Theory-practice gap: Nursing students' self-reported depth of understanding of bioscience and its relevance to clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Bioscience subjects are essential as they allow nurses to have a clear understanding of the patient's condition and ultimately allow them to provide appropriate and timeous care. However, these subjects remain a significant problem in the endeavour to produce highly competent nurses. AIM: The study aimed to investigate the nursing students' self-reported depth of understanding of bioscience and its relevance to clinical practice. METHODS: A quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design was employed. The sample (n = 211) included second-, third- and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. A three-part self-administered questionnaire was adapted and used to collect the data. Data were analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 25.0 (IBM SPSS-25). Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared test were performed to describe the relationship among the study variables. RESULTS: Participants rated their understanding of the application of Human Biology (n = 86, 40.76%) and Pharmacology (n = 88, 41.71%) as good, while Physics (n = 80, 37.91%) and Chemistry (n = 85, 40.28%) were rated as adequate. Most participants rated Human Biology (n = 175, 83.73%) and Pharmacology (n = 181, 86.19%) as essential, while Physics (n = 129, 61.72%) and Chemistry (n = 133, 63.64%) were rated as relevant to clinical practice. Physics (n = 112, 60.54%; n = 95, 50.53%) and Chemistry (n = 126, 68.85%; n = 113 61.41%) were rated as not relevant to monitoring a patient's heart rate and blood pressure. Participants' perception of the relevance of Chemistry in monitoring a patient's blood pressure was statistically significant (χ2 = 6.871 (df 2), p<0.05). Most participants (n = 57, 41.91%) performed at Task specific on Akinsanya's Bionursing model, suggesting an overall understanding of the foundational concepts and principles of bioscience. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study provided evidence of the students' self-reported depth of understanding and perception of the relevance of bioscience and indicate a need for more emphasis on the importance of bioscience integration in clinical practice.

Pre-registration nursing students' anxiety and academic concerns after the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic and its related social restrictions have led to many uncertainties in nurse education, including the fear of infection in clinical learning settings and the challenge of remote learning. The modification of clinical and academic environments generated anxiety and academic concerns among nursing students. OBJECTIVES: To explore the main determinants of anxiety related to the clinical and classroom environments in nurse education after the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. DESIGN: Multicentre cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Ten universities offering nursing bachelor programs in central and southern Italy. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 842 nursing students. METHODS: From April to July 2021, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the Altered Student Study Environment Tool were administered to assess, respectively, students' anxiety and their concerns about the study environment. A regression model was tested. RESULTS: Most of the nursing students were female (76.6 %), living with family (70.9 %), and full-time students (85.7 %); 44.6 % were third-year of Bachelor in Nursing students. The majority of the participants (88.5 %) showed a level of anxiety. The statistically significant predictors of anxiety levels were concerns about grade attainment (ß=0.42, p < 0.001) in the total sample, and, among the first-year students, the completion of clinical placement (ß=0.14, p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a need for the redesign of teaching activities and clinical learning experiences to ensure academic outcomes and to preserve students' psychological well-being. Models of learning environments' dynamic adaptation and ongoing psychological support should be implemented to develop tailored interventions.

Student nurses' perceptions of their educational environment at a school of nursing in Western Cape province, South Africa: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND:  Educational environments have been found to bear a substantial relationship with the academic performance and success, as well as the retention, of students. OBJECTIVES:  The study objectives were to (1) evaluate the educational environment as perceived by undergraduate nursing students at a school of nursing (SON) in Western Cape province and (2) investigate whether the educational environment, or components thereof, is perceived negatively or positively among undergraduate nursing students of different year level, gender, home language and ethnicity. METHOD:  A quantitative research method with a cross-sectional design was implemented. Data were collected from 232 undergraduate nursing students from a SON at a university in Western Cape province, South Africa. The subscales and the items of the educational environment questionnaire were compared among undergraduate nursing students. Data were analysed by means of the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS-24) using analysis of variances (ANOVAs), independent-sample t-tests, mean scores, standard deviations and percentages. RESULTS:  The mean score attained for the entire participant group was 195 (standard deviation [SD] = 24.2) out of 268 (equivalent to 72.8% of maximum score), which indicated that the educational environment was perceived substantially more positively than negatively. The overall mean score was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for male students (M = 202; SD = 21) and for black students (M = 202; SD = 21). The digital resources (DR) subscale was the only subscale with a statement or item that was rated as absolute negative (M = 1.9; SD = 0.9). CONCLUSION:  The educational environment at the institution concerned was perceived as predominantly positive by its undergraduate nursing students. Although the educational environment was predominantly perceived as positive, the results of this study also indicated that enhancements are required to improve the physical classroom conditions, skills laboratories, DR and the implemented teaching and learning strategies. It is vital for university management to prioritise the creation of an educational environment which would ensure that quality learning takes place.

Performance in grade 12 mathematics and science predicts student nurses' performance in first year science modules at a university in the Western Cape.

BACKGROUND: The demand for highly qualified and skilled nurses is increasing in South Africa as well as around the world. Having a background in science can create a significant advantage for students wishing to enrol for an undergraduate nursing qualification because nursing as profession is grounded in scientific evidence. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive validity of grade 12 mathematics and science on the academic performance of first year student nurses in science modules. METHOD: A quantitative research method using a cross-sectional predictive design was employed in this study. The participants included first year Bachelor of Nursing students enrolled at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to analyse the data by using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences versions 24. Descriptive analysis of all variables was performed as well as the Spearman's rank correlation test to describe the relationship among the study variables. Standard multiple linear regressions analysis was performed to determine the predictive validity of grade 12 mathematics and science on the academic performance of first year student nurses in science modules. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that grade 12 physical science is not a significant predictor (p > 0.062) of performance in first year science modules. The multiple linear regression revealed that grade 12 mathematics and life science grades explained 37.1% to 38.1% (R2 = 0.381 and adj R2 = 0.371) of the variation in the first year science grade distributions. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the study it is evident that performance in grade 12 mathematics (ß = 2.997) and life science (ß = 3.175) subjects is a significant predictor (p < 0.001) of the performance in first year science modules for student nurses at the university identified for this study.