Nurse Education Today RSS feed: Articles in Press. Nurse Education Today aims to publish high quality original research and reviews, debate and discussion in nursing, midwifery and health professional education. With an international authorship and readership, the journal welcomes scholarly contributions which are local, national or international in scope but are of wide interest and reflect the diversity of people, health and education systems worldwide. The journal wishes to encourage research of all traditions and will publish papers which show depth, rigour, originality and high standards of presentation. In particular, the journal will publish work which is analytical and constructively critical of both previous work and current initiatives. The editors and referees welcome works of research, policy, theory and philosophy of health professional education which meet and develop the high academic and ethical standards of the journal . The journal also publishes reviews of learning and teaching media and books. Together with other organisations the journal seeks to extend the boundaries of quality and availability of research and scholarship in nursing, midwifery and health professional education.http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com//inpress?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Nurse Education Today0260-69172010-02-08 © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709000562/abstract?rss=yesSummary: The doctoral research terrain is changing, as new-styles, for example professional doctorates, are being developed (Park, C., 2005. New variant PhDL the changing nature of the doctorate in the UK. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 27(2), 189–207). There is a scarcity of literature aimed at supervisors (Gatfield, T., 2005, An investigation into PhD supervisory management styles: development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 27(3), 311–325) and this is particularly so in relation to professional doctorates.In this position paper we argue that the supervisory approach required for a professional doctorate student is different than that required for a PhD. Professional doctorate students, like PhD students, are required to make an explicit contribution to knowledge. Their emphasis, however, needs to be in producing knowledge that is theoretically sound, original, and of relevance to their practice area. This is of increasing importance within healthcare with the growing emphasis on patient driven translational research. As such, the students and their supervisors face unique challenges of balancing academic requirements with praxis. We suggest this requires specific tools to make explicit the dialogical relationship between a particular project and the cultural, social, educational and political aspects of its environment. We expose the potential of soft systems methodology as a means to highlight the emergent aspects of a doctoral practice development project, their respective and evolving supervisory interactions. This focus of this paper is therefore not about guiding supervision in a managerial sense, but rather at offering methodological suggestions that could underpin applied research at doctoral level.The supervision of professional doctorates: Experiences of the processes and ways forward - Corrected ProofSusan M Carr, Monique Lhussier, Colin Chandler10.1016/j.nedt.2009.03.004Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-08Nurse Education Today2010-02-08http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002500/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Since the abolition of specialist, undergraduate education in mental health nursing, serious concerns have been raised about the inadequate amount of theory and clinical experience devoted to this specialty in most pre-registration nursing programs in Australia. A number of government initiated reports and inquiries have been undertaken to scope the problem and provide recommendations with the aim of overcoming the identified deficits. Most inquiries have agreed that mental health nursing is under-represented in undergraduate programs and this has serious consequences for establishing a sustainable mental health nursing workforce and for providing optimal care for people experiencing a mental illness. The recommendations tend to support the continuation of comprehensive nursing education, but emphasise the need for increased mental health content. Terms like significant and substantial are often used which are not easily quantifiable. The repetitive nature of the recommendations and findings of the reports suggests that real change is not likely to occur unless specific minimum standards for the mental health content of undergraduate nursing programs are set.Moving in circles: A brief history of reports and inquiries relating to mental health content in undergraduate nursing curricula - Corrected ProofBrenda Happell10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.018Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-08Nurse Education Today2010-02-08http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000213/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Nurses and nursing students need good mathematics skills to do drug calculations correctly. As part of their undergraduate education, Norwegian nursing students must take a drug calculation test, obtaining no errors in the results. In spite of drug calculation tests, many adverse events occur, leading to a focus on drug administration skills both during students’ courses and afterwards. Adverse events in drug administration can be related to poor mathematics skills education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students’ mathematics experiences in school (primary, secondary and high school) and their beliefs about being able to master the drug calculation test. A questionnaire was given to 116 first-year Bachelor of Nursing students. Those students who assessed their mathematics knowledge as poor found the requirement to obtain no errors in the drug calculation test more stressful than students who judged their mathematics knowledge as good. The youngest students were most likely to find the test requirement stressful. Teachers in high school had the most positive influence on mathematics interest, followed by teachers in secondary and primary school.The relationship between nursing students’ mathematics ability and their performance in a drug calculation test - Corrected ProofKari Røykenes, Torill Larsen10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.009Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-04Nurse Education Today2010-02-04http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000183/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Aim: This descriptive study aimed to determine the violence experiences of nursing students’ in clinical settings, the types of violence, and the way their behaviors and emotions are affected after such an experience.Background: The risk of being subjected to violence among health staff is very high and the students who worked in the same kind of work environments also faced similar risks.Methods: The data of the study were obtained from the 380 nursing students who were studying at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Participation was voluntary. A questionnaire form was developed by the researchers and distributed to the students.Results: It was found that 50.3% of the students were subjected to violence, and 91.6% of these students were subjected to verbal violence. The students most frequently experienced anger, fury, and enmity (84.3%) after confronting violence.Conclusion: Findings of our study showed that similar to nurses, nursing students, who spent a significant proportion of their education in areas of practice, also experienced violence. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent the violence inflicted upon nursing students in clinical settings, and nursing students should be provided with information related to communication and the coping methods with violence during their education.Violence experienced by Turkish nursing students in clinical settings: Their emotions and behaviors - Corrected ProofAyda Çelebioğlu, Reva Balcı Akpinar, Sibel Küçükoğlu, Raziye Engin10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.006Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-03Nurse Education Today2010-02-03http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000201/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Registered nurses undertaking programmes of study to become Non-Medical Prescribers appear to have limited biological science knowledge. A case study was undertaken to determine whether the nurses entering Prescriber programmes considered studies in bioscience in their pre-registration nursing courses had been sufficient, linked to practice, and had prepared them for their roles as registered nurses. The literature identifies a continuing trend amongst nursing students describing a lack of sufficient bioscience in initial nurse education; there is limited literature on the views of experienced registered nurses. The participants in this study were 42 registered nurses from adult and mental health nursing, community and inpatient services. The results obtained from questionnaires and interviews are described. Questionnaire analysis identified that 57.1% of participants indicated bioscience in their pre-registration nursing programme had been limited and 40.5% stated