Nurses' experiences of their competence at mentoring nursing students during clinical practice: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings scale and analysis of factors influencing nurses' perceptions of nursing students' contributions: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Most medical organizations accept many nursing students each year who gain clinical practice skills under the supervision of clinical nurses. However, there are no assessment tools to measure the contributions nursing students make to the clinical setting during clinical practicum. This study aimed to translate the 'Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings' scale into Chinese and test its reliability and validity from the perspective of Chinese clinical nurses. And to explore whether nurses' personal and professional characteristics are related to nurses' perception of nursing students' contributions to the clinical settings.

METHODS

The original scale was translated into Chinese following the Brislin translation model. A convenience sample of 935 clinical nurses was selected from January to March 2024 for the survey. The content validity of the scale was assessed by expert consultation and content validity index. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to assess the construct validity of the scale. The reliability of the scale was measured using internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability. The measurement quality of the scales was assessed according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments. One-way analysis of variance was used to identify variables related to students' contributions.

RESULTS

The content validity index of the scale was 0.983. Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure, and the cumulative variance contribution was 71.177%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fit indicators were all within the acceptable range. The McDonald's Omega coefficient and Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale were 0.983. Nurses perceive that nursing students' contribution to the clinical settings is influenced by nurses' personal characteristics, professional characteristics, and the hospital environment.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of the Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings scale has good reliability and validity and can effectively and reliably measure the contributions of Chinese nursing students to clinical settings.

Developing an instrument to measure nursing students' attitudes towards nurses during clinical practice: A quantitative study

AIM

This study was conducted to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine nursing students' attitudes towards nurses during the clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

Nurses affect the clinical practice process of nursing students and play an important role in the latter gaining experience. Evaluation of students' attitudes towards nurses is a critical factor for the training of qualified nurses.

DESIGN

This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design.

METHODS

This study was conducted between February and March 2024 with 408 students studying in the nursing department of a university in Türkiye. The item pool of the scale was formed with 45 items through literature review and qualitative data analysis and presented to 21 experts. After the content validity, the draft scale consisting of 38 items was used as a data collection tool. Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio, Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin Coefficient, Bartlett's test, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Varimax Factor Rotation Method, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach's Alpha Internal Consistency Coefficient, Spearman Correlation Coefficient and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis revealed 28 items and three sub-dimensions in the scale. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.902 for the cooperation and understanding sub-dimension, 0.925 for the communication skills and guidance sub-dimension, 0.723 for the support for professional development sub-dimension and 0.946 for the total scale. According to the confirmatory factor analysis fit index results of the scale, RMSEA value was 0.054 and χ2/df value was 2.189. As a result of the analysis conducted to determine the test-retest reliability, it was determined that all items and factor scores showed significant relationships between the two applications (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The scale was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to determine nursing students' attitudes towards nurses during the clinical practice.

Nursing student voices: A qualitative thematic synthesis of education elements supporting nursing students' clinical learning during placement

AIM

to report a thematic synthesis of students' narratives in free text comments from a national quality survey of Australian nursing degree students' clinical placements.

BACKGROUND

Nursing student evaluation surveys are submitted to the Australian National Placement Evaluation Centre. Students in 36 Australian nursing programs are included.

DESIGN

Thematic synthesis of nursing students' narrative comments.

METHODS

Data were sourced from 10,226 surveys submitted between July and December 2023. From these, the 3640 free text comments were extracted and tabulated to form the sample for synthesis. Three authors conducted a thematic synthesis and all five authors agreed on the findings.

FINDINGS

Student's comments generally portrayed a positive learning culture in clinical placement environments. One dominant theme 'Support' was interpreted as giving deeper meaning to students' perceptions of the help and encouragement of placement facility staff. Three subthemes 'Welcoming environment', 'Providing learning opportunities' and 'Teaching strategies' described students' ideas of what elements contribute to learning. Ten ways of teaching were revealed in students' narratives as education activities. Students commonly referred to staff supporters, illustrating that various staff worked to ensure students were supervised during clinical skills practice and that students' learning objectives were addressed.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff-student relationships are paramount for students' learning and students' narratives revealed perceptions of a generally positive learning environment. The notion of support is implied as vital to nursing students' positive experience of clinical learning during placements. Curriculum designers, university course convenors and placement partners may use the findings identified in this study to ensure academic and placement facility staff are aware of how best to support students. In this way, institutions may narrow the gap between successful and less successful nursing student clinical placements.

Critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units-A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Mentors play an important role in the practical education of critical care nursing students in intensive care units, yet little is known about the mentoring competencies of critical care nurses.

AIM

The aim of this study was to assess Norwegian critical care nurses' competence in mentoring students in intensive care units.

DESIGN

This study has a descriptive, cross-sectional design, utilising a self-administered online survey.

SETTINGS

The study population consisted of critical care nurses who mentor students in Norwegian intensive care units.

PARTICIPANTS

178 critical care nurses participated in the study. The participants were recruited by contacting the units directly, through social media, and at a national critical care nursing conference.

METHODS

The study utilised the Mentors' Competence Instrument, a self-evaluation tool for evaluating mentoring competence.

RESULTS

The Norwegian critical care nurses generally evaluated their mentoring competence as middle to high level. The "reflection during mentoring" dimension was rated as the highest and "student-centered evaluation" as the lowest competence dimension. The critical care nurses who had formal mentoring education reported significantly higher mentoring competences, but the other demographic characteristics were not related to mentoring competence. Regardless of previous mentoring education, most participants reported a need to further develop their mentoring competencies.

CONCLUSIONS

Employers should collaborate with educational institutions to establish a system for continuous competence development for critical care nurse mentors.

