Development and Psychometric Testing of the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Skill Acquisition Tool.

AIM: This article reports the development and psychometric testing of an instrument to measure academic clinical nurse educator skill acquisition. BACKGROUND: Little research explores clinical nurse educator competence. METHOD: Using the National League for Nursing Academic Clinical Nurse Educator core competencies and a literature review, newly created clinical nurse educator skill acquisition items underwent two rounds of content validity testing. The resulting 40-item Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Skill Acquisition Tool was pilot tested with a convenience sample of 133 clinical nurse educators. RESULTS: The Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Skill Acquisition Tool demonstrated adequate validity and internal consistency reliability. Factor analysis identified two factors: facilitating clinical learning through the use of effective teaching, assessment, and evaluation and promoting nursing enculturation. CONCLUSION: Further use of this tool may provide insight about the psychometrics, offer information about clinical teaching competence, and could lead to improved orientation and mentoring programs for clinical nurse educators.

Generation Z Students in the Online Environment: Strategies for Nurse Educators.

BACKGROUND: Student enrollment in online learning is increasing. Generation Z students are now enrolled in higher education, including in online nursing courses. Faculty teaching in the online environment should consider best practices and learner characteristics to address the needs of this student generation. PROBLEM: Generation Z students prefer independent learning while still being socially connected to peers. Although this generation of students is comfortable with technology, their unique traits may create challenges for nurse educators teaching in online settings. APPROACH: This article provides strategies for nurse educators teaching Generation Z students in online learning environments. Ways to foster student engagement, stimulate intellectual development, and build rapport with students, while considering characteristics specific to this generation of learners, are offered. CONCLUSION: Online learning continues to develop as a means for educating nursing students. Using strategies for best online teaching practices while considering learner attributes will help students and educators be successful.

Nursing Faculty Roles in Prelicensure Baccalaureate Clinical Preceptorships.

ABSTRACT: Preceptorships, or use of experienced staff nurses (preceptors) to provide individualized guidance for nursing student learning in clinical settings, offer an alternative to the traditional clinical education approach where faculty work with groups of students. As faculty roles in implementing preceptorships are not well understood, a descriptive qualitative design was used to determine how faculty view their role. Themes and subthemes emerging from nine semistructured interviews revealed that faculty have various roles in preparing, maintaining, and evaluating preceptorships. Faculty also verbalized that they facilitate the transition from student to professional nurse during preceptorships.

The lived experience of nursing faculty developing as scholarly writers.

BACKGROUND: Nursing faculty are expected to disseminate scholarly work through publications, yet little is known about how faculty develop as scholarly writers. PURPOSE: This manuscript discusses a hermeneutic phenomenological research study that uncovered the experience of nursing faculty developing as scholarly writers. METHODS: Audiotaped personal interviews were conducted with 12 nursing faculty to understand the lived experience of nursing faculty developing as scholarly writers. A 5-step data analysis process consistent with phenomenology was used to identify common themes. RESULTS: Findings revealed five themes: pulling everything together, steering me in the direction, using feedback to grow, squeezing it in, and staying on task. CONCLUSION: This study offers educators insight into the experience of faculty developing as scholarly writers and leads to recommendations for approaches that may be useful in writing development.

Mastering Survey Design and Questionnaire Development.

Surveys help health care professionals gather meaningful data that can guide decision making and improve practice. Individuals creating surveys should follow survey design and item development guidelines, such as those described in this article, to ensure the accuracy of the data gathered. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(6):248-249.].

Understanding the Experiences of Nursing Student Veterans.

AIM: The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of veterans enrolled in prelicensure nursing programs. BACKGROUND: As the number of veterans enrolling in higher education continues to remain high, nurse faculty working with veteran students are faced with the challenge of meeting their unique educational needs and assisting them as they transition to professional nursing roles. METHOD: A hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted to understand the experiences of veterans enrolled in prelicensure nursing programs. RESULTS: Findings from interviews with nine veteran nursing students revealed four themes: maneuvering through the mental mind shift, battling conflicting forces, avoiding landmines, and accepting support. CONCLUSION: Based upon these findings, recommendations are presented for nursing programs and faculty to use to support students.

