Nurse educators' views of integrating culturally and linguistically diverse future registered nurses into healthcare settings: A qualitative descriptive study.

AIM: To describe nurse educators' views of how culturally and linguistically diverse future registered nurses are integrated into healthcare settings. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 20 nurse educators were recruited from three higher education institutions in Finland. METHODS: Participants were recruited in the spring of 2021 through snowball sampling. Individual semi-structured interviews were held and recorded. The collected data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The performed content analysis identified a total of 534 meaning units from the data, which were categorized into 343 open codes and 29 sub-categories. Furthermore, nine categories were identified and categorized into three main categories. The first main category was pre-graduation and represented a time point during which educators experienced early integration, nurse educator support and cooperation with stakeholders. The second main category was integration strategies into healthcare settings, which included workplace strategies, language competence and individual competencies and attributes. The third main category was the post-graduation experience, during which educators reported organizational readiness, migration and efficacy of the integrational model. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed a need for increased resources linked to how nurse educators support the integration of culturally and linguistically diverse future registered nurses. Moreover, a nurse educator's presence during the last clinical placement, early transition and integration was found to exert a significant effect on the smooth integration of culturally and linguistically diverse future nurses. IMPACT: This study establishes the need to enhance stakeholder cooperation between universities and other organizations towards supporting the integration process. Maximizing nurse educators' support during the final clinical practice, early transition and post-graduation allows for successful integration and intention to stay. REPORTING METHOD: This study was reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). PATIENT OR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Participating educators shared their experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse future nurses' integration.

Ethical and cultural competence of social- and health care educators from educational institutions - Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The international mobility has increased cultural diversity in social- and health care. As such, ethical and cultural competence is an essential skill among educators. They are promoting the ethical and cultural competence and professional growth of students with diverse backgrounds and, therefore, must be ethically and culturally competent. AIM: The aim of the study was to identify distinct ethical and cultural competence profiles of social- and health care educators and explore the associated factors. RESEARCH DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used to collect quantitative observational data in 2020-2021. Competence profiles were identified by K-means clustering based on answers to an instrument focussing on educators' ethical and cultural competence. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Participants (N = 1179, n = 243) were social- and health care educators based at 10 universities of applied sciences and 10 vocational colleges in Finland. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The research adhered to good scientific practice. A research permit was received from each educational institution that participated in the study. The privacy of the participants was protected throughout the study. RESULTS: The analysis identified three profiles of educators (A, B, C) based on self-assessed ethical and cultural competence. Profile A educators demonstrated high scores across all three competence areas. Profile B educators had high scores for ethical knowledge and intermediate scores for other competence areas. Profile C educators demonstrated intermediate scores across all three competence areas. An educator's pedagogical education was found to significantly influence which profile they belonged to. CONCLUSIONS: The educators generally evaluated their ethical and cultural competence highly. Educators understand the importance of professional ethics in their work, but they need additional support in developing ethics skills in their daily work. Among all educators, there is a need for developing international and culturally diverse collaboration.

The ward manager role in the context of nursing and midwifery students' clinical learning: Testing a model.

AIM: To test a model of clinical learning that focuses on the role of the ward manager. BACKGROUND: The ward manager's role in supporting clinical learning indirectly focuses on the ward climate connected to students' clinical placements. In this way, the ward manager influences both nursing care and the pedagogical atmosphere in the ward. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, secondary analysis. METHODS: The sample included nursing and midwifery students (N = 5,776, n = 1,900) who had completed their clinical placement. Data were collected with the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale. Structural equation modelling was adopted to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Estimates of the model parameters demonstrated that a ward manager's leadership style influences both the premises of nursing at the ward (0.84, p < .001) and the pedagogical atmosphere (0.93, p < .001), although the pedagogical atmosphere affects the mentoring relationship (0.87-0.86, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Ward managers exert a significant influence on the clinical learning environment via their support for an effective pedagogical atmosphere and, consequently, effective mentoring. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Leadership style guides both the premises of nursing at the ward and pedagogical atmosphere. These findings recommend that ward managers should be involved in promoting a supportive learning climate, which supports the mentor-student relationship and, eventually, leads to effective clinical learning.