the bioscience content had not prepared them for their roles on registration. Those reporting extensive coverage of bioscience were all aged over 41years and had qualified before 1995. Greatest coverage of bioscience in pre-registration programmes was reported in relation to anatomy and physiology, with relatively limited coverage of microbiology, pharmacology or biochemistry. Respondents considered all five topics to be important. Interviews supported the questionnaire findings.What is provided and what the registered nurse needs – Bioscience learning through the pre-registration curriculum - Corrected ProofGeraldine M. Davis10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.008Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-03Nurse Education Today2010-02-03http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000225/abstract?rss=yesSummary: European Union (EU) regulations require that university programmes are of specified duration. Additional EU regulations apply specifically to university based nurse education, enacted in the UK by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). However, little is known about how much time student nurses spend on their studies. In this exploratory study, students undertaking a single module in the pre-registration diploma programme at an English university were asked to keep a log of learning activity for the duration of the module. Twenty-six students completed the log. These students achieved higher grades and attended more lectures than the average for the module. The mean study time was 128.4h against a regulatory assumption that the module should take 200h. More than half of the 26 students undertook paid work during the module run, though this work was not associated with poorer performance. Problems in regulation for course duration are discussed and it is suggested that undertaking a 4600h course in 3years is problematic. More research is required so that patterns of study can be better understood and student centred programmes meeting regulatory requirements developed.Time spent studying on a pre-registration nursing programme module: An exploratory study and implications for regulation - Corrected ProofPaul C. Snelling, Martin Lipscomb, Lesley Lockyer, Sue Yates, Pat Young10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.010Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-03Nurse Education Today2010-02-03http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069171000002X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: The proverbial discussion surrounding the clinical credibility of nurse lecturers has almost become a preoccupation within the nursing literature and professional circles. It is not coincidental that it this has occurred alongside the cessation of hospital-based training and the associated reassignment of the responsibility for nurse education to institutes of higher education. This paper aims to put the debate to rest and proposes that the focus of the nurse lecturer should not be on establishing clinical credibility but on developing strong partnerships between academic and service areas. Such partnerships or communities of practice are more likely to facilitate high quality preparation of nursing students for future roles within a diverse and dynamic profession.The clinical credibility of nurse educators: Time the debate was put to rest - Corrected ProofKaren Ousey, Peter Gallagher10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.021Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-02-01Nurse Education Today2010-02-01http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002482/abstract?rss=yesSummary: The University of Surrey is developing the idea of a life-wide education. The intention is to develop a not for credit personal and professional development award through which a student’s life-wide learning enterprise can be encouraged, supported, valued and publicly recognised. This paper is not intended to be a research study proving that life-wide learning is a valid concept for higher education. Rather, its intention is to stimulate thinking about a set of pedagogic ideas that may add value to our current higher education paradigm and to provide some supporting evidence of student engagement with these ideas. The initial scoping exercise surveyed 40 student nurses, midwives and operating department practitioners (ODP) to discover what they did outside their programme of study that they believe added value to their personal and professional development. The survey established that students have encountered a wide range of experiences in their lives that have impacted on their personal and professional development and strong vocational motivations have often been triggered by personal life experiences. A majority of the students surveyed indicated that they would be interested in gaining some form of university recognition for the personal development they have gained through wider life experiences if the opportunity was made available to them.Adding value to the education of nurses, midwives and operating department practitioners through a ‘life-wide’ curriculum - Corrected ProofNorman Jackson, Claire Fellows, Jane Leng10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.016Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-29Nurse Education Today2010-01-29http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000031/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Objective: This research included two consecutive studies, the first of which aimed to examine university nursing students’ attachment styles and to study a set of variables that affect their attachment styles, while the second study aimed to identify the effect of nursing education on nursing students’ attachment styles.Methods: This research was conducted as a cross-sectional survey with nursing students from a school of nursing in Turkey. The research also included a longitudinal follow-up of first year students, to evaluate the effect of nursing education on attachment styles. Data were collected by using a “Personal Information Form” and “Relationship Scales Questionnaire”.Results: Nursing students’ personal characteristics of age, longest place of residence, and economic status; family characteristics of number of siblings and families’ longest place of residence; and romantic characteristics of any current romantic relationships and the number of past romantic relationships were found to be the factors that were influential in attachment styles. In addition, the nursing students had a statistically significant decrease in their insecure attachment style mean scores at the end of nursing education.Conclusion: Assessing attachment styles may be a potentially useful way to understand and counsel nursing students.Attachment styles of nursing students: A cross-sectional and a longitudinal study - Corrected ProofNurten Kaya10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.001Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-28Nurse Education Today2010-01-28http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002378/abstract?rss=yesSummary: This paper discusses a leadership program implemented in the School of Nursing at Edith Cowan University to develop leadership in fourth semester nursing students enrolled in a three year undergraduate nursing degree to prepare them for the dynamic ‘changing world’ environment of healthcare. Students were invited to apply to undertake the program in extracurricular time. Nineteen students applied to the program and ten were chosen to participate in the program. The numbers were limited to ten to equal selected industry leader mentors.The leadership program is based on the belief that leadership is a function of knowing oneself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize one’s own potential. It is asserted that within the complexity of health care it is vital that nurses enter the clinical setting with leadership capabilities because graduate nurses must take the lead to act autonomously, make decisions at the point of service, and develop a professional vision that fits with organizational and professional goals Thus, the more practice students have with leadership skills, the more prepared they will be to enter the workforce.The program consists of three components: leadership knowledge, leadership skills and leadership-in-action. The leadership program focuses on the student-participant’s ability to be self reflective on personal leadership qualities, critically appraise, and work within a team as well as to take responsibility for ensuring the achievement of team goals as leader. The program is practical and is reliant on the involvement of leader mentors who hold positions of leadership with the health industry in Western Australia.Students completed a pre and post program questionnaire related to abilities and skills in leadership. This paper discusses pre and post evaluation data against program outcomes. The findings demonstrate that participants of the program increased their ability to influence, persuade and motivate others; to effectively communicate; to team build and work collaboratively; to develop problem solving and perseverance skills to overcome obstacles; and to serve as agents for positive change.A leadership program in an undergraduate nursing course in Western Australia: Building leaders in our midst - Corrected ProofJoyce M. Hendricks, Vicki C. Cope, Maureen Harris10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.007Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-25Nurse