Doctoral Student Self-Assessment of Writing Development.

BACKGROUND: Doctoral nursing students struggle with scholarly writing. While writing improvement strategies have been shared, few studies have used student self-assessment of evidenced-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) to aid with writing development. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated doctoral student self-assessment of the KSAs specific to writing at each level of nursing education and explored the association of student demographics with self-assessment results. METHODS: A national sample of doctoral students completed an electronic, 35-item self-assessment. RESULTS: Self-assessment revealed the majority of KSAs expected at the BSN, MSN, and doctoral level were being used by Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. One doctoral level KSA did not meet the benchmark for DNP students. A positive association was noted between DNP students' self-assessment and age. CONCLUSIONS: Doctoral students reported using many of the KSAs for writing expected at each level of nursing education. Most student demographics did not appear to influence writing development. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Self-assessment was an effective way to assess student writing development. Items not meeting the performance benchmark may illuminate the need for further writing development. Faculty recommendations for using self-assessment and facilitating writing development are offered.

Advancing scholarly writing of baccalaureate nursing students using the knowledge, skills, and attitude self-assessment for writing development.

BACKGROUND: Baccalaureate nursing students often demonstrate basic oral and written communication skills and have varying levels of skill with scholarly writing. Current instructional approaches may not fully prepare students for scholarly writing expectations. OBJECTIVE: To determine undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students' self-assessed ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of scholarly writing. DESIGN: Quantitative correlational descriptive study. SETTING: Undergraduate nursing programs in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of baccalaureate nursing students in the United States. METHODS: A national sample of 125 undergraduate nursing students self-assessed their use of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of scholarly writing over a two-month period. The project also sought to determine the association between writing knowledge, skills and attitudes and demographic variables of baccalaureate nursing students. RESULTS: Participants believe they know the basic components of scholarly writing. However, they have difficulty using abstract components of writing such as managing the emotional aspect associated with writing. Select personal and demographic variables were not associated with scholarly writing self-assessment, indicating that other factors may influence scholarly writing development. CONCLUSION: Teaching and learning strategies that incorporate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes associated with scholarly writing can be used to advance current instructional approaches and ultimately, better facilitate writing development in baccalaureate nursing students. Self-assessments can be used to identify ongoing student development needs for scholarly writing and can direct writing instruction.

MSN Students' Self-Assessed Use of the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Scholarly Writing.

AIM: This study explored master of science in nursing students' self-assessed use of the evidence-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of scholarly writing. BACKGROUND: Understanding MSN students' self-assessed use of the KSAs of writing can help faculty better prepare MSN graduates to advance the science of nursing through scholarly writing. METHOD: A descriptive correlational design was used to determine how a national sample of 76 MSN students assessed their ability to demonstrate the KSAs of scholarly writing and to determine associations between select demographic variables and the self-assessment results. RESULTS: Participants were familiar with the KSAs of scholarly writing and used them with varying frequency. No associations were identified between demographic variables and the KSA self-assessment ratings. CONCLUSION: Additional writing opportunities and inclusion of a variety of writing assignments could increase use of the KSAs and therefore facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities needed to advance nursing.

Gamification of Nursing Education With Digital Badges.

Digital badges (DBs) serve as an innovative approach to gamifying nursing education by engaging socially connected, technologically savvy nursing students in learning. Because assessment and credentialing mechanisms are housed and managed online, DBs are designed as visible indicators of accomplishment and skill. This article describes important considerations for faculty when incorporating game-based pedagogies such as DB into nursing education and identifies potential pitfalls with DB use that faculty should consider.

Harnessing the Power of Learning Management Systems: An E-Learning Approach for Professional Development.

E-learning provides an alternative approach to traditional professional development activities. A learning management system may help nursing professional development practitioners deliver content more efficiently and effectively; however, careful consideration is needed during planning and implementation. This article provides essential information in the selection and use of a learning management system for professional development.