Exploring nurse mentors' job crafting: A longitudinal study on missed nursing care across student supervision

AIM

To compare the job crafting strategies nurse mentors use when mentoring students versus during periods of respite and to assess the effectiveness of these strategies in reducing instances of missed nursing care (MNC).

BACKGROUND

Nurses who serve as mentors may have to train a group of nursing students on top of their routine nursing duties. The corresponding high workloads and limited resources may force them to decide which nursing care to delay or omit (i.e., MNC). The mentors' initiative and the actions they take to address the multiple job requirements which do not align with the organization's resources are referred to as job crafting strategies. Mentors can use these strategies to shape their role as nurses as well as their role as mentors, depending on their motives and personality.

DESIGN

A longitudinal study with data collected at two time points.

METHODS

One hundred nurse mentors completed validated questionnaires assessing job crafting strategies, MNC and work overload while actively mentoring students. Eighty returned for a follow-up during a non-mentoring period three months later. Data analysis included paired t-tests and hierarchical multivariable linear regressions.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found in MNC between the two points (1.83 SD 0.6 vs. 1.82 SD 0.75; p=0.942). A decrease in hindering demands was noted during active mentoring compared with respite (2.6 SD 0.97 vs. 2.84 SD 0.96; p=0.038). Enhancing structural job resources was significantly negatively correlated with MNC during active mentoring, while enhancing challenging job demands was positively correlated with MNC during these periods (β=0.48, p=0.18 and β=-0.35, p=0.014, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Nurse mentors can effectively reduce MNC by focusing on enhancing structural resources and limiting challenging demands during mentoring periods. It is essential for healthcare organizations to support nurse mentors with manageable workloads and necessary resources to maintain high-quality care.

Teaching the Teacher: Implementing a Tool kit to Standardize Effective Preceptorship of Prelicensure Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

Faculty can support successful preceptor-led clinical experiences by providing registered nurses with educational resources to guide them in the preceptor role.

PURPOSE

To upgrade our institution's educational resources using an online platform that enables just-in-time access.

METHOD

This was a quality improvement project to create and implement an educational resource tool kit for prelicensure nursing preceptors.

RESULTS

Half of our preceptors (n = 46, 52%) had no formal preceptor education. The preceptors used all the resources and were satisfied with the tool kit's content and ease of use.

CONCLUSION

Implementing the tool kit was feasible. Further development includes ( a ) adding content regarding diverse students and trauma-informed nursing care, ( b ) incorporating interactive educational materials, ( c ) exploring avenues to reduce cognitive load, ( d ) creating a prelicensure preceptor preparation course, and ( e ) considering avenues for providing open access for nursing faculty of prelicensure programs.

Registered nurses' perceptions of nursing student preceptorship: Content analysis of open-ended survey questions

Nursing preceptors play a crucial role in supporting and educating clinical students. Understanding the perceptions and needs of nurse preceptors is essential to enhance their role as preceptors and to improve their teaching practices. This study aimed to explore preceptorship in diverse settings and specific contexts. Content analysis was performed to analyze open-ended responses from a questionnaire based on nurses' perceptions of preceptorship with undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected from two university hospitals, with different healthcare provision levels. Of the 370 responses, 295 (96%) were those of women, and 34.5% were in the age group of 41-50 years. Three main themes were identified: (1) the role of preceptorship as a key component in learning, (2) challenges in student preceptorship, and (3) personal recognition and compensation for teaching work. This study highlights the positive experiences and provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by nurse preceptors in their teaching roles, and emphasizes the need for institutional support and educational programs to enhance their teaching responsibilities. Improving communication and collaboration among stakeholders is crucial for improving learning outcomes and satisfaction.

The opinions and experiences of nursing students, nurses, and patients regarding clinical practices: A mixed-methods study

The aim of this mixed-methods study was to examine the experiences of nursing students (NSs), nurses, and patients regarding the clinical practices of NSs and to determine NSs' stress levels regarding clinical practices. The quantitative part of the study was completed with 240 NSs, and the "Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students" was used. In the qualitative part, the focus group interviews were held with 24 NSs, and the individual interviews were conducted with 15 patients and 20 nurses. Descriptive and stepwise regression analyses were used to analyze quantitative data, and narrative analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Regression analysis determined that the age, grade point average, and attitude of mentors were associated with the perceived stress levels of NSs. In the narrative analysis of the data obtained from the interviews with NSs and nurses, four categories were identified: Emotions, Facilitators, Barriers, Roles, and Competencies. Three categories (Emotions, Problems, Roles, and Competencies) were identified from patient interviews. This study showed that NSs' clinical practice experiences were affected by many factors and experienced high stress during clinical practice.

Healthcare professionals' experiences of required competencies in mentoring of interprofessional students in clinical practice: A systematic review of qualitative studies

AIM

To synthesize evidence on healthcare professionals' experiences of competencies in mentoring undergraduate healthcare, social care and medical students during their interprofessional clinical practice.

DESIGN

This review was conducted by the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence.

METHODS

Studies were included if they were based on the phenomenon of interest and used qualitative or mixed methods (qualitative share). The included studies were critically appraised using the standardized JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. Qualitative research findings were extracted and synthesized using the meta-aggregation approach.

DATA SOURCES

Five databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Medic and ProQuest) were systematically searched from each database's inception on 28 June 2023.

RESULTS

A total of 5164 studies were initially screened, and 25 were identified for inclusion in this review. Three synthesized findings were identified: competencies related to (1) preparing for and developing interprofessional clinical practice, (2) supporting the learning process in interprofessional clinical practice and (3) creating an interprofessional mentor identity.