Education Today2010-01-25http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002391/abstract?rss=yesSummary: This pilot study compares the results of medications calculations carried out by student nurses using an online assessment tool with the results of the same calculations carried out within simulated practice. The numeracy project, of which this is part, is funded by NHS Education for Scotland (NES).Objective: To test the efficacy of a realistic computer-based assessment of pre-registration nurses’ medication calculations skills by comparing outcomes from using an online assessment tool with a practical assessment tool in the style of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination OSCE. Both assessment methods used medicine calculations usually presenting authentically in the practice setting.Design: A multi-stage quantitative study using a cross-over design.Sample: Fifty early 3rd year students on the adult branch of a pre-registration nursing programme at a large school of nursing in England.Results: Results showed that, for assessing accuracy of calculation, there was a high level of congruence between the two methods.Conclusions: Computerised assessment of medications calculations using this particular platform is likely to closely mirror assessment of medication calculations done in a practical setting. As such it could be a useful adjunct to current assessment methods.Numeracy for nursing, report of a pilot study to compare outcomes of two practical simulation tools – An online medication dosage assessment and practical assessment in the style of objective structured clinical examination - Corrected ProofMeriel Hutton, Diana Coben, Carol Hall, David Rowe, Mike Sabin, Keith Weeks, Norman Woolley10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.009Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-25Nurse Education Today2010-01-25http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691710000043/abstract?rss=yesThis special edition was prompted by the report of a study published in 2008 () which investigated how changes in nursing leadership roles have influenced the ways in which student nurses learn in practice settings in the new NHS (). The focus of the study was on new leadership roles and their influence on student nurse learning, given the change in the ward manager’s role during the 1990s and the move of nurse education into universities.The perils facing nurse education: A call for leadership for learning - Corrected ProofHelen Allan10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.002Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-25Nurse Education Today2010-01-25EDITORIALhttp://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002524/abstract?rss=yesSummary: This paper profiles the establishment and evaluation of the Neophyte Writers’ Group, run by nurse academics in collaboration with clinical nurses. The growing demand for nurses to write, publish and present their work had inspired the introduction of a series of workshops designed to develop and improve writing and presentation skills, which eventuated in formation of the Neophytes. The group was founded on the basis of Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1997), a concept which has been discussed extensively in social psychology literature to explain motivation and learning theory. People with high assurance in their capabilities regard difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided (). The Neophytes’ group employs a collaborative approach intended to increase and reinforce members’ self-confidence; the underlying philosophy is to promote and enhance writers’ motivation, capacity and self-efficacy in order to achieve future publication goals confidently and independently. Support which engenders these strengths through a program relevant to participants’ needs is likely, as this group found, to increase publication productivity. Additional unexpected outcomes resulted, such as engagement by clinical nurses’ in academic work, and an increase in research higher degree enrolments.The genesis of ‘the Neophytes’: A writing support group for clinical nurses - Corrected ProofTeresa Stone, Tracy Levett-Jones, Margaret Harris, Peter M. Sinclair10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.020Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-22Nurse Education Today2010-01-22http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002470/abstract?rss=yesSummary: In a classic paper, argued that nurses distanced themselves from patients in order to avoid direct engagement with them and as a means of managing their anxiety. Reflecting on the work 40years later Fabricius argued that in the move from hospital-based nurse education to universities, nurse educators had further entrenched this defence. It is from both these perspectives that we locate this paper to explore the position of nurse teachers today drawing on empirical data from a study set up to investigate who currently leads student nurse learning in the clinical areas and as a follow up to original research on the emotional labour of nursing (). This paper presents findings from interviews with nurse teachers which are complemented by student nurse responses to a ward learning environment questionnaire, interviews with ward based nurses and documentary analysis.A major theme to emerge from the study was that there has been an uncoupling of education and practice as a consequence of the changes taking place in nurse education over the last two decades. This paper describes the range of emotions expressed as a consequence of this uncoupling such as increasing feelings of uncertainty over the nurse teacher’s role in clinical practice and anxiety generated from working in a university system which appeared to devalue caring. The apparent impact of these feelings on nurse teachers was to reinforce the education/practice split and the projection of their anxiety onto students and practitioners. We suggest that nurse teachers and in particular the system in which they work need to recognise both split and projection so that they are able to bear their anxiety and manage it in their teaching.“We should be able to bear our patients in our teaching in some way”: Theoretical perspectives on how nurse teachers manage their emotions to negotiate the split between education and caring practice - Corrected ProofPam Smith, T. Helen Allan10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.015Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-20Nurse Education Today2010-01-20http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002494/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Reviews of PBL show that teaching becomes facilitation and facilitation demands a shift from teacher-centred to student-centred instruction. The success of facilitation of PBL is dependent on the lecturers’ ability to make the shift from traditionalist to a student-centred approach. This transition may be difficult if changes are perceived to be too great in relation to lecturers’ existing practices.The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of facilitators as well as those of their students in PBL undergraduate programme in nursing schools of four universities in South Africa.Using a non-experimental, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design, twelve (12) focus-group interviews (FGI) were conducted. Data provided evidence that the control of teaching and learning which facilitators brought with them and were unable to relinquish, became a problem for the students. These traditionally trained facilitators experienced difficulties in terms of allowing the students to take charge of their own learning and function in a self-directed manner.Facilitation in problem-based learning: Experiencing the locus of control - Corrected ProofEucebious Lekalakala-Mokgele10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.017Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-20Nurse Education Today2010-01-20http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002469/abstract?rss=yesSummary: A contemporary challenge for nursing educators is to connect theory with practice for nursing students in a curriculum which is largely theory based. The use of reflective writing has been widely used to increase students’ critical thinking, and writing skills, as well as to help students integrate concepts within the context of clinical nursing. In the clinical context, the concept of seeing the other can be challenging for students whose life experiences may not have included many of the crises faced by patients and their families. This paper embeds an undergraduate nursing student’s reflective writing response to an exercise, from a family nursing course, utilized to help students relate more confidently to the patient as the other.Learning to see the other: A vehicle of reflection - Corrected ProofLinda L. Binding, Angela C. Morck, Nancy J. Moules10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.014Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-13Nurse Education Today2010-01-13http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002342/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The recent decision from the Nursing and Midwifery Council to make nursing a graduate profession has for some been the culmination of over a century of expectation. From the 1890s there were voices within the nursing and medical professions that nursing should be