Clustering clinical learning environment and mentoring perceptions of nursing and midwifery students: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: This study aimed to explore nursing and midwifery students' evaluation of the clinical learning environment and mentoring and to identify distinct student profiles relating to their perceptions. DESIGN: This study employed a cross-sectional design. SETTINGS: The study population included nursing and midwifery students in a university hospital in Finland. PARTICIPANTS: All nursing and midwifery students who completed their clinical placement were invited to take part in the study in the academic year 2017-2018. METHODS: The data (N = 2,609) were gathered through an online survey using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale. The data were analysed using a K-mean cluster algorithm to identify nursing and midwifery students' profiles. RESULTS: The findings from this study indicate four distinct profiles (A, B, C, & D) of nursing and midwifery students in relation to the clinical learning environment and mentoring. Profile A (N = 1,352) students evaluated their clinical learning environment and mentoring to the highest level (mean varied from 9.44-8.38); and Profile D (N = 151)- to the lowest (mean varied from 5.93-4.00). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight that nursing and midwifery students evaluate their clinical learning environment and mentoring more highly when: they have a named mentor, student and mentor discuss learning goals, there is a final assessment in clinical learning, the mentor's guidance skills support student learning, the clinical learning supports the student's professional development and pre-clinical teaching in an educational institution supports learning in the clinical placement. IMPACT: Clinical learning plays an important role in nurse and midwifery education. Mentoring of clinical practice was shown to have a great influence on students' perceptions of their success in clinical learning. We suggest that clinical practice should be strengthened by the building of collaboration between nursing teachers and registered nurses.

Digital collaborative learning in nursing education: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in digital collaborative learning implemented in nursing education. DESIGN: A systematic literature review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was carried out in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines and the PRISMA statement. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL (EBSCO), ERIC, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus databases were used to identify original peer-reviewed RCT studies published between 2003 and 2018. REVIEW METHOD: The 'hits' were systematically screened by title, abstract and full text by two authors acting independently. The quality of the selected original studies was evaluated using the quality assessment criteria of the JBI and Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. The studies were analysed by narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Five peer-reviewed RCT studies were included in the review. All participants in these studies (647 in total) were nursing students exposed to educational interventions in various nursing programme courses. The reviewed studies indicated that digital collaborative learning increased students' knowledge and nursing skills. The results show that collaborative learning in digital learning environments enhanced nursing students' interaction and collaborative skills, problem-solving skills, satisfaction and motivation for learning. CONCLUSION: Collaborative learning in digital learning environments has encouraging effects in enhancing nursing students' knowledge, competence, satisfaction and problem-solving skills. Moreover, evidence-based digital collaborative learning is becoming increasingly effective in nursing education, as available tools and teachers' abilities to use them are improving and providing new learning activities to boost students' learning outcomes in higher education. Thus, its systematic use in digital collaborative learning environments in various nursing courses is recommended.

Generic competence among health sciences students in higher education - A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Highly competent health care experts are needed for the development of the social and health care sectors. More knowledge is needed on the levels of generic competencies that health sciences experts possess, particularly in the context of complex decision-making. OBJECTIVES: To describe self-evaluated generic competence of health sciences students and its associated factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study design. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 291 health science students in five universities in Finland participated in this study during the spring of 2022. METHODS: The data was collected by using the HealthGenericCom instrument with 88 items and 8 sum dimensions using a five-point Likert scale (1-poor to 5-excellent): 1) competence in leadership, administration, and finance; 2) people-centred guiding competence; 3) competence of health promotion; 4) competence of evidence-based practice; 5) digital competence; 6) competence in work well-being and self-management; 7) competence in collaboration and problem-solving, and 8) competence in societal interaction. The K-means cluster algorithm was used to classify generic competence profiles to identify the profiles of health sciences students. RESULTS: Four generic health sciences competence profiles (A = 18 %, B = 23 %, C = 33 %, D = 26 %) were identified. Profile A demonstrated the lowest level of most generic competencies in health sciences. Digital competence was shown to be at the lowest level among the participants, whereas competence in collaboration, problem-solving, and health promotion was evaluated as the highest competence level. The students evaluated their competence as being higher when they were older, were currently engaged in master's degree programmes, had completed work-based practical training in social and health care, and had varied work experiences or held leading positions. CONCLUSIONS: Students need to improve their generic competencies in health sciences, with a particular focus on developing their digital competence. More focus should be given to work-based practical training.