CONCLUSION

Although competent mentors are essential to implementing and developing interprofessional clinical practice, some mentors find interprofessional mentoring challenging. High-quality interprofessional mentoring requires specific competence that differs from profession-specific and individual mentoring.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

To ensure that interprofessional clinical practice is of high quality and strengthens students' professional and interprofessional growth, special attention should be given to mentors' interprofessional mentoring competence, and a range of opportunities and organizational structures should be provided for competence development.

IMPACT

This systematic review provides insights into the specific competencies required for interprofessional mentoring. These findings can support healthcare professionals, educators and policymakers in developing interprofessional clinical practice and mentoring competence.

REPORTING METHOD

This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement and ENTREQ reporting guidelines. No patient or public contribution.

"This is part of the body" - Student nurses' de-sexualisation of intimate care for patients

BACKGROUND

Effective intimate care can significantly impact the clinical outcomes of patients. However, conducting intimate care, which involves exposing and touching sexually sensitive areas of the body, presents challenges and anxieties for student nurses, particularly when providing care for patients of the opposite sex.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to identify the challenges and struggles encountered by student nurses when providing intimate care for patients of the opposite sex, as well as to explore the coping strategies employed by the students.

DESIGN

A constructivist grounded theory research approach.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-six student nurses across various stages of their education, and three clinical mentors.

METHODS

Purposive and theoretical sampling techniques were utilized to recruit participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data analysis was in line with the principles of constructivist grounded theory research.

RESULTS

A two-stage adaptation model was established, demonstrating a dynamic pathway of student nurses toward intimate care. The first stage 'gendered confinement in intimate care' was characterized by student nurses' negative feelings and lack of nurse-patient interactions; the second stage 'emancipation to gendered confinement' was characterized by the development of constructive therapeutic nurse-patient relationships. The successful transfer was achieved through students' reconstructing the meaning of intimate care and nursing profession in three interplayed types: objectification of patients' body, moral authority of nursing care, and legitimisation of nursing profession. While the transfer process involved the students' intentional efforts to de-sexualize intimate care, clinical mentors facilitated the process.

CONCLUSION

Student nurses' adaption to intimate care is a dynamic process which enhances the construction of the nursing professional identity. Support from nursing educators can facilitate student nurses' coping with intimate care-related challenges.

The second victim phenomenon: A qualitative study among bachelor's degree nursing students within the clinical learning environment

AIM

This study explores and describes the second victim phenomenon in nursing students in association with the characteristics of the clinical learning environment and the clinical supervision process.

DESIGN

Qualitative design using conventional content analysis and summative content analysis approaches.

METHODS

From September 2022 to July 2023, in-depth semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 undergraduate nursing students.

RESULTS

Six main themes were developed: 'defining the physical and psychological responses after the most significant patient safety incident', 'analyzing the characteristics of patient safety incidents', 'creating a safe learning environment to provide the best care for patients', 'developing mentorship capabilities and qualities for an ideal follow up of students as a second victim', 'providing resources and integrating support structures to second victim nursing students during their clinical learning', and 'considering the cooperation and coordination between the health institution and the higher education institutions.'

CONCLUSION

Nursing students become second victims during their clinical placement. The clinical learning environment and mentoring characteristics influence the second victim experience.

Nurses, midwives and students' reports of effective dedicated education units in five European countries: A qualitative study

AIM

To investigate nursing/midwifery students, Clinical Mentors, Link Teachers and Head Nurses experiences within "Dedicated Education Unit" model in 6 European clinical placements and analyse the necessary elements for a powerful clinical learning environment.

DESIGN

A multi-country, phenomenological, qualitative study.

METHODS

Focus group interviews were performed to identify the personal and organizational factors of importance for students and nurses/midwives.

RESULTS

Data analysis produced 4 main themes (1) Clinical placement organization, (2) students' clinical knowledge and skill acquisition, (3) students, and nurses/midwives' experiences within the DEU model and (4) factors for creating an effective learning environment.

CONCLUSIONS

A close educational-service collaboration, a realistic clinical placement planning, a focus on student learning process and an investment in professionals' education and development among others, are elements to set up a powerful clinical learning environment.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

It is considered advisable and urgent to improve the working conditions of nurses/midwives and the learning environments of students as a strategy to alleviate the global shortage of nurses and respond to the increasingly demanding health needs of the population.

IMPACT

Due to the close relationship between students' learning and features of the clinical environment nurse educators seek innovative models which allow students to manage patient care and their transition to professional practice. To implement new learning strategies, identifying students, nurses and midwives perceptions and suggestions is a powerful information to evaluate implementation process and outcomes.

PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Our findings could help academic and clinical managers to meet the human and organizational requirements to create a successful learning environment in every student placement.

How lack of support and recognition for RN preceptors is affecting nursing students' learning on placement

The clinical placement environment plays a pivotal role in shaping the learning experiences and outcomes of nursing students. In this article, the challenges and dynamics within the clinical placement environment are examined, with a particular focus on the role of registered nurse preceptors. The multifaceted nature of the clinical landscape is highlighted with consideration given to the impact on both students and preceptors. Key to the success of any placement is the relationship between nursing students and their preceptors. The quality of this relationship directly influences the learning journey of students, with positive interactions contributing to enhanced learning outcomes and professional growth. However, within the literature, a range of challenges faced by nurse preceptors are captured, including limited support, recognition, and formal training. This lack of preparation and support not only impacts the well-being of preceptors but also compromises the quality of education provided to nursing students. In this article, the complexities of the clinical environment, including high patient acuity, demanding workloads and limited teaching time, are highlighted. If we are serious about preparing quality nurses, then we need to get serious about supporting those who are key to their learning and transition into practice.