taught in universities. The purpose of this article is to explore two attempts in the mid-20th century to establish a degree in nursing at an English University; neither of which was successful. It will be demonstrated that there were too many conflicting ideas and personalities for these to have been achieved. The doctors wanted skilled assistants, many in the nursing profession considered that nurses should have ‘common-sense, courtesy and kindness’, in that order, the universities considered nursing to be a practical vocation, and the governments did not want the increased spending that such a move would necessitate.Degrees of ambivalence: Attitudes towards pre-registration university education for nurses in Britain, 1930–1960 - Corrected ProofJane Brooks, Anne Marie Rafferty10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.004Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-11Nurse Education Today2010-01-11http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002366/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Aim: This paper describes the development and psychometric testing of the Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey (CLOCS) that measures prevailing beliefs and assumptions important for learning to occur in the workplace.Method: Items from a tool that measured motivation in workplace learning were adapted to the nursing practice context. The tool was tested in the clinical setting, and then further modified to enhance face and content validity.Participants: Registered nurses (329) across three major Australian health facilities were surveyed between June 2007 and September 2007.Data analysis: An exploratory factor analysis identified five concepts – recognition, dissatisfaction, affiliation, accomplishment, and influence.Validity and reliability: Internal consistency measures of reliability revealed that four concepts had good internal consistency: recognition (α=.914), dissatisfaction (α=.771), affiliation (α=.801), accomplishment (α=.664), but less so for influence (α=.529).Results: This tool effectively measures recognition, affiliation and accomplishment – three concepts important for learning in practice situations, as well as dissatisfied staff across all these domains. Testing of additional influence items identify that this concept is difficult to delineate.Conclusion: The CLOCS can effectively inform leaders about concepts inherent in the culture important for maximising learning by staff.Development and psychometric testing of the Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey (CLOCS) - Corrected ProofAmanda Henderson, Debra Creedy, Rhonda Boorman, Marie Cooke, Rachel Walker10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.006Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-11Nurse Education Today2010-01-11http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002457/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Aim: The present study aimed at investigating staff members’ and nursing students’ perception of and satisfaction with an intervention involving patient-centred training in student-dedicated treatment rooms during clinical supervision.Background: It is well known that clinical education is important and that the clinical learning environment influences the development of nursing students’ ability to solve clinical problems. In the present study, an intervention using a problem-based learning (PBL) strategy was introduced and evaluated in clinical education. The PBL strategy is called ’Patient-centred training in student-dedicated treatment rooms’.Design and methods: Descriptive; both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A questionnaire and focus group interviews were used.Result: Most participants found the PBL strategy to be highly satisfactory, both for staff and for students. The students seemed to feel that their time in clinical education had been used efficiently.Conclusion: Integration of theory and practice during clinical training has been emphasized as a necessary component, and the new strategy, which involves a method of promoting students’ reflection, represents one way of facilitating such integration, in that it may bridge the gap between theory and practice. More extensive and more specific research is need in the future.Evaluation of a PBL strategy in clinical supervision of nursing students: Patient-centred training in student-dedicated treatment rooms - Corrected ProofMargaretha Staun, Berit Bergström, Barbro Wadensten10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.013Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-11Nurse Education Today2010-01-11http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002330/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Unauthorised student nurse absenteeism in higher education troubles many university lecturers. Anecdotally, absenteeism is occasionally raised as an issue by attending students who resent others “getting away” with non-attendance and some policy documents appear to suggest that attendance should be mandated. This paper argues against enforced attendance in higher education and challenges those who would mandate attendance to explain and justify their position. Drawing on a range of nursing and non-nursing material we here discuss some of the literature on attendance, absenteeism, effort or time spent in study and grade attainment. Informed by this admittedly partial review we maintain that the evidence linking grade attainment with attendance and study effort is less conclusive than intuition might initially suggest. We note that enforcing attendance apparently runs counter to important pedagogic (humanistic and androgogic) principles. We propose that responses to absenteeism cannot be separated from questions of ‘harm’ and we suggest that lecturers should refrain from associating non-attendance with unprofessional behaviour and poor professionalization.Student nurse absenteeism in higher education: An argument against enforced attendance - Corrected ProofMartin Lipscomb, Paul C. Snelling10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.003Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-07Nurse Education Today2010-01-07http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002147/abstract?rss=yesSummary: In multiple-choice tests, four-option items are the standard in nursing education. There are few evidence-based reasons, however, for MCQs to have four or more options as studies have shown that three-option items perform equally as well and the additional options most often do not improve test reliability and validity. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of four-option items with the same items rewritten as three-option items. Using item-analysis data to eliminate the distractor with the lowest response rate, we compared three- and four-option versions of 41 multiple-choice items administered to two student cohorts over two subsequent academic years. Removing the non-functioning distractor resulted in minimal changes in item difficulty and discrimination. Three-option items contained more functioning distractors despite having fewer distractors overall. Existing distractors became more discriminating when infrequently selected distractors were removed from items. Overall, three-option items perform equally as well as four-option items. Since three-option items require less time to develop and administer and additional options provide no psychometric advantage, teachers are encouraged to adopt three-option items as the standard on multiple-choice tests.A comparison of the psychometric properties of three- and four-option multiple-choice questions in nursing assessments - Corrected ProofMarie Tarrant, James Ware10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.002Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-06Nurse Education Today2010-01-06http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002354/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Tailoring information to the needs of the learner is an important strategy in contemporary education settings. Web-based learning support, informed by multimedia theory, comprising interactive quizzes, glossaries with audio, short narrated Power Point® presentations, animations and digitised video clips were introduced in a first year Bachelor of Nursing biological sciences subject at a university in metropolitan Sydney. All students enrolled in this unit were invited to obtain access to the site and the number of hits to the site was recorded using the student tracking facility available on WebCT, an online course delivery tool adopted widely by many educational institutions and used in this study. Eighty-five percent of students enrolled in the subject accessed the learning support site. Students’ perception of the value of a learning support site was assessed using a web-based survey. The survey was completed by 123 participants, representing a response rate of 22%. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data concerning nursing students’ perception of the web-based activities: ‘enhances my learning’, ‘study at my own pace’, and ‘about the activities: what I really liked/disliked’. Web-based interventions, supplementing a traditionally presented nursing science course were perceived by students to be beneficial in both learning and language development. Although students value interactive, multimedia learning they were not ready to completely abandon traditional modes of learning including face-to-face lectures. The findings of this study contribute to an understanding of how web-based resources can be best used to support students’ learning in bioscience.Nursing students’ perception of a web-based intervention to support learning - Corrected ProofJane Koch, Sharon Andrew, Yenna Salamonson, Bronwyn Everett, Patricia M. Davidson10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.005Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-04Nurse Education Today2010-01-04http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002408/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Reinforcement of learning in practice may help students learn bioscience but is contingent on adequate support from staff nurses. A ’snapshot’ of the situation in practice was obtained (2006/7), with context from lecturers. In Stage 1, surgical care nurses were presented with scenarios and interviewed. Responses were located within proficiency standards. Further responses related to application of ’Early Warning System’ (EWS) tools on the wards. In Stage 2, a questionnaire was sent to lead bioscience lecturers at English universities.Nurses identified widespread knowledge of clinical observations. Underlying factors were variably articulated, and was not correlated with years in practice or first qualification. Experience was considered most important to learning bioscience but most nurses self-rated their bioscience knowledge as weak. Lecturers anticipated bioscience understanding at registration to be equivalent to around ’A’ level standard, yet most thought the actual standard was lower. EWS tools were considered useful by nurses and lecturers, but potentially de-skilling.A dichotomy in expectation and reality of bioscience learning persists. The learning environment in practice is hindered either by practitioners having poor understanding, or low confidence in what they know. Post-qualifying education will help resolve recognised difficulties in student learning of biosciences, though EWS tools may not encourage deeper learning.An exploratory study of the application of biosciences in practice, and implications for pre-qualifying education - Corrected ProofAndrew McVicar, John Clancy, Nicola Mayes10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.010Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-04Nurse Education Today2010-01-04http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069170900241X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Research evidence demonstrates that offering language choice to patients enhances the quality of healthcare provision. This has implications for the preparation of nurses for practice in bilingual settings, where legislation often leads to demands for health services in both languages and bilingual competence amongst healthcare providers. This paper reports on a scoping study of bilingual provision in nurse education in the bilingual context of Wales, UK, as a means of informing the evidence base for national strategic planning. The study incorporated three elements: (i) literature analysis (ii) policy review and (iii) stakeholder consultation (n=70). Six themes emerged from the stakeholder consultation, reflecting the main drivers and barriers associated with bilingual provision in course delivery. These themes aligned with findings identified from the policy and literature review that related to strategic, organisational and individual influences on bilingual educational provision. Strategic planning for bilingual provision in nurse education in Wales should take account of the factors that affect provision at different levels. These factors feature across bilingual settings outside the UK, thus giving the study international relevance and scope to inform the delivery of nurse education that meets the needs of wider diverse language communities.Identifying priorities for establishing bilingual provision in nurse education: A scoping study - Corrected ProofGwerfyl W. Roberts, Fiona E. Irvine, Siobhan Tranter, Llinos H. Spencer10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.011Nurse Education Today (2010)2010-01-04Nurse Education Today2010-01-04http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002196/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Education that captures the attention of students is an essential aspect of promoting meaningful, active learning. Rather than standing at the front of a group of learners simply speaking about a topic, teachers have the opportunity of livening up their teaching with humour, games, and other fun activities. This article critically evaluates the benefits and limitations of humour within nursing education as well as the use of games and fun activities as teaching strategies. Examples of various games and interactive activities are also provided.Enjoyable learning: The role of humour, games, and fun activities in nursing and midwifery education - Corrected ProofHeather Baid, Nicky Lambert10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.007Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-31Nurse Education Today2009-12-31http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069170900238X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: As the number of nursing students increases, the ability to actively engage all students in a large classroom is challenging and increasingly difficult. Clickers, or student response systems (SRS), are a relatively new technology in nursing education that use wireless technology and enable students to select individual responses to questions posed to them during class.The study design was a quasi-experimental comparison with one section of an adult medical–surgical course using the SRS and one receiving standard teaching. No significant differences between groups on any measure of performance were found. Focus groups were conducted to describe student perceptions of SRS. Three themes emerged: Being able to respond anonymously, validating an answer while providing immediate feedback, and providing an interactive and engaging environment. Although the clickers did not improve learning outcomes as measured by objective testing, perceptions shared by students indicated an increased degree of classroom engagement. Future research needs to examine other potential outcome variables.Evidence for teaching practice: The impact of clickers in a large classroom environment - Corrected ProofBarbara Patterson, Judith Kilpatrick, Eric Woebkenberg10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.008Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-31Nurse Education Today2009-12-31http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002329/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Aims and objectives: We critique a new approach to reflection in nursing that uses thoughts and feelings as the focus of the reflective process.Background: We have developed the ‘Peshkin Approach to Reflection’; so-called because it is influenced by the work of Peshkin and his focus on the ‘subjective I’. Whereas most reflective models used in nursing take an incident as the starting point, this new approach focuses on subjective feelings and thoughts.Discussion: We offer an overview of the stages of the process: preparation; writing, analysis, and application to practice. Central to the paper is a critique of the approach with particular emphasis on the issues raised by focusing on emotions as part of the reflective process. We show that within the emotional labour of nursing, feelings may become repressed. Thus, we suggest that bringing emotions to the forefront of reflective practice in an appropriately supportive environment has significant benefits.Conclusions: Emotions are inextricably bound with nursing practice. For that reason, we argue that much can be gained from raising emotions in a manner that helps nursing students – or indeed nurses and other practitioners – gain a deeper self-understanding. In turn, this can enhance therapeutic use of self.Raised emotions: A critique of the Peshkin Approach to Reflection - Corrected ProofCaroline Bradbury-Jones, Denise Coleman, Helen Davies, Kate Ellison, Colette Leigh10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.002Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-30Nurse Education Today2009-12-30http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002317/abstract?rss=yesSummary: In this article, we describe the development of a BScN (Honors) Program in a large Canadian university. We describe the elements of the program, including the application of a research apprenticeship model as the core of the program. We provide examples of student learning experiences culminating in the Honors project. Recruitment, balancing clinical and research interests, financial support, and manageability of the Honors project emerged as key challenges in our first offerings of the program. Overall, students perceived that experiential research learning enhanced their research skills, increased appreciation of the process and outcomes of nursing research, and inspired confidence to pursue graduate education. We conclude that an apprenticeship model providing students with experiential research learning with established faculty researchers is an effective and efficient way to deliver the Honors Program in the context of a research-intensive nursing faculty.Incorporating a research apprenticeship model in a Canadian nursing Honors Program - Corrected ProofLinda Reutter, Pauline Paul, Anne Sales, Hannah Jerke, Anra Lee, Meighan McColl, Erin