The experiences and perceptions of nurse educators of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students' competence development - Qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Many countries are becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse due to globalisation and migration. The global shortage of nurses and the consequent migration of nursing professionals is leading to increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in health care and nursing education. Nurse educators play a significant role in supporting nursing students' competence and working life readiness. RESEARCH AIM: To describe nurse educators' experiences and perceptions regarding competence and competence development of CALD nursing students. METHODS: The study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative approach utilising individual thematic interviews for data collection. A purposive sample consisting of 20 volunteer nurse educators from five higher education institutions was used for the purpose. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews based on a literature review of previous studies. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. The COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) criteria were used in the reporting of this study. RESULTS: According to the content analysis, three main categories describing aspects related to the competence and competence development of CALD nursing students were identified: 1) educator's competence to support student's learning process and competence development, 2) development of supportive structures and safe learning environments, and 3) student-specific competence and competence development. The educators emphasised that setting clear goals, providing encouragement, having an open discussion, and student-centered approach to support their learning process and create a safe learning environment. CONCLUSIONS: Supporting the learning process of CALD nursing students and developing safe learning environments were considered essential for the development of competence. These areas must be supported by developing educators' pedagogical and cultural competence and providing sufficient resources for both students and educators. In addition, the curriculum must be designed to support these aspects.

The experiences of social and health care and health sciences educators of implementing hybrid teaching in higher education: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Educators in the social and health care and health sciences fields play a key role in developing the competencies of health professionals and experts. The increase in hybrid education in higher education provides flexible education but also causes additional stress for educators. In order to develop educators' competencies in hybrid teaching, it is necessary to understand educators' experiences of that. In this study, hybrid teaching means synchronous face-to-face and distance teaching. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to describe the experiences of social and health care and health sciences educators of hybrid teaching in higher education. DESIGN: We employed a qualitative descriptive research design. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 21 social and health care and health sciences educators were interviewed. METHODS: The data was collected through semi-structured interviews in seven group interviews and an individual interview from February 2022 to April 2022. The data was analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Educators felt that hybrid education brought flexibility to their teaching activities and have implemented it successfully. Moreover, educators shared that implementing hybrid teaching requires them to have pedagogical competence and technology skills, ensuring interaction with students and creating a safe learning environment. Their positive attitude towards digital pedagogy is essential. Educators recognised the need to ensure students' digital skills in hybrid education. Moreover, challenges related to assessment were also identified. Educators experienced increased workload due to pressures, psychological strain and distribution of attention. They felt that they needed support and adequate resources to implement it. CONCLUSIONS: The results have societal value in enhancing educators' continual professional development, developing high-quality evidence-based teaching and student skills, and assessing and applying different digital solutions to hybrid education.

Nurse leaders' experiences of how culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses integrate into healthcare settings: An interview study.