Nursing students' perspectives on patients' safety competencies: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Nurses constitute the largest body of healthcare professionals globally, positioning them at the forefront of enhancing patient safety. Despite their crucial role, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the comprehension and competency of nursing students in patient safety within Egypt. This gap underscores the urgent need for research to explore how nursing students perceive patient safety and the extent to which these competencies are integrated into their clinical and educational experiences. Understanding these perspectives is essential for developing targeted interventions that can significantly improve patient safety outcomes. The objective of this study was to fill this gap by assessing the perspectives of nursing intern students on patient safety competencies, thereby contributing to the global efforts in enhancing patient safety education and practice.

METHODS

In this research, a cross-sectional study design was employed to investigate the topic at hand. A purposive sample of 266 nursing intern students was enrolled from the Faculty of Nursing at Mansoura University. The data were collected using a patient safety survey. Subsequently, the collected data underwent analysis through the application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques using SPSS-20 software.

RESULTS

Among the studied intern nursing students, we found that 55.3% and 59.4% of the involved students agreed that they could understand the concept of patient safety and the burden of medical errors. Regarding clinical safety issues, 51.1% and 54.9% of the participating students agreed that they felt confident in what they had learned about identifying patients correctly and avoiding surgical errors, respectively. Concerning error reporting issues, 40.2% and 37.2% of the involved students agreed that they were aware of error reports and enumerated the barriers to incident reporting, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the nursing student patient safety overview domain and their age (p = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study's compelling data demonstrated that intern students who took part in the patient safety survey scored higher overall in all patient safety-related categories. However, problems with error reporting showed the lowest percentage. The intern students would benefit from additional educational and training workshops to increase their perspectives on patients' safety competencies.

Evidence-Based Investigation of Nurses' Nutrition Interventions in Intensive Care Patients Regarding Enteral Nutrition

AIM

The aim of this study was to examine the practices and knowledge levels of nurses regarding enteral nutrition interventions in intensive care unit patients in terms of evidence.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 hospitals between May and August 2021. A total of 136 nurses working in the intensive care units of the hospitals completed online questionnaires including demographic characteristics and questions about enteral nutrition.

RESULTS

According to the nurses' knowledge level about the indication of enteral nutrition formulas, the following were incorrect or incomplete: their knowledge about transition to parenteral nutrition in case of nutritional contraindications, what to do when the amount of gastric residual volume in tolerance is >500 mL every 6 hours, the conditions for starting enteral nutrition, and which formulas are appropriate to use. Regarding their knowledge about enteral feeding tubes/sets, their knowledge about radiologic imaging after tube placement, measurement of gastric pH level, and marking the tube location was insufficient. Differently, the correct answer percentages of the nurses in 11 of the 13 questions regarding the principles of enteral nutrition practice were above 70%.

CONCLUSION

Nurses had adequate knowledge of the principles of enteral nutrition practice, but their knowledge of the indication of enteral nutrition formulas and the evidence for enteral feeding tubes/sets varied. The results showed that nurses need to gain information about the indication of enteral nutrition formulas and evidence related to enteral feeding tubes/sets.

Development and validation of a core competence instrument for clinical nursing teachers: A mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Competence-based education (CBE) highlights the important position of clinical nursing teachers and stipulates additional requirements for them. However, research on the core competence of clinical nursing teachers remains lacking, which has hindered their development and the cultivation of nursing students.

OBJECTIVES

Developing and verifying a core competence instrument to evaluate clinical nursing teachers' competence in clinical settings and provide empirical guidance for their development.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods study including qualitative and quantitative methods.

SETTINGS

Primarily, 9 universities and hospitals throughout China.

PARTICIPANTS

Fourteen nursing experts and 2 students participated in the qualitative study, and 626 nursing professionals ultimately participated in the quantitative study.

METHODS

The instrument was developed based on behavioral event interviews and expert consultation as well as exploratory factor analysis using a cross-sectional survey, following which the instrument was verified by confirmatory factor analysis.

RESULTS

A 4-factor core competence instrument for clinical nursing teachers was developed and verified; the four factors included education and teaching competence, clinical nursing competence, management competence and professional awareness and attitude, and the instrument included 25 items in total. The instrument has an explanatory degree of 90.58 %, and it exhibits good reliability and validity as well as a good fit to the data.

CONCLUSIONS

This instrument can provide theoretical guidance for the development of clinical nursing teachers and can be widely used as an effective tool in practice. Nursing administrators and educators should implement policies and programs to help clinical nursing teachers improve their competencies with regard to these four aspects, which can play an important role in the development of nurse education.

Development and validation of satisfaction with clinical practice questionnaire for mentors and students

OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a questionnaire on satisfaction with clinical practice for mentors (QSCP-M) and a questionnaire on satisfaction with clinical practice for students (QSCP-S).

METHODS

Two versions of the questionnaires were constructed: a version for mentors and a version for students. Both surveys were conducted at two time points. The first survey was completed by 252 students and 86 mentors, and the second by 291 students and 94 mentors.

RESULTS

Several exploratory factor analyses were performed on the results obtained, and two factors were identified for the QSCP-M and one factor for the QSCP-S. The coefficients of internal reliability for both questionnaires indicated stable and reliable measuring instruments.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical practice satisfaction questionnaires for mentors and students showed good metric characteristics. The validation shows that both questionnaires are appropriate for examining general and specific satisfaction with clinical practice.

Barriers to the completion of bachelor thesis for bachelor nursing students during their internship: A qualitative study from dual student and faculty perspectives

BACKGROUND

Bachelor thesis are among the most important ways of exercising Chinese nursing students' research skills and developing critical thinking. However, there is a mismatch between the expectations and abilities of clinical nursing teachers and nursing students. Exploring the impediments to nursing students' research skills can provide a basis for developing targeted improvements.

OBJECTIVE

To identify barriers to the completion of research projects among nursing undergraduates during their internships from the dual student and instructor perspectives.