Stafford, Alysha Visram10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.001Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-23Nurse Education Today2009-12-23http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002184/abstract?rss=yesSummary: In this paper we argue that the concerns generated by the development of Foundation Degrees and the Assistant and Associate Practitioner roles have rekindled some of the unresolved debates regarding the status and identity of nursing and nurses. Through the application of the sociological theories of professionalisation and nostalgia we have identified the shifting and unresolved nature of nursing. We argue that these theories continue to have resonance in the current climate of change and ‘upskilling’ of the health care workforce and argue, that the shifts illuminated are perhaps so significant as to demonstrate that we have entered a post-nursing era.The shifting foundations of nursing - Corrected ProofKate Law, Kay Aranda10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.006Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-18Nurse Education Today2009-12-18http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002159/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: In this article we consider the nature of ethical leadership in nursing. An appreciation of the basis of such leadership requires an understanding of responsibility and of key intellectual and ethical qualities or virtues. We examine some of the educational and practice strategies to promote ethical leadership. We argue that there are different levels of ethical leadership. All members of the nursing workforce are ethical leaders in so far as they demonstrate a commitment to ethical practice in their everyday work and act as ethical role models for others. Nurse managers are responsible for influencing their team and for acting as arbiters between organisational and professional values. Nurse educators are role models and ethical leaders as they ensure that the explicit and hidden curriculum demonstrate a commitment to professional values. Nurses who assume political roles have an obligation to lead on ethical agenda compatible with the values of nursing.Educating for ethical leadership - Corrected ProofAnn Gallagher, Verena Tschudin10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.003Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-16Nurse Education Today2009-12-16http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709001981/abstract?rss=yesEncouraging student nurses, midwives and related professionals to contribute to the advancement of their educational programmes is important. Actively participating in laying down firm foundations for their professional development, may bring gains in the form of a greater sense of belonging along with feelings of self-confidence and security.Attachment, belonging and identity are important to effective health curricula - Corrected ProofAlun Jones10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.008Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14EDITORIALhttp://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002135/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Background: The Case Method is a teaching method in which cases from real life inspire students to actively seek knowledge that they discuss in structured seminars. Case seminars in health education have been evaluated, compared and discussed, but descriptions that can help us understand how students learn in the seminars have not previously been published. In a Swedish nursing programme, where case seminars have been used for several years, students were asked to write about their experiences of learning in the seminars. The aim of the present study was to describe this learning process from the students’ point of view.Method: Written data were analysed using content analysis.Findings: A theme concerning how the Case Method opens doors to deeper understanding was identified as a thread running through different codes and categories. Students described the importance of new perspectives and their wish to participate in discussions with other students. The students indicated that the structure, which involved pre-prepared cases and writing on the white board, positioned their own knowledge in a wider context and that the learning atmosphere enabled everyone to participate.Conclusions: The Case Method seems to involve students in a way that deepens their understanding and critical thinking.Case seminars open doors to deeper understanding – Nursing students’ experiences of learning - Corrected ProofAnna Hofsten, Christina Gustafsson, Elisabeth Häggström10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.001Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002160/abstract?rss=yesSummary: In Europe, there have been reforms in nursing education during last years and many political papers have been published. The reforms have given need for harmonising nursing education. In spite of that, there are differences in nursing education system in Europe. In this paper, we describe some main policy papers in the field of nursing education and identify selected future challenges. These challenges have been named for developing cross-cultural collaboration, clinical learning environment, role of patients and teacher education.Future challenges for nursing education – A European perspective - Corrected ProofLeena Salminen, Minna Stolt, Mikko Saarikoski, Arja Suikkala, Heli Vaartio, Helena Leino-Kilpi10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.004Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002172/abstract?rss=yesSummary: A study into student nurses’ ability to use the Internet was published in Nurse Education Today in 2004. This paper repeats the research with a cohort of students starting their pre-registration programme in a UK university in 2007.In 2004 students were reported as having poor Internet skills, and as not being frequent users of the Internet. In this study students were found to have significantly better ability to carry out basic tasks and significantly higher levels of Internet use. Their ability to apply these skills to more complex information literacy tasks however had not increased, with more than half of all students saying they found far too much irrelevant information when searching for specific information on the Internet. The earlier study found that skills and age were not related, which appears to still be the case.The need for these skills is increasing as education, lifelong learning, and patient information are all increasingly drawing on the developing Internet. Nurse education however is not integrating the skill and knowledge base essential to support this into pre-registration programmes, and the evidence suggests that this will not happen without active management.Surfing or still drowning? Student nurses’ Internet skills - Corrected ProofCarol S. Bond10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.005Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002202/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Nurse lecturers are becoming more aware of the opportunities that web 2.0 offers and are slowly moving into the world of cyber-teaching. However, few consider the legal ramifications of this new teaching trend and how vulnerable they may be when posting information or teaching materials to the World Wide Web. The purpose of this paper is to explore the legal issues inherent in the use of virtual learning technologies. This paper poses a number of questions that novices in the world of virtual learning technologies may wish to consider. The paper makes some recommendation which may help to ensure that not only can nurse educators fully exploit the opportunities offered by the World Wide Web but they can do so in a legally responsible manner.Legality, the web and nurse educators - Corrected ProofCarol Haigh10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.008Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002214/abstract?rss=yesWe are pleased that others have entered the fray about professorial standards in nursing and grateful, for once, for not being taken to task for our robust views on the deplorable state of the UK nursing professoriate that we have expressed on several occasions (). Taking one of our papers () as their starting point, argue that obtaining a professorship in most European countries ‘without the requisite academic credentials’ (p. 1) would be impossible. However, the point made in and subsequently by both of us on several occasions was specifically related to the UK and, while we agree that it would be almost impossible elsewhere, we wish to reiterate and emphasise that that it is eminently possible in the UK to obtain a professorship without fulfilling the accepted criteria – it is still happening. We do not take issue with but we feel that we can augment their argument significantly by focusing on some of the points they raise.How to be a professor: What Taylor et al. didn’t tell you! - Corrected ProofRoger Watson, David R. Thompson10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.009Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14GUEST EDITORIALhttp://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002226/abstract?rss=yesSummary: The purpose of this article is to examine the Promoting Excellence in Nursing Education (PENE) Pross evaluation model. A conceptual evaluation model, such as the one described here, may be useful to nurse