AIM: To describe nurse leaders' experiences of how culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses integrate into healthcare settings. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study design. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 13 nurse leaders were recruited from four primary and specialized healthcare organizations in Finland. METHODS: Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Nurse leaders' experiences were categorized into seven main categories as follows: leadership, which concerns a leader's roles, style, and experience; organizational strategy and culture, which includes structure, policies, and intra-organizational culture; support strategies, including workplace and outside-of-work integration strategies; relationships and interactions, which considers interpersonal relationships and interactions; nurse competence requirements and development, which concerns both organizational and ward level competence demands, and support for competence development; language competence, which concerns challenges relating to language proficiency and development of language competence; and cultural diversity, which considers the importance of competence development brought about through experiences of being in a multicultural workplace. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally and linguistically diverse nurses are important within healthcare systems. These nurses constitute additional human resources, bring diverse experiences and expertise, and add to organizational cultural capital. Nurse leaders require competencies that are suitable for leading a diverse workforce, utilizing its competencies, establishing staff members' needs, and ensuring their continuous development. Resourcing, planning, and structuring the integration process affects nurses' experiences of the organizational socialization process. IMPACT: The findings of our study can offer guidance to healthcare organizations with regard to structural integration strategies at an institutional level. Leadership and management educators can benefit from the findings towards developing a curriculum that supports leaders' diversity, equity and inclusion, knowledge management and formal leadership competencies. Finally, nurse leaders may benefit from this study through being more aware towards supporting a multicultural, cohesive, and competent workforce through strong social capital.

Culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses' experiences of integration into nursing workforce - A qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: The nursing shortage is a global and ongoing phenomenon that is expected to worsen. In many countries, imbalances in the nursing workforce will require international recruitment and plans to increase domestic and international nursing graduates. Nurses from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have been reported to experience challenges while integrating into the workforce. AIM: To describe culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses' experiences of their integration into the Finnish nursing workforce. METHODS: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Data were collected during the spring of 2021 from 24 culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses working in various healthcare settings in Finland. Data were analyzed using content analysis, which resulted in 596 open codes, 21 sub-categories, and 8 categories. RESULTS: According to the performed analysis, culturally and linguistically diverse nurses in Finland face cultural, ethnic and linguistic challenges. Organizational acceptance and acknowledgement of culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' competence can help decrease the practice of deskilling and the perception that foreign nurses have purely opportunistic goals. Cultural and language learning support, tailored orientation programs, and mentorship are the most common organizational strategies for supporting integration and competence development. The role of the nurse manager and organizational strategies were also identified as essential components of smooth integration, work wellbeing and retention. CONCLUSIONS: Finnish healthcare organizations need to implement strategies that support culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' integration into the workforce. Nurse managers are important leaders that can foster culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' competence development, ensure the efficient use of their specialized skills, promote work wellbeing, and improve nurse retention.

The influence of digital learning on health sciences students' competence development- A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Health care experts need high levels of competence, yet there is little evidence on the influence of digital learning on health science students' competence development. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe health sciences students' experiences of the development of their competence and the influences of digital learning upon their competence. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive research. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 15 health sciences students were interviewed. METHODS: The data was collected by using individual semi-structured interviews during the spring of 2021. The data was analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The health sciences students felt that their expertise encompasses motivation for future career development, understanding the social and professional influences on their career development, versatile expertise in various aspects of health sciences, and developing competence in different learning environments. The students recognized that digital learning requires the active participation, digitalization is a part of a successful learning environment, and digital learning challenges social interactions. The students' digital learning facilitated competence development, which broadened their understanding of skills relevant to health sciences; however, these benefits could only be obtained when including adequate support. CONCLUSIONS: The results hold social value for the development of health sciences education as policy-makers can use the presented information to develop high-quality, digital learning procedures.

Nurse leaders' perceptions of competence-based management of culturally and linguistically diverse nurses: A descriptive qualitative study.