DESIGN

Descriptive qualitative design.

SETTING

Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted this study at a tertiary hospital in Fuzhou, Fujian Province.

PARTICIPANTS

The study was conducted using a purposive sample of 16 nursing interns and six instructors.

METHODS

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews to provide nursing students and instructors with various perspectives. The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis methods.

RESULTS

This study included 16 students (two male and 14 female; age 21.75 ± 0.66 years), six instructors (age 34.33 ± 1.97 years), which was sufficient to reach data saturation. We identified 126 codes from the interview data and obtained seven subcategories among three categories: a) Lack of scientific research training: lack of clinical instructors' experience, lack of academic training courses, and lack of necessary scientific research resources support; b) Poor communication: excessive workload, poor instructor-student relationship, and lack of communication skills; and c) Lack of support systems: lack of support from other disciplines and negative coping patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study will help nursing interns develop an interest in scientific research throughout their internships. Reducing barriers will also strengthen teacher training programmes, improve the teaching process, promote teacher-student communication, and provide students with necessary social support.

Preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program: An interview study

BACKGROUND

Internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program must demonstrate clinical competence and meet requirements to apply for a nursing license in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES

To describe preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses undergoing clinical practice education during a bridging program.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study.

SETTINGS

Two universities offering the 1-year bridging program for nurses with a nursing degree from outside European Union/European Economic Area and Switzerland.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen preceptors, all registered nurses, who supervised internationally educated nurses were included.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were performed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Supervising internationally educated nurses was not the same as supervising nursing students and raised feelings of both joy and frustration. Preceptors had to adapt supervision to the student's nursing knowledge and skills. They had to help students communicate in Swedish and form good relationships with other students, patients, and other professionals. Most preceptors requested more information about the student's nurse education, country of education/cultural background, and previous work experiences. Mixed experiences of support from the university, first-line managers, and colleagues were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Being a preceptor for internationally educated nurses is a challenge, and supervision training is important for managing preceptorship. To supervise students based on their level of knowledge and skills, more information must be shared with the preceptor. Encounters with others are of importance in the training, where teamwork and person-centered care must be in focus, both in prior theoretical education and in clinical practice education.

Exploring predictors of perceived stress: a cross-sectional study among nursing students during their clinical practice

Background

Clinical practice is a demanding academic activity for nursing students, and a variety of factors can affect this perception. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of perceived stress among Indonesian nursing students during their clinical practice.

Methods

From September to November 2022, this cross-sectional investigation was carried out. Five questionnaires, including the socio-demographic, the PSS, the GHQ, the CBI, the MSPSS and the RSES, were completed by 208 participants. With significance set to p < 0.05, the Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were carried out.

Results

Coping strategies (r = 0.20, p < 0.01), overall health (r = 0.50, p < 0.01), social support (r = -0.34, p < 0.01) and self-esteem (r = -0.51, p < 0.01) were all substantially linked with perceived stress. Furthermore, age (β = -0.22, p < 0.001), coping style (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and self-esteem (β = -0.42, p < 0.001) substantially predicted perceived stress among nursing students.

Conclusion

The study's findings revealed strong relationships between perceived stress and general health, coping mechanisms, self-esteem and social support. These results can be utilised as evidence to help educators and other stakeholders develop programmes that effectively manage stress among nursing students during their clinical rotations.

The nursing process: A supportive model for nursing students' learning during clinical education - A qualitative study

AIM

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of nursing students' learning during clinical education in relation to the nursing process.

BACKGROUND

Nursing students' learning during clinical education is of great importance in creating meaning for theory and development of core competencies. As a theoretical model, the nursing process is challenging to apply in practice for both students and registered nurses, although use of the model has benefits for patient care.

DESIGN

This is a descriptive qualitative study with an abductive approach.

METHODS

Twelve semi-structured interviews with nursing students in education from six universities in Sweden were conducted in 2021-2022. Data were examined using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the nursing process supported learning when theory and practice 'spoke the same language'. This allows for the opportunity to perform in a consistent way with the theory, while obtaining awareness of an invisible process. Furthermore, the nursing process supported learning by incorporating a thought structure for the student´s professional role through developing independence to conduct a holistic assessment and increasing an understanding of the nurse´s area of responsibility.

CONCLUSION

The results revealed that when theory and practice were aligned, the nursing process became a meaningful structure to develop a sustainable, safe way of thinking for one's future professional role. It is important to use supportive pedagogical models for students and supervisors that facilitate the integration of concepts of the nursing process in practice.

Nurse mentors' experiences with suitability assessments in clinical placement: A qualitative study

AIM

This study aims to explore mentors' experiences with assessing the suitability of nursing students in clinical placements in a context where suitability assessment is required by law.

BACKGROUND

It is the schools' responsibility to assess students, but mentors play an important role when students are in clinical placements. Clinical placements are typical arenas for assessing suitability.

DESIGN

An explorative qualitative study METHODS: Participants were 17 registered nurses with experience as mentors for nursing students in clinical placement. The participants represented somatic and surgical wards from three different hospitals in Norway. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed a total of four themes: 1) the understanding of suitability, 2) experiencing borderline performance, 3) the heavy responsibility of doing the assessment and 4) the importance of support.

CONCLUSIONS

The mentors found it difficult to assess suitability. They reported having little or no knowledge about leading rules and guidelines. The mentors experienced support from their colleagues, something which lightened the burden of assessing the students. This study indicates that mentors need more information about suitability and suitability assessments.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

To be included in abstract after acceptance.

A mixed methods study using case studies prepared by nursing students as a clinical practice evaluation tool

AIM

To identify the presence of variability in the evaluation of case studies prepared by nursing students during their primary care rotations based on the existing evaluation rubric. To explore the difficulties experienced by link lecturers and students in preparing and evaluating case studies.