academicians in the ongoing evaluation of educational programs, especially those with goals of excellence. Frameworks for evaluating nursing programs are necessary because they offer a way to systematically assess the educational effectiveness of complex nursing programs. This article describes the conceptual framework and its tenets of excellence.Promoting Excellence in Nursing Education (PENE): Pross evaluation model - Corrected ProofElizabeth A. Pross10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.010Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-14Nurse Education Today2009-12-14http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709001671/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Within nursing education, graduate pedagogies are relatively unexplored, with research commonly focused upon undergraduate and continuing education. In order to address the increasingly complex organisational challenges in the workplace, mid-career nurses and midwives are turning to graduate education. In one graduate course on cultures of learning in the workplace, a constructivist approach to learning was adopted. Post-course analysis of data, from the feedback on the course from students, student choice of assignment topics, and reflections of the course facilitators, revealed three pedagogies unique to graduate education. The pedagogies were labelled ‘keeping the space open’, ‘theoretical concepts as tools’, and ‘resonance and action as praxis’. The intended outcome of the course is revealed in a fourth theme, ‘developing practice in the workplace’. This evaluation suggests that constructivist pedagogies used with graduate students may be different to those pedagogies used with undergraduate and continuing education students. We argue that graduate pedagogies move nursing education beyond strategies that seek integration of theory and practice, towards a dialectic between theory and practice.Valuing the gap: A dialectic between theory and practice in graduate nursing education from a constructive educational approach - Corrected ProofCheryle Moss, Laurie Grealish, Sarah Lake10.1016/j.nedt.2009.09.001Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-07Nurse Education Today2009-12-07http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002044/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Approaches to the longstanding challenges of ‘integrating’ subject-based and work-based knowledge have typically focused on questions of how learning can be ‘transferred’ from one setting to another, relating the assumed ‘abstract’ nature of theory to the assumed ‘real’ nature of practice. This is often seen as a single movement as encapsulated in the term ‘from theory to practice’. The authors have developed a fresh approach that concentrates on different forms of knowledge and the ways in which these are contextualised and ‘re-contextualised’ in movements between different sites of learning in colleges and workplaces. While the research has been carried out in a range of professional fields outside nursing, the arguments put forward by the authors are relevant to continuing debates within nursing around the theory–practice gap. The aim has been to explore how the subject-based and work-based aspects of a curriculum or learning programme can articulate with one another more effectively. The potential of the ‘re-contextualisation’ approach for nurse education is outlined, with a view to further research. The original research was sponsored by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Commercial Education Trust and the Economic and Social Research Council Teaching and Learning Research Programme.Putting knowledge to work: A new approach - Corrected ProofKaren Evans, David Guile, Judy Harris, Helen Allan10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.014Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-07Nurse Education Today2009-12-07http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002093/abstract?rss=yesSummary: As part of a larger evaluation study, 20 members of staff in a Faculty of Health were interviewed about the impact of service user and carer involvement on learning and teaching. A qualitative approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews were used to explore current levels of involvement, barriers and solutions. The data generated was analysed using the principles of grounded theory. Findings suggest respondents recognised the requirement to involve service users and carers in their learning activities. Most wanted to develop this aspect of their educational provision but a number of barriers were described. Strategic and operational solutions were proposed to overcome these and respondents were positive about achieving meaningful involvement.Service user and carer involvement in learning and teaching: A faculty of health staff perspective - Corrected ProofRobin Gutteridge, Kerry Dobbins10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.019Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-03Nurse Education Today2009-12-03http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002123/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Internationally, nursing faculty shortages have been reported and there is a potential for them to worsen into the next decade as existing faculty age. To, in part, address this issue, across disciplines there is clearly an international trend towards the increasing casualisation of the higher education workforce. Despite the potential impact of this two-tiered workforce structure, there has been limited examination of the discipline specific issues related to the employment of a growing number of sessional nursing staff. This paper provides a critical review of the literature related to the employment of sessional teachers in higher education. The paper advances the discourse around the role and implications of employing sessional teachers in undergraduate nursing schools. Recommendations for supporting sessional staff and further research are presented.Casualisation of the teaching workforce: Implications for nursing education - Corrected ProofElizabeth J. Halcomb, Sharon Andrew, Kath Peters, Yenna Salamonson, Debra Jackson10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.022Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-12-02Nurse Education Today2009-12-02http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069170900210X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Acute care settings are characterised by patients with complex health problems who are more likely to be or become seriously ill during their hospital stay. Although warning signs often precede serious adverse events there is consistent evidence that ‘at risk’ patients are not always identified or managed appropriately. ‘Failure to rescue’, with rescue being the ability to recognise deteriorating patients and to intervene appropriately, is related to poor clinical reasoning skills. These factors provided the impetus for the development of an educational model that has the potential to enhance nursing students’ clinical reasoning skills and consequently their ability to manage ‘at risk’ patients. Clinical reasoning is the process by which nurses collect cues, process the information, come to an understanding of a patient problem or situation, plan and implement interventions, evaluate outcomes, and reflect on and learn from the process. Effective clinical reasoning depends upon the nurse’s ability to collect the right cues and to take the right action for the right patient at the right time and for the right reason. This paper provides an overview of a clinical reasoning model and the literature underpinning the ‘five rights’ of clinical reasoning.The ‘five rights’ of clinical reasoning: An educational model to enhance nursing students’ ability to identify and manage clinically ‘at risk’ patients - Corrected ProofTracy Levett-Jones, Kerry Hoffman, Jennifer Dempsey, Sarah Yeun-Sim Jeong, Danielle Noble, Carol Anne Norton, Janiece Roche, Noelene Hickey10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.020Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-30Nurse Education Today2009-11-30http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002111/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Nursing students are strategically positioned to influence adoption of evidence-based practice within the nursing profession. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of knowledge, attitudes, use and future use of evidence-based practice among baccalaureate nursing students at two universities.A cross-sectional survey design was used to study a convenience sample of 436 nursing students (response rate of 63.3%) enrolled at two baccalaureate nursing programs at the beginning of 2007 fall semester in the United States. The surveys included demographic questionnaire and knowledge, attitudes and behaviors questionnaire for evidence-based practice.EBP Knowledge, Attitudes toward EBP and Future Use of EBP subscales demonstrated statistically significant increase in mean scores with advancing academic levels. Confidence in clinical decision-making and clinical preparedness had moderate positive correlation with EBP Use and Future use of EBP. Simultaneous multiple regression analyses indicated that the clinical preparedness and confidence in clinical decision-making were statistically significant predictor variables for EBP use and Future use of EBP. Clinically well-prepared nursing students with high confidence in clinical decision-making are most likely to use evidence-based practice, both in the present and the future.Predictors of knowledge, attitudes, use and future use of evidence-based practice among baccalaureate nursing students at two universities - Corrected ProofCaroline E. Brown, Son Chae Kim, Jaynelle F. Stichler, Willa Fields10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.021Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-30Nurse Education Today2009-11-30http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709001853/abstract?rss=yesSummary: This paper demonstrates the processes of designing a nursing curriculum that integrates health care and educational reforms, regulatory requirements and the needs of a modern nursing workforce. In particular, the paper illustrates the application of a curriculum design process. In 2008, the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of South Australia completed the challenging task of designing and implementing a Bachelor of Nursing curriculum to ensure that nursing graduates meet projected health care delivery needs within the Australian context. Creating an educational experience necessary to support Graduates to attend to priorities associated with the projected Australian health demographic was challenging. Through the use of integrating themes, domains of nursing practice and attention to the health care needs and priorities of the population, the curriculum has been designed to produce nurses with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to contribute to new and innovative health care delivery in Australia.Creating a 21st century nursing work force: Designing a Bachelor of Nursing program in response to the health reform agenda - Corrected ProofKate Andre, Lynne Barnes10.1016/j.nedt.2009.09.011Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-27Nurse Education Today2009-11-27http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069170900207X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Aim: A systematic literature review of the experiences and perceptions of newly qualified nurses in the UK during the transition from student to staff nurse.Background: It has been widely recognised that newly qualified nurses experience a period of transition. Over the past decade there has been radical reorganisation of nurse education in the UK which has raised issues of preparation for practice.Data sources: Searches were made of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and MEDLINE.Methods: A systematic review was carried out. Papers were critically reviewed, relevant data were extracted and synthesised.Results: Four themes were identified from the empirical evidence base: transition and change, personal and professional development, pre-registration education, preceptorship and support.Conclusion: Transition remains a stressful experience for newly qualified nurses in the UK. Reasons include an increase in personal and professional development, changes in pre-registration education and lack of support once qualified.Recommendations: Further research is needed to address the current situation in relation to the transition period including pre-registration education, preparation for practice and support in both primary and secondary care.A systematic review of the experiences and perceptions of the newly qualified nurse in the United Kingdom - Corrected ProofGeorgina Higgins, Rachael Louise Spencer, Ros Kane10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.017Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-27Nurse Education Today2009-11-27http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002068/abstract?rss=yesSummary: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the revised nurses professional values scale (NPVS-R). The convenient sampling method, including senior undergraduate nursing students (n=110) and clinical nurses (n=223), was applied to recruit appropriate samples from southern Taiwan. The revised nurses professional values scale (NPVS-R) was used in this study. Content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and reliability were assessed. The final sample consisted of 286 subjects. Findings: three factors were detected in the results, accounting for 60.12% of the explained variance. The first factor was titled professionalism, and included 13 items. The second factor was named caring, and consisted of seven items. Activism was the third factor, which included six items. Overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.90, taken from values for each of the three factors of 0.88, 0.90, and 0.81, respectively. The Chinese version of the NPVS-R can be considered a reliable and valid scale for assigning values that can mark professionalism in Taiwanese nurses.A Chinese version of the revised nurses professional values scale: Reliability and validity assessment - Corrected ProofYu-Hua Lin, Liching Sung Wang10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.016Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-26Nurse Education Today2009-11-26http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS026069170900197X/abstract?rss=yesSummary: This study aimed to develop a web-based learning media on the process and mechanism of labour for the third-year university nursing and midwifery students. This media was developed based on integrating principles of the mechanism of labour with the 5Es inquiry cycle and interactive features of information technology. In this study, the web-based learning unit was used to supplement the conventional lecture as in the traditional teaching. Students’ achievements were assessed by using the pre- and post-test on factual knowledge and semi-structured interviews on attitude to the unit. Supplementation with this learning unit made learning significantly more effective than the traditional lecture by itself. The students also showed positive attitude toward the learning unit.Development of a web-based learning medium on mechanism of labour for nursing students - Corrected ProofSailom Gerdprasert, Tassanee Pruksacheva, Bhinyo Panijpan, Pintip Ruenwongsa10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.007Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-23Nurse Education Today2009-11-23http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709001993/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Therapeutic letter writing (TLW) is a well-known intervention in family nursing practice but it has been overlooked as a strategy in nursing education to promote relationship-building. This article reviews what is known about TLW and presents what was learned by adding a TLW assignment to undergraduate clinical nursing courses. This paper adds to the evidence supporting TLW as an effective clinical teaching strategy to promote students relational skills and to recognize patients’ strengths. TLW has benefits for students, patients and faculty.Therapeutic letters in undergraduate nursing education: Ideas for clinical nurse educators - Corrected ProofPatricia E. Freed, Dorcas E. McLaughlin, Lee SmithBattle, Sheila Leander, Nina Westhus10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.009Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-23Nurse Education Today2009-11-23http://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002007/abstract?rss=yesInternationally, the nursing profession exhibits high rates of musculo-skeletal injury, such as lower back, neck and shoulder pain (). Despite there being a wide range of factors which might pre-dispose nurses to injury such as age, fitness, workload intensity, staffing ratios and availability of equipment, manual patient handling activities are viewed as a key causative factor.Musculo-skeletal injury – Are Universities doing enough to protect students? - Corrected ProofRosie Kneafsey, Jane Smallwood10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.010Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-23Nurse Education Today2009-11-23EDITORIALhttp://www.nurseeducationtoday.com/article/PIIS0260691709002056/abstract?rss=yesSummary: Nursing education in the US today is at crossroads. The profession has made great strides in gaining public respect and recognition for the work that nurses do. Nurses’ voices are being heard in important political debates about revolutionary changes in the problematic US health care system. Advanced practice nurses are becoming valued providers of primary care to US citizens. It is innovative educational programs and educators that have provided the foundation to help nursing use its voice and to propel the profession forward. However, nurse educators are finding that they face major challenges in keeping nursing on track to be in the forefront of health care in the future. Some of these challenges include confronting nursing and faculty shortages, eliminating inconsistent and confusing educational choices, taking responsibility for mandates to stay on the cutting edge of quality initiatives, providing excellent clinical experiences for students and being willing to step out of old comfort zones to engage in designing imaginative and innovative ways to educate nurses in the future. Nurse educators must be successful in turning these challenges into opportunities if nursing is to command a key role in an evolving US health care system.A United States perspective on the challenges in nursing education - Corrected ProofKaren L. Rich, Katherine E. Nugent10.1016/j.nedt.2009.10.015Nurse Education Today (2009)2009-11-23Nurse Education Today2009-11-23