AIM(S): To describe nurse leaders' perceptions of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) nurses' competence-based management. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study of the competence-based management of CALD nurses, from the perspectives of nurse leaders in three primary and specialised medical care organisations. This study followed the COREQ guidelines. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 13 nurse leaders. Eligible interviewees were required to have management experience, and experience of working with or recruiting CALD nurses. Data were collected during November 2021-March 2022. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Competence-based management was explored in terms of competence identification and assessment of CALD nurses, aspects which constrain and enable competence sharing with them, and aspects which support their continuous competence development. Competencies are identified during the recruitment process, and assessment is based primarily on feedback. Organisations' openness to external collaboration and work rotation supports competence sharing, as does mentoring. Nurse leaders have a key role in continuous competence development as they organise tailored induction and training, and can indirectly reinforce nurses' work commitment and wellbeing. CONCLUSION(S): Strategic competence-based management would enable all organisational competencies potential to be utilised more productively. Competence sharing is a key process for the successful integration of CALD nurses. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results of this study can be utilised to develop and standardise competence-based management in healthcare organisations. For nursing management, it is important to recognise and value nurses' competence. IMPACT: The role of CALD nurses in the healthcare workforce is growing, and there is little research into the competence-based management of such nurses. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Mentors' cultural competence at mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice: An international cross-sectional study.

AIMS: This study aimed to identify mentors' cultural competence profiles at mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice and explore associating factors. BACKGROUND: Globalization has had a significant impact on healthcare, increasing the diversity of healthcare workforces and the number of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice. The cultural competence of mentors is important to secure students' safe and successful learning. The mentor role in clinical practice contributes toward enabling and ensuring students' high-quality and goal-oriented development of competence. DESIGN: This study implemented a cross-sectional design with a final sample of 270 clinical practice mentors from Finland, Lithuania, Spain and Slovenia. METHODS: The data were collected using an online survey including the Mentors' Cultural Competence Instrument, Mentors' Competence Instrument and background questions during 2020-2021. The data were analyzed using a K-mean cluster algorithm to identify mentors' competency profiles. RESULTS: Three significantly differing mentor competency profiles (Profile A 42%, Profile B 41%, Profile C 17%) were identified in this study. The cultural competence of the mentors in clinical practice varied between intermediate and high levels. Mentors rated their cultural competence as best in the area of cultural sensitivity and awareness, whereas the lowest scored area was cultural interaction and safety. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the cultural competence of mentors in clinical practice varied and was influenced by mentors' work experience, age, job title and frequency of mentoring. This study provides new knowledge that could help to develop cultural competence operating models and education to enhance the cultural competence of healthcare professionals.

Integration strategies and models to support transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments: An umbrella review.

AIMS: The aim of this umbrella review was to establish recent evidence on integration strategies and models to support transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments. DESIGN: Umbrella review conducted according to Joanna Briggs institute guidelines. DATA SOURCES: Data were collected from CINAHL, PubMed, Medic, ProQuest and Scopus electronic databases in 2021. REVIEW METHODS: Two researchers simultaneously screened studies' eligibility by title, abstract and full text. Quality appraisal for the selected studies was assessed according to Joanna Briggs institute critical appraisal. Data were synthesized by conducting content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-seven reviews were included in the final synthesis. Strategies and models for supporting the transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments were structured as intra-organizational, sociocultural, and professional development. Intra-organizational strategies and models were unique to a particular organization and included policies and support, diversity, collegial and peer support, employee treatment and workplace environment. Sociocultural strategies and models addressed social, cultural and group dynamics using cultural training, learning and support, social support and friendships, language and communication, and personal skills development. Professional development enhanced nursing competence, ability to practice and workplace professional development. This was supported through licensure and orientation to work, career and competence development, and workplace mentorship and preceptorship. CONCLUSION: There is a need to understand culturally and linguistically diverse nurses' needs and motivation to integrate, which is essential toward developing efficient integrational strategies and models. Strategies and models also need to support cultural and personal competence development of native nurses to aid efficient integration of culturally and linguistically diverse colleagues. Future studies can evaluate nursing workforce shortages and their implications on integration process.

Evidence-based healthcare competence of social and healthcare educators: A systematic review of mixed methods.