DESIGN

A mixed methods study.

METHODS

The scores for the rubric items and the final grades for the case studies were collected from a sample of 132 cases. Qualitative information was collected by conducting open-ended interviews with lecturers and a focus group session with students.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were identified between the lecturers' mean final grades [F(5.136) = 3.984, p = 0.002] and a variety of items in the evaluation rubric (p < 0.05). In addition, effect sizes [η2 (≈0.14)] of considerable magnitude were found. Two themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1). the challenge of preparing the case studies and (2). the variable nature of the evaluations.

Practical nursing students' learning and assessment during work-based placement: A qualitative study

AIM

To describe practical nursing students', mentors' and educators' perceptions of student learning and assessment of learning progress during work-based learning.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study.

METHODS

The research data were collected by interviewing eight practical nursing students, 12 mentors and eight educators (total n = 28) from three vocational institutions and four social- and health care organizations in Finland during November 2019-September 2020. The interviews were conducted as focus group interviews, after which the collected material was subjected to content analysis. The researchers had received appropriate research permits from the target organizations.

RESULTS

Work-based learning depends on the student, who must be goal-oriented and responsible for their own learning. The mentor also plays a key role in the learning process as the supporter and enabler of a student's goal-oriented learning process. The educator is responsible for instructing both students and mentors, and supporting a student's goal-oriented learning process. The vocational institution also has a role in successful learning among practical nursing students as an enabler of students' individual learning process. The participants shared that the workplace is responsible for ensuring a secure learning environment.

A qualitative analysis investigating competence assessment of undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

This study reports on the process of competence assessment in undergraduate nursing programmes in New Zealand.

AIM

To identify current competence assessment practice and determine how competence assessment is constructed in order to reflect student development.

DESIGN

This research utilised a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design.

PARTICIPANTS

Nurse educators from nine tertiary institutions opted to participate in the research.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Three themes are reported in this article; clinical assessment pedagogy, measure of competence, and relational assessment practice. There was significant variation between and within institutions in conducting competence assessment while scaffolding competence assessment throughout the degree programme was highlighted as a challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the need for an assessment process that allows for the developing competence of nursing students and competencies that are designed to adequately assess students in each year of the nursing programme.

Effectiveness of clinical mentorship program for students of long-term aged care: A mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Internationally, the population is rapidly aging with a strong demand for aged care services. In Taiwan, both recruiting and retaining staff to aged care poses difficulties. Good clinical role models can positively impact students' confidence and professional development and influence their willingness to enter the long-term aged care workforce.

OBJECTIVES

To clarify clinical mentors' roles and competencies and assess the effectiveness of a mentorship program for improving students' professional commitment and self-efficacy in long-term aged care.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods study with a quasi-experimental research design and qualitative interviews.

SETTINGS

Purposive sampling was used to recruit long-term aged care professional clinical mentors with preceptor qualifications and nursing and aged care students enrolled in a two-year technical program in a Taiwanese university's gerontology care department.

PARTICIPANTS

Fourteen mentors and 48 students participated. The student control group received regular education; the experimental group received mentorship guidance.

METHODS

This study included three phases. Phase one involved qualitative interviews to identify clinical mentors' roles and competencies. Phase two involved expert panel meetings to establish the clinical mentorship program's content and implementation. Phase three involved the program's evaluation. Quantitative questionnaires were administered before the program and subsequently at 6, 12, and 18 months to assess mentors' effectiveness and students' professional commitment and self-efficacy in long-term aged care. Qualitative focus groups solicited participants' feelings and suggestions for the program.

RESULTS

Clinical mentors' roles and competencies centered on two themes: professional role model and establishing good rapport. Quantitative analysis showed that mentoring effectiveness initially recorded a decline, followed by a subsequent increase. Both groups' professional self-efficacy and commitment followed an increasing trend. While the experimental group's professional commitment score was significantly higher than the control groups, their professional self-efficacy scores did not differ significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical mentorship program improved students' long-term aged care professional commitment and self-efficacy.

Job crafting strategies of nurse mentors as mentors and nurses and their impact on missed nursing care: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nurse mentors face challenging circumstances because of their dual role as nurses and mentors. As nurses, they are expected to provide high-quality care for patients and as mentors, they are concomitantly engaged with developing the next generation of nurses.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationship between job crafting strategies and missed nursing care among nurse mentors, in their roles as nurses and mentors.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design.

SETTING

Various wards and hospitals during 2021.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighty nurse mentors responsible for supervising nursing students.

METHODS

Participants completed on-line survey, including the MISSCARE questionnaire, the Job Crafting Scale, and control variables. SPSS was used to conduct two multivariable linear regressions.

RESULTS

As a nurse, higher enhancing structural job resources was significantly associated with lower missed nursing care, while higher enhancing social job resources was significantly associated with higher missed nursing care. As a mentor, higher enhancing structural job resources was significantly associated with lower missed care, while higher enhancing challenging job demands was significantly associated with higher missed care.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that not all job crafting strategies are effective in maintaining high-quality care among nurse mentors. In their dual role as nurses and mentors, nurse mentors often face a Catch-22 situation, namely, meeting expectations of both students and patients. Thus, they increase their job resources and challenging demands; however, not all strategies improve the quality of care. Nursing policymakers and managers should provide tailored interventions that enhance the structural job resources of nurse mentors and avoid the use of challenging job demands and social job resource strategies when mentoring nursing students.

