A curriculum-wide assessment of writing self-efficacy in a baccalaureate nursing program

Academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice in nursing students: A descriptive and correlational design

BACKGROUND

The academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice of nursing students are important factors for academic achievement, quality of nursing care, and the transition process of new graduate nurses into the profession.

OBJECTIVE

This research was conducted to determine whether sociodemographic variables on their own or in combination with one another have an effect on the academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice among nursing students.

DESIGN

A descriptive and correlational design.

SETTING

The study was conducted in the nursing department of a state university in Ankara, Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample consisted of 832 nursing students.

METHODS

The data were collected via the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Survey, the Academic Nurse Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Student Personal Responsibility Scale -10. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance, and the Tukey Honesty Significant Difference test.

RESULTS

Nursing students who engaged in clinical practice, developed care plans, and participated in case discussions had higher levels of academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice. Nursing students who were satisfied with studying nursing and desired to work as a nurse after graduation had higher levels of academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice. First-year students had lower levels of readiness for professional practice, while fourth-year students had significantly higher levels of academic self-efficacy and personal responsibility compared to students in other years.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that variables such as academic level, gender, practical applications for readiness to practice, satisfaction with studying nursing, and desire to work as a nurse after graduation significantly influenced the levels of academic self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and readiness for professional practice.

Scientific writing development: Improve DNP student skill and writing efficiency

BACKGROUND

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students lack sufficient opportunities to practice writing. Students and faculty require clear expectations and consistent feedback to improve skills.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated a rubric-driven scientific writing development program.

DESIGN

A mixed methods design was used.

SETTING

The study was conducted in a post-Master's DNP Program.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included DNP students and faculty.

METHODS

The intervention was delivered to 10 students and writing proficiency was assessed over five semesters. Overall doctoral project quality and rigor were assessed at the end of the program and compared to a similar group of students (n = 20). Seven faculty and eight students participated in qualitative interviews.

RESULTS

Performance improved from Semesters 1 to 5; and though quality and rigor did not differ, the intervention group's final papers were more efficiently written with approximately 17 fewer pages and an average review time of eight fewer minutes than the comparison group. Participants identified the rubric, feedback, and scaffolding as helpful program components.

CONCLUSIONS

Scientific writing development is essential to DNP education. The intervention improved skill performance and writing efficiency.

Strategies for retention of nursing students: A scoping review

Retention of students in nursing programs is a costly concern that affects the supply and demand of nurses to the healthcare system. Successful retention strategies require consideration of social and academic institutional systems with attention to student integration in a program. This systematic review explores implemented retention strategies in nursing programs worldwide and provides guidance for nursing programs and researchers considering the retention question. Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methods informed this review. CINAHL, ERIC, PsychINFO, and MEDLINE, databases were searched from January 1998 to December 2019. Data was extracted from 112 full text papers and dissertations. Papers were of varying quality and inconsistently evaluated, usually lacking theoretical grounding. Student participants in strategies were preselected by racial minority status or through various markers of academic performance. Retention strategies described in the literature are single program and multifactorial, with mentorship, study skills, literacy and language approaches, and tutoring the most common components. Reports of graduation rates or attrition rates through comparison with a pre-strategy time period or a comparison group were the most informative evaluations. Whole-program strategies that provided pathway options to students based on reading assessments or other academic criteria were the most comprehensive and effective strategies presented in the literature.

Scientific Writing Workshop Improves Confidence in Critical Writing Skills among Trainees in the Biomedical Sciences

Written communication is a key research skill, yet the current model of pre- and postdoctoral training in the biomedical sciences lacks consistent formal training in this area, leading to crises of confidence when tackling research writing. A 15-hour non-credit workshop, "Secrets of Successful Scientific Writing," was developed in collaboration with an experienced instructor of scientific writing. The workshop consisted of six 2.5-hour sessions and was offered six times; a total of 126 trainees attended over these six offerings. Topics included strategies to engage the audience, principles of psychological linguistics to maximize sentence effectiveness, conventions of biomedical journal writing, technical writing and the history of scientific publishing, and two sessions on grant writing. Student confidence in and familiarity with targeted writing skills were assessed by self-evaluation questions administered immediately before and after each session. The workshop was determined to be effective at improving the confidence of participants regarding specific writing skills in the biomedical sciences, with all but two of the measures showing that the workshop had a large effect size. We conclude that a short, structured workshop can help improve the confidence and knowledge of pre- and postdoctoral writers, preparing them to better meet the writing challenges of their professional careers.