BACKGROUND: Social and healthcare operating environments are constantly evolving, so educators have major responsibility for ensuring that Evidence-Based Healthcare is included in the education of future healthcare professionals and applied in their practice. A holistic understanding and implementation of evidence-based healthcare competence is critical to the delivery of appropriate, relevant, and effective healthcare. AIM: To identify and describe social and healthcare educators' EBHC competence according to the five main components of the JBI model and associated factors to it. METHODS: A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted, with inclusion and exclusion criteria identified according to PICo and PEO inclusion criteria for qualitative and quantitative studies, respectively. Five databases-the CINAHL (EBSCO), PubMed, Scopus, Medic and ProQuest databases- were searched in June 2020. In total, 12 original studies (qualitative and quantitative) were included for quality appraisal, data extraction and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Key competence areas addressed in the selected studies were integrated into the four components of the JBI model of EBHC (evidence generation, synthesis, transfer, and implementation, and focus on its ultimate goal: global health). In the majority of chosen studies', it was found that educators had a positive attitude towards EBHC and wanted to stay up-to-date in the areas of global health and collaboration. Educators demonstrated their abilities to locate, appraise, and interpret the best current relevant evidence. They knew how to integrate EBHC into their teaching and had strong communication skills in evidence transfer. Their EBHC competence was strongest in the educational context and educators could transfer evidence when teaching but were not able to translate it into how to implement EBHC in clinical care. In addition to higher academic education and work experience, organizational support and continuous education reportedly play essential roles in development of educators' EBHC competence. CONCLUSION: Measures are needed to maintain and improve social and health educators' EBHC competence and develop robust methods to reliably assess it.

Social, health care and rehabilitation educators' competence in professional education-Empirical testing of a model.

The social and health care educator's role in educating future professionals need to be stronger emphasised and deserves international recognition. The purpose of this study was to develop and test an empirical model of social and health care educators' competence in higher and professional education. The presented research employed a cross-sectional study design. Data were collected using HeSoEduCo-instrument from 28 educational institutions in Finland. The model was empirically tested with confirmatory factor analysis through Structural Equation Modelling that applied the Full Imputation Maximum Likelihood estimator. A total of 422 social and health care educators participated in the study. The empirical model of social and health care educators including eight competence areas: leadership and management, collaboration and societal, evidence-based practice, subject and curriculum, mentoring students in professional competence development, student-centred pedagogy, digital collaborative learning, and cultural and linguistic diversity. All of the connections between concepts of the empirical model were found to be statistically significant. There were strong connections between most of the identified competence concepts; however, two weak connections were found, namely, the link between competence in evidence-based practice and competence in subject and curriculum, along with the link between competence in digital collaborative learning and competence in student-centred pedagogy. The presented empirical model can help stakeholders identify which areas of social and health care educators' curricula should be further developed. The model is also relevant for improving continuous education, allowing educators to assess their competence levels and evaluating educators' performance at the organisational level.

Social, health and rehabilitation sector educators' competence in evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the characteristic profiles of evidence-based practice competence of educators in the social, health and rehabilitation sectors and to establish relevant background factors. DESIGN: This study was carried out as a descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were collected from social, health and rehabilitation sector educators working in the 21 Finnish universities of applied sciences and seven vocational colleges (n = 422; N = 2,330). A self-assessment instrument measuring evidence-based practice competence was used. Competence profiles were formed using a K-cluster grouping analysis. RESULTS: Three distinct competence profiles were identified and delineated. Most educators feel that they can guide students' critical thinking and are able to seek and produce scientific knowledge. Evidence-based practice competence was explained by background factors such as year of graduation (for higher degree), level of education, job title, current employer and current field of work.