Practice education facilitators perceptions and experiences of their role in the clinical learning environment for nursing students: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Clinical placement is recognised as essential for nursing students' development of clinical competence. However, difficulties in providing supportive clinical learning environments are a well-known challenge in nursing education. In Norway, the use of nurse educators in joint university and clinical roles has been recommended as an initiative to strengthen the clinical learning environment and enhance the educational quality. In this study we use the term practice education facilitator in a generic sense for these roles. The aim of this study was to explore how practice education facilitators can contribute to strengthen the clinical learning environments for nursing students.

METHODS

This study has a qualitative explorative design with a purposive sample of practice education facilitators affiliated to three different universities located in southeast, mid-, and northern Norway. Individual in-depth interviews with 12 participants were conducted during spring 2021.

RESULTS

A thematic analysis resulted in four themes: "coherence between theory and practice"; "student support and guidance during placement"; "supporting the supervisors to support the students" and "factors influencing the practice education facilitators' performance in their role". The participants experienced that the practice education facilitator role contributed to strengthened clinical learning environments. However, their performance in the role was found to be contingent upon factors such as time allocated for the role, personal and professional attributes of the post holder, and a common understanding within the organisations regarding practice learning and role remits for the practice education facilitator.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that the practice education facilitator role can be a valuable resource for clinical supervisors and nursing students in clinical placement. Moreover, nurse educators who are familiar with the clinical area, and who are insiders in both settings, are ideally placed to contribute to bridge the theory-practice gap. The benefits of using these roles, however, were influenced by personal attributes of the post holder, time allocated for the role and the number of practice education facilitators positions, and management anchorage. Thus, to achieve the full potential of these roles, efforts to reduce these barriers should be considered.

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.

Professional Nurses' Experiences of Student Nurses' Absenteeism during Psychiatric Clinical Placement in Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study

Psychiatric clinical placement is as essential as other placements in any discipline in nursing education as it allows student nurses to correlate theory to practice. Several research studies have been conducted on nurses' experiences of the clinical supervision of students, but absenteeism is still a challenge globally. In this study, professional nurses' experiences of student nurses' absenteeism from psychiatric clinical placements in Limpopo Province, South Africa, were examined. Three designated specialty mental institutions in Limpopo Province were the sites of the study. Explorative, descriptive, and contextual designs were used in a qualitative approach. A qualitative approach was used because the study sought professional nurses to narrate their experiences through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, which could only be achieved through a qualitative approach. A total of eleven professional nurses, four from two specialized psychiatric hospitals and three from one specialized psychiatric hospital, were purposively sampled and interviewed. These nurses participated in in-depth interviews that were used to gather data, which were then thematically analyzed. One theme and three sub-themes on professional nurses' experiences of the absenteeism of student nurses during psychiatric clinical placement were revealed. The theme was student factors leading to absenteeism, while the sub-themes were fear of mental health care users, negative attitudes towards psychiatric nursing science, and students' lifestyles. Based on the findings, student nurses' absenteeism can be caused by many factors. A qualitative study should be conducted to seek strategies to mitigate the absenteeism of student nurses during clinical placement in the psychiatric hospitals of Limpopo Province.

Contribution of nursing students to clinical settings: A multi center cross sectional study

AIMS

To describe the contribution of nursing students to clinical settings based on the perceptions of nurse preceptors and to examine whether certain characteristics of nurses' professional activity are associated with a positive perception of nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Most clinical agencies receive many nursing students each year, who acquire clinical competencies under the guidance of a registered nurse preceptor. However, there is limited evidence of the contributions made by nursing students during clinical placements.

METHODS

A multi-center cross-sectional study was carried out between June and December 2019. A convenience sample of Registered Nurses (n = 927) was recruited from four public hospitals in Spain. The Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings' questionnaire was used. In addition, sociodemographic, work and teaching activity variables were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the variables associated with positive student contributions.

RESULTS

The nursing student contributions were deemed favorable by 70.7% of the nurse preceptors, mainly because the nursing students are future professionals who know the center, support the development of the nurses' teaching role and constitute a link between the health center and the university. Certain professional characteristics of the Registered Nurses were significantly associated with a positive perception of the contributions of nursing students: having daily coffee breaks (Odds ratio: 2.60; 95% Confidence interval:1.27-5.32), high levels of professional satisfaction (Odds ratio: 2.13; 95% Confidence interval:1.21-3.75) and work in medical-surgical units (Odds ratio: 1.62; 95% Confidence interval: 1.08-2.41). In contrast, nurses with greater work experience (≥ 30 years) (Odds ratio: 0.48; 95% Confidence interval: 0.27-0.85) and who worked at units where 10 or more students perform clinical practice (Odds ratio: 0.57; 95% Confidence interval: 0.36-0.90) were associated with a lower probability of positive perceptions.

CONCLUSIONS

In Spain, the contributions made by nursing students to clinical settings are favorable, both for the nursing profession and for healthcare institutions. Their contributions are influenced by the professional characteristics of the Registered Nurses, as well as the environment and the teaching activity within the units.

Nursing students' experiences of clinical assessment at a university in South Africa

Background

Nursing education includes both classroom and clinical teaching. The clinical teaching was explored through this research. The successful training of the undergraduate nursing students can be attributed to effective clinical teaching and supervision and is determined by both training requirements and services provided. Although there have been several researches on clinical supervision, there is still a dearth of information of the realities of supervision regarding assessment of undergraduate nursing students. The authors' original thesis formed the foundation of this manuscript.

Aim

This study aimed to explore and describe nursing students at the undergraduate level experiences regarding clinical supervision.

Setting

The research was conducted at a nursing school at a South African university.

Method

After ethical clearance, focus group interviews were conducted to explore undergraduate nursing students' experiences of clinical supervision using a descriptive design and qualitative approach. Two qualified practitioners in the field collected the data. A purposive method was utilised to select nine participants from each year's level of education. Enrolled undergraduate nursing students at the institution under study formed the inclusion criteria. Utilising content analysis, the interviews were analysed.

