Exploring an Innovative Course Delivery Method for Accelerated BSN Students.

Background The purpose of the pilot study was to develop and implement an innovative hybrid-delivered professional development course and explore accelerated BSN student satisfaction and perceived learning. Methods The convenience sample consisted of 16 accelerated BSN students at one Midwestern university. The Student Evaluation of Learning and Feedback to Instructors online survey instrument used consisted of 21 five-point Likert-scale items. Results Students reported that the course was organized (M = 3.96) and promoted student learning (M = 4.53) and engagement (M = 3.97). Graded material was adequate (M = 4.31). The course created a supportive adult learning environment (M = 3.84) and instructor rapport (M = 4.47). Knowledge was applied during clinical experiences. Conclusions Hybrid courses can facilitate student learning and satisfaction. Further research is warranted to explore innovative hybrid course delivery methods with accelerated BSN students. It is critical to ensure quality education for this special nursing population.

Nursing leadership education: an innovative executive solution.

As nursing leaders retire from the nursing workforce, too few nurses are preparing to replace them. The barriers to obtaining the educational credentials necessary to take this important step in a leadership career can appear insurmountable because of cost and time restraints. The authors present an executive format master of science program whose delivery method and content align with the professional and personal needs of emerging nurse leaders.

Comparison of hybrid and completely online RN-to-BSN curricula: aspects of program structure that lead to success.

The large increase in the number of RN-to-BSN programs has occurred in the context of the expansion of Internet-based resources. This article expands on an earlier reported evaluation of a program based on community-derived needs. Several dimensions were identified that appear to contribute to student success in a blended-hybrid and completely online curricula. Students move through a synchronous cohort curriculum. The graduation rate for both programs was above the national average for all programs (80%), and graduation rate for the blended-hybrid program (92%) exceeded the online program (88%). Social support theory framed the important factors in a way that paralleled the factors reported by students as leading to their success.

A registered nurse refresher course: serving the community.

The Texas Board of Nursing recognizes that nurses may interrupt practice or change practice settings throughout their career and requires experienced nurses who have not practiced in more than 4 years to take a refresher course. In response to community requests for a local option for inactive nurses to reenter practice, the Department of Lifelong Learning in the university's school of nursing launched an RN refresher course in summer 2010. This article describes the scope of the RN refresher course, program costs, and future endeavors. More importantly, the article describes the nurses who are returning to nursing practice, including their age range, educational preparation, and length of time out of practice. Steady growth in enrollment, expanding clinical affiliations in the local area and selected areas throughout the state, and positive employment outcomes have facilitated course sustainment and growth.

Facilitating the career transition of second-career students into professional nursing.

This article describes the approaches used by the Second Careers and Nursing (SCAN) program to socialize second-career students into professional nursing. The pre-licensure phase of the program is guided by Schlossberg's transition theory of moving in, moving through, and moving out. Moving in involves setting expectations, from the admission interview to the two-day intensive orientation. Moving through entails imparting and instilling nursing's cultural content and values through the program's formal and informal curriculum. Moving out strengthens students' feelings of pride and their commitment to becoming professional nurses during a concentrated internship, NCLEX-RN preparation, and coaching for their first RN position. The article also reports on the socialization outcomes and lessons learned during the pre-licensure phase. Outcomes provide evidence that the SCAN program has successfully transitioned non-nursing college graduates into professional nursing by socializing them into the profession's knowledge, skills, and behaviors while they internalize nursing's values and goals.

An advanced practice nursing program for foreign medical doctors: a practical approach.

AIM: This article articulates lessons learned about an accelerated family nurse practitioner course offered to foreign medical doctors who also held baccalaureate nursing degrees (BSN). BACKGROUND: In the last decade, many physicians in the Philippines returned to school to obtain BSN degrees and licensure as registered nurses (referred to as nurse-medics) to emigrate to the United States in the hope of a better life. Once in the United States, many remain in nursing even though they prefer the practice of medicine. METHOD: This fast-track master's degree program began in fall 2006 at a university in the southwestern United States in collaboration with St. Jude College in the Philippines. By the end of this program (2010), 76 students had graduated. All who sat for the FNP national certification exam passed on the first attempt. RESULTS: Due to a decrease in qualified applicants, the program eventually closed, but a number of important lessons were learned. CONCLUSION: Nursing programs planning to undertake accelerated programs to transition medical doctors to nurse practitioners should consider they retake courses such as physical assessment, pharmacology and pathophysiology.

RN-to-BSN programs in the community college setting: challenges and successes.