Health science student teachers' perceptions of teacher competence: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Health science teacher competence is multifaceted and continuously changing according to national and international healthcare standards. Organizational restructuring and emphasis on cost effectiveness is changing the scope of health science teachers' practical work and their role in healthcare (worldwide). AIM: This study aimed to describe student teachers' perceptions of the competencies needed to work as an educator in the healthcare field. Objective of study was to gain new knowledge which can be used in the development of teacher education programs in nursing science and to define a broader definition of the health science educators. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted. Data were collected from 23 Finnish students completing a master's degree in teaching in the healthcare context using focus group interviews. The data were analyzed by inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The student teachers identified eight main categories of teacher competence: leadership and management competence; evidence-based practice competence; subject competence; ethical competence; pedagogical competence; collaboration competence; internationalization competence; and continuous professional development competence. CONCLUSION: This study identified essential teacher competencies that can be evaluated among students to develop health science teacher curricula. The findings can be used in follow-up studies or comparative research to investigate competence differences between novice and experienced teachers.

Qualitative study of social and healthcare educators' perceptions of their competence in education.

Competent educators are needed to ensure that social and healthcare professionals are effective and highly competent. However, there is too little evidence-based knowledge of current and required enhancements of educators' competences in this field. The aim of this study was to describe social and healthcare educators' perceptions of their competence in education. The study had a qualitative design, based on interviews with educators and rooted in critical realism. Forty-eight participants were recruited from seven universities of applied sciences and two vocational colleges in Finland, with the assistance of contact persons nominated by the institutions. The inclusion criterion for participation was employment by an educational institution as a part-time or full-time, social and/or healthcare educator. Data were collected in the period February-April 2018. The participants were interviewed in 16 focus groups with two to five participants per group. The acquired data were subjected to inductive content analysis, which yielded 506 open codes, 48 sub-categories, nine categories and one main category. The educators' competence was defined as a multidimensional construct, including categories of educators' competences in practicing as an educator, subject, ethics, pedagogy, management and organisation, innovation and development, collaboration, handling cultural and linguistic diversity, and continuous professional development. Educators recognised the need for developing competence in innovation to meet rapid changes in a competitive and increasingly global sociopolitical environment. Enhancement of adaptability to rapid changes was recognised as a necessity. The findings have social value in identifying requirements to improve social and healthcare educators' competence by helping educational leadership to improve educational standards, construct a continuous education framework and create national and/or international curricula for teacher education degree programs to enhance the quality of education. We also suggest that educational leadership needs to establish, maintain and strengthen collaborative strategies to provide effective, adaptable support systems, involving educators and students, in their working practices.

A descriptive quantitative study of 7- and 8-year-old children's outdoor recreation, cold exposure and symptoms in winter in Northern Finland.

BACKGROUND: In Finland, children spend a lot of time outdoors in winter. Outdoor recreation in winter has a wide variety of effects on children's well-being. Although children are a subgroup that is vulnerable to cold exposure, remarkably little research has been done on the subject. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe children's outdoor recreation, cold exposure and symptoms in winter in Northern Finland. DESIGN: This was a descriptive quantitative study. The participants consisted of 30 children aged 7-8 years who were living in the provinces of Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia in Finland. Data were collected by using electronic data-logging thermometers fixed on children's outerwear for a month. The thermometers recorded the environmental temperature every five minutes and from that temperature data, we were able to discern the exact amount and duration of children's outdoor recreation. In addition, information on the children's cold symptoms was collected with structured daily entries. RESULTS: Cold weather was not an obstacle to children's outdoor activities in Finland. However, the duration of outdoor recreation shortened when the outdoor air temperature decreased. There were no significant differences between boys and girls in terms of time spent outdoors. Remarkably, every child reported symptoms associated with cold. Almost half of the children reported experiencing respiratory symptoms and some children also experienced cold pain and numbness. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study illustrate the many and varied effects that cold exposure can have on children's health and well-being. In order to prevent negative health effects of cold exposure on children, structured prevention strategies are needed: therefore, children's exposure to cold should be studied more. Future research should also bring out more the positive health effects of outdoor recreation on children's growth and development.​​​​.