practice based on the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report. BACKGROUND: Massachusetts Nurse of the Future (NOF) Competencies highlight the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/behaviors required for professional nurses. Integrating these concepts into the educational system will prepare the nursing workforce to respond to current/future health care needs and population health issues. METHOD: Education and practice partners in four regions conducted a gap analysis of the education to practice transition for new graduate nurses using NOF as a framework for assessment. RESULTS: Gaps in competencies were similar across regions. However, each organization uniquely addressed curricular gaps to best prepare nurses of the future. CONCLUSION: Curriculum improvements will provide students the advantage of being prepared for the rapid changes happening in health care.

Technology Use and Technological Self-Efficacy Among Undergraduate Nursing Faculty.

AIM: This study explored faculty responses to a survey about using technology to teach undergraduate nursing students. BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding faculty confidence, technology use, or supports for integrating technology into nursing education. METHOD: A descriptive correlational design was utilized to explore the relationship between technology use and technological self-efficacy in faculty (N = 272) who teach at Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education-accredited nursing programs. Instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Roney Technology Use Scale, and the Technology Self-Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: Participants who taught didactic content had moderate technology use as compared to those teaching didactic and clinical/laboratory who reported high levels of technology use. A weak relationship between age and technological self-efficacy (ρ = .127, p < .05) was also found. CONLUSION: This research was an initial step in understanding levels of technology use and responses to this challenge by undergraduate nursing faculty.

Enhancing evidence bases for interventions in a baccalaureate program.

Modifying the sequence, objectives, and research-based content for a nursing interventions course in a baccalaureate curriculum resulted in improved outcomes including enhancement of the evidence bases for nursing interventions. A mixed methods research study demonstrated better student preparation for clinical experiences and improved satisfaction with course content, consistency, and sequencing. Faculty reported improved integration of theory, research, and practice. Although grades were slightly lower in the new course, the positive outcomes greatly outweighed this expected finding. A foundation for improving the evidence bases for future nursing practice is guided by the curricular modifications described in this article.