The complexity of health care and the recommendation of the Institute of Medicine to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020 requires educators and other stakeholders to consider a range of structures for providing RN-to-BSN programs. Although relatively few RN-to-BSN programs are offered in a community college setting, the concept is generating interest. This article provides a broad analysis of one region's experience with respect to this trend that is influencing nursing education. Facing significant challenges that are associated with planning and implementing the first bachelor's degree to be offered at a community college in Washington State, faculty from both Olympic College's and University of Washington Tacoma's nursing programs joined in a unique and constructive partnership. The faculty team used plans and successful strategies to overcome potential obstacles. The authors outline recommendations for others considering this approach to BSN education.

RN-BSN completion programs: equipping nurses for the future.

The Institute of Medicine has outlined important components needed in nursing education to prepare the nursing workforce of the future. Previously published work on RN to BSN education has focused mainly on mode of delivery. The purpose of this paper is to examine RN to BSN program components for the facilitation of academic progression, innovative mechanisms of student engagement, and the curricular components that prepare graduates to meet future nursing challenges. Academic progression factors discussed include those relevant to recruiting RNs to BSN completion programs and factors important to retaining them through graduation. Recommendations for student engagement include the creation of honors programs, ethics teams, and practicum and service learning experiences. Suggestions for curriculum possibilities specifically address meeting the call of the Institute of Medicine report including content in community/public health, informatics, evidence-based practice, ethics, and health policy.

Assessment of an innovative instructional program to return non-practicing physicians to the workforce.

INTRODUCTION: Few formal educational programs are available in the United States to assist physicians wishing to return to medical practice after clinical inactivity. Little published data on physicians who complete these programs exist. We describe the Drexel Medicine Physician Reentry/Refresher course and present our findings on participant demographics, performance, and goal attainment following course completion. METHODS: Physician self-assessment, future career goals, recommendations of referring organizations, and a quantitative assessment of knowledge and skills were used to create individualized learning objectives and physician's curriculum. Initial assessment included demonstration of clinical skills using standardized patients and medical knowledge using the National Board of Medical Examiners Comprehensive Clinical Medicine Self-Assessment Examination. Progress in knowledge and clinical skills was measured by repeat assessment at course completion. We questioned physicians 3 months after course completion to determine if initial goals were attained. RESULTS: Thirty-six physicians completed the program from November 2006 through November 2010. Most physicians demonstrated significant improvement in core clinical skills and knowledge at the end of the course. All physicians who sought employment, hospital privileges, and refreshing skills as initial goals were successful. CONCLUSION: The Drexel Medicine Physician Reentry/Refresher course provides a unique model for successfully returning inactive physicians to clinical practice.

The Study of Nursing Care project: back to the future for contemporary nursing research?

AIMS: To discuss the Study of Nursing Care project, an initiative from the late 1970s in the UK. The article explores the impact of the Study of Nursing Care on nursing research, and considers to what extent it presents a useful model for contemporary nursing research. BACKGROUND: It is acknowledged internationally that the nursing academic workforce is ageing and dwindling. Many possible solutions are being debated with all agreeing that the next generation of evidence based nurse leaders is urgently required. DATA SOURCES: In this article, the authors survey existing workforce schemes, describe the Study of Nursing Care series, published in the 1970s, and draw on interviews and correspondence conducted in 2009 with four of the original Study of Nursing Care research assistants. DISCUSSION: The Study of Nursing Care project poses a potential response to academic workforce issues. This article discusses the evolution of the project, its methods and operation and considers its possible implications for contemporary practice. Implications for nursing. The Study of Nursing Care model demonstrates the clear benefits of fully committed funding, a programmatic approach towards research development, and the importance of selecting the right kind of people for the work, in a national scheme. CONCLUSION: The authors argue that although the clinical outcomes it set out to achieve remain elusive, the project produced a cohort of nurse researchers who went on to give important leadership in nursing, including in nursing academia/research. A contemporary version of the Study of Nursing Care has important potential to generate the next generation of nurse researchers, and leaders, into the twenty-first century.

Returning to health visiting practice: completing the circle.

One strategic health authority, NHS London, initiated a pilot return to health visiting/nursing practice scheme in London in 2010. This paper reports on the experiences of the first three cohorts of returnees on the City University London programme, one of the London programmes, and the adaptations that have been made to the programme to help provide returnees with the theory base and practice experience to equip them to work in today's health visiting. Written evaluation forms were completed by the returnees and information gathered from their application forms. This information was supplemented for Cohort 1 with some interviews with practice teachers and lecturers and a mid-stage questionnaire to the returnees. Of the 54 students in the three cohorts over half were still on one or both Nursing and Midwifery Council registers, which had not been anticipated at the start of the programme and led to modifications to the programme after Cohort 1 with an increase in the health visiting specific content. The returnees had a wide range of experience to bring back to health visiting reflecting the fact that a large number had been out of health visiting for more than 11 years. The evaluation shows that providing support by the university to the practice placement areas; ensuring that the taught element is current and useful to health visiting practice and having a relevant but not too onerous assessment process are critical.

Euro-Arab School of Oncology: an educational collaborative activity of the European School of Oncology with the Arab world.

