Assessing dental hygiene students’ readiness for interprofessional learning and collaborative practice

Student nurses as a future general practice nursing workforce. Implementing collaborative learning in practice: implications for placement learning and patient access. A mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

There is a global shortage of nurses, with particularly acute shortfall in General Practice Nursing in the United Kingdom estimated at as high as 50% vacancy rate by 2031 by some sources. There has previously been reluctance for General Practices to host student nurses on placement, but it has become imperative to increase placement capacity if practices are to be able to recruit a future workforce. Collaborative Learning in Practice is a means of organising placement learning for student nurses using a coaching model, that allows for leadership development, peer support and earlier engagement in patient care, and increases placement capacity.

METHODS

This was a mixed methods study using qualitative data from focus groups to evaluate the implementation of Collaborative Learning in Practice, and routinely collected audit data on numbers of clinic appointments to investigate the potential impact an increased capacity of student nurses might have on patient access to services. The aims of this study were: to implement and evaluate Collaborative Learning in Practice in General Practice Nursing settings; to explore issues of interprofessional learning; to explore patient access to services related to increased student nurse capacity.

RESULTS

Our qualitative data indicated the following themes as important to students and staff: Peer Support; Interprofessional Learning; and the Importance of 'own clinics' for students to see patients. The audit data indicated that having students leading their own clinics increased the clinic numbers available by approximately 20% compared to when students were not in placement.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that student nurses increased clinic capacity and improved access for patients. Students valued their placement, felt that they were more 'part of the team' than in other placements and consequently had a greater sense of belonging. This was multifaceted, coming in part from the welcoming practice staff, in part from the opportunities for peer support engendered by the collaborative learning in practice model, and in part from the interprofessional learning opportunities available. General Practice Nursing placements for students are important for future workforce recruitment and can help meet Quality and Outcomes Framework targets for General Practices.

Indigenous Cultural Safety Training for Applied Health, Social Work, and Education Professionals: A PRISMA Scoping Review

Anti-Indigenous racism is a widespread social problem in health and education systems in English-speaking colonized countries. Cultural safety training (CST) is often promoted as a key strategy to address this problem, yet little evidence exists on how CST is operationalized and evaluated in health and education systems. This scoping review sought to broadly synthesize the academic literature on how CST programs are developed, implemented, and evaluated in the applied health, social work and education fields in Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, and ASSIA were searched for articles published between 1996 and 2020. The Joanna Briggs Institute's three-step search strategy and PRISMA extension for scoping reviews were adopted, with 134 articles included. CST programs have grown significantly in the health, social work, and education fields in the last three decades, and they vary significantly in their objectives, modalities, timelines, and how they are evaluated. The involvement of Indigenous peoples in CST programs is common, but their roles are rarely specified. Indigenous groups must be intentionally and meaningfully engaged throughout the entire duration of research and practice. Cultural safety and various related concepts should be careful considered and applied for the relevant context.

Fourth-year dental hygiene students' educational preparedness: Self-confidence ratings of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association baccalaureate competencies (2017-2019)

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Canadian Competencies for Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Programs (CCBDHP) were first published in 2015 by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. They reflect the first articulation of dental hygiene baccalaureate competencies in North America. However, there is little evidence to support baccalaureate graduates acquire these abilities.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the confidence levels of baccalaureate fourth-year students in their ability to demonstrate the CCBDHPs.

METHODS

This 3-year longitudinal study rated the self-confidence levels of fourth-year students as they neared graduation from the University of British Columbia from 2017 to 2019. It involved an online, anonymous survey using a 5-point scale ranging from not confident to confident. Respondents rated their self-confidence in the 110 sub-competencies articulated within the 13 competency domains of the CCBDHP.

RESULTS

Responses were received from 54 of the 70 graduating students for a cumulative 77% response rate. Respondents expressed the most confidence in the competency domains of Clinical Therapy (100%), Collaboration (100%), Disease Prevention (100%), Professionalism (100%), and Oral Health Education (90%) but expressed less confidence in Research Use (73%), Health Promotion (70%), Leadership (67%), Policy Use (20%), and Advocacy (11%).

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that curriculum revisions are needed in 5 domains but such changes may not be sufficient. Transition support may be warranted to assist graduates as they enter practice, while some competencies may be more appropriate for graduate studies. The study contributes to an international discussion about the educational preparedness of baccalaureate graduates, and the boundaries between diploma, baccalaureate and master's education.