In this article, we report on the new endeavor of the European School of Oncology to offer collaborative educational activity to the Arab oncologists. We present the 4-year detailed programme held in different Middle East countries with the organization of master classes, advanced courses, or symposia as well as the fellowship programme and the press media events. In addition, we assess the evaluation questionnaires given to the participants during the courses.

Implementation of 'sign-off' mentorship: different perspectives.

Students who entered nurse training from September 2007 onwards are required to have a sign-off mentor (SOM) in their final clinical placement. The sign-off mentor is responsible for confirming to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that a student nurse has met all the requirements of pre-registration clinical assessment and can be registered as a nurse. This became mandatory in September 2010, and this article describes how one acute NHS foundation Trust implemented and managed this process, with contributions from practice education facilitators, an SOM and a student.

Relaunching Nurses to the Forefront of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Heeding the Call Through an RN Refresher Program.

Nursing remains the largest health care profession in the nation and RNs comprise one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce with just under 4 million RNs nationwide. Despite the large number of nurses in practice, a variety of factors contribute to the availability of RNs able to meet health care-related demands, leading out-of-practice nurses to seek reentry into the workforce. To develop the skills and knowledge needed to deliver safe and effective care, nurses seeking to return to practice need access to formally structured continuing education opportunities. Nursing refresher courses have historically filled this gap, effectively supporting the reemployment of nurses by preparing them for clinical practice. The COVID-19 pandemic is among the most recent factors encouraging nurse reentry, thus furthering the need for continuing education in support of license renewal. This article provides insight into the development of a university-based refresher program for Texas nurses seeking to reactivate licensure and gain the theoretical and clinical knowledge needed to return to nursing considering the health care demands produced by this unprecedented crisis. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(2)67-71.].

Academic and clinical immersion in an accelerated nursing program to foster learning in the adult student.

Second-degree accelerated nursing programs provide an expedited pathway to enter the nursing profession. Most students in such programs are adult learners with high expectations for their own performance and equally high expectations for the curriculum of the chosen program. Clinical and academic immersions are curriculum strategies that are particularly suited to the adult learner in a second-degree accelerated program. This article discusses the development of an accelerated program, with a focus on the intended and unexpected challenges and outcomes associated with planning and implementing immersion learning for academic and clinical experiences. Content linkage as a teaching strategy is also described. The immersion year enhances collaboration and socialization among students, faculty, and staff nurses.

Student peer mentoring in a community-based nursing clinical experience.

An innovative student-to-student peer mentoring teaching strategy was used to deliver health care to at-risk populations in a community-based setting. Students benefited through a collaborative effort to develop and implement a project in a community agency that did not have a nursing presence. Nursing students from three different levels of education participated in this pilot project. Strengths and weaknesses of this strategy were identified through journals, reflective comments, and pre- and posttest evaluation. Students at each level completed projects that benefited the agency and the population, while meeting educational objectives of the course.

Great expectations: points of congruencies and discrepancies between incoming accelerated second-degree nursing students and faculty.

This study analyzes the expectations that incoming students and faculty bring to accelerated pre-licensure education programs for second-degree students. Although research supports the congruence of expectations between students and faculty as essential to learning, anecdotal evidence and single case reports suggest there may be important discrepancies in expectations of second-degree students and their faculty. Data are intended to support curriculum review, refinement, and innovation in these programs.

Promising practices for faculty in accelerated nursing programs.

Accelerated nursing programs for college graduates have been graduating RNs since 1971. The question of how best to educate this cohort is a concern and even more of a priority because these students have different learning needs. Anecdotally, faculty know accelerated students tend to be challenging to teach. Administrators of nursing programs also are aware that some faculty prefers teaching this cohort and other faculty does not. This descriptive qualitative study collected data during focus groups using an open-ended interview guide. The focus groups consisted of accelerated second-degree nursing students. Participants identified six themes as best faculty practices: appreciate accelerated students as adult learners, communicate passion for the profession, challenge and motivate, practice while teaching and share their experiences, support accelerated students, and use varied teaching styles.

Integrating evidence-based practice into RN-to-BSN clinical nursing education.

This study examines the effects of integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) into clinical practicum on EBP efficacy and barriers to research utilization among Korean RN-to-BSN students. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. Eighty-one students were recruited from a school of nursing in Korea. Evidence-based practice clinical practicum was composed of two consecutive programs during one semester. Lectures, individual mentoring on EBP practicum, small group, and wrap-up conferences were provided. Outcomes of EBP efficacy and barriers to research utilization were analyzed using paired t tests for 74 final participants. Evidence-based practice efficacy scores increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the barriers to research utilization scores decreased significantly after the EBP clinical practicum. The results highlight the effectiveness of EBP education among RN-to-BSN students. These results may help health educators develop effective educational strategies to integrate EBP concepts into a clinical practicum.