Results

The findings confirmed the students' experiences of clinical supervision and voicing their concerns regarding clinical assessment versus a developmental training; clinical teaching, learning and assessment and formative assessment procedures.

Conclusion

A responsive clinical supervision system to strategically respond to the needs of undergraduate nursing students will aid in developmental training and assessment.

Contribution

Understanding of the realities of clinical teaching and supervision regarding clinical assessment and development of undergraduate nursing students.

A Technology-Supported Guidance Model to Increase the Flexibility, Quality, and Efficiency of Nursing Education in Clinical Practice in Norway: Development Study of the TOPP-N Application Prototype

BACKGROUND

The challenges of nursing shortage in the nursing profession and of limited nursing educational capacity in nursing education in clinical practice need to be addressed to ensure supply according to the demand of these professionals. In addition, communication problems among nursing students, nurse educators, and nurse preceptors; variations in the guidance competence of nurse preceptors; and limited overview from nurse educators on nursing students' clinical practice are common challenges reported in several research studies. These challenges affect the quality of nursing education in clinical practice, and even though these problems have been highlighted for several years, a recent study showed that these problems are increasing. Thus, an approach is required to ensure the quality of nursing education in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop a guidance and assessment application to meet the challenges reported in clinical practice. The application intended to increase the flexibility, quality, and efficiency of nursing education in clinical practice. Furthermore, it intended to increase interactive communication that supports guidance and ensure structured evaluation of nursing students in clinical practice.

METHODS

This study employed a multidisciplinary user-participatory design. Overall, 23 stakeholders from the project team (ie, 5 researchers, 2 software developers, 1 pedagogical advisor, and 15 user representatives [4 educators, 6 preceptors, and 5 students]) participated in a user-centered development process that included workshops, intervention content development, and prototype testing.

RESULTS

This study resulted in the creation of the Technology-Optimized Practice Process in Nursing (TOPP-N) guidance and assessment application for use as a supportive tool for nursing students, nurse preceptors, and nurse educators in clinical practice. The development process included the application's name and logo, technical architecture, guidance and assessment module, and security and privacy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers insights into the development of an evidence-based technological tool to support nursing students, nurse preceptors, and nurse educators in clinical practice. Furthermore, the developed application has the potential to meet several challenges reported in nursing education in clinical practice. After a rigorous development process, we believe that the TOPP-N guidance and assessment application prototype is now ready to be tested in further intervention studies.

Self-perceived competences in evidence-based practice of clinical-teaching nurses versus clinical nurses

AIM

To compare the evidence-based practice (EBP) self-perceived competences of clinical teacher nurses (CTN) versus clinical nurses (CN) to detect areas for improvement in practical training.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study by means of a self-assessment questionnaire sent to nurses of two public hospitals of Castilla y León was performed, between February to May 2020. Variables included competences in evidence based practice (EBP) - attitude, knowledge, skills and use-, sociodemographic, job, academic, teaching relations and training in investigation methodology and/or EBP. A validated questionnaire EBP-COQ prof© of 35 questions with answers type Likert (1, very disagree-5, very agree) was used. Data analysis (descriptive and bivariate) was performed by means SPSS v.24 program.

RESULTS

171 questionnaires were answered by nurses. CN 52%, CTN 48%. There were no significant differences between both groups regarding sociodemographic variables. Mean age was 43.6 ± 9.9 and 42.9 ± 8.5 for CN and CTN, respectively. Total sample showed a mean EBP competency score of 3.54 ± 1.00 (attitudes: 4.40 ± 0.60; knowledge: 3.08 ± 0.94; skills: 3.57 ± 0.66; utilization: 3.36 ± 0.75). The CTN group obtained higher mean scores in knowledge dimension, compared with CN (P = .02) and with total sample (P = .02). There were no significant differences in other dimensions.

CONCLUSION

CTN showed better self-perceived competences scores only in the knowledge dimension compared with CN. Taking in account the level of responsibility they support in their daily practice, it would be advisable to design management strategies in order to improve attitudes, skills and utilize EBP, acting as professional role models for students and peer mentors.

Implementation of a Registered Nurse Primary Care Clinical Mentoring Academy

Registered nurses (RNs) are pivotal team members for improving the quality of care in communities; however, they are underutilized in primary care. Two schools of nursing in Alabama partnered to develop and implement a project to build a resilient primary care RN workforce. A major component of this project is the Primary Care Clinical Mentoring Academy (PCCMA), which was designed to prepare RN clinical mentors to implement positive student learning experiences in the primary care setting. The PCCMA follows a comprehensive curriculum implementing both didactic instruction and interactive activities related to primary care competencies; interprofessional education and collaborative practice; and primary care RN mentor roles and responsibilities. Participants reported that the PCCMA was effective and useful, and they perceived that it would improve their overall job performance as a clinical mentor. The PCCMA is an effective way to produce confident and capable RN mentors in primary care. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(7):312-320.].

A phenomenographic study exploring the conceptions of stakeholders on their teaching and learning roles in nursing education

BACKGROUND

Nursing education involves a number of stakeholders in the teaching and learning process, and these are student nurses, lecturers, clinical instructors and nurses. The role that each of these parties play in the teaching and learning process is dependent on each other and is key to the development of competence among student nurses. However, there is scanty literature on the discourse of how these stakeholders conceptualise their roles to maximise student learning. The objective of this study was to explore the conceptions of stakeholders on their teaching and learning roles in nursing education.

METHODS

Thirty-eight semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with nursing students, lecturers, clinical educators at a Namibian nursing college and nurses at teaching hospitals. Phenomenographic data analysis approach was applied.

RESULTS

Four conceptions were constructed that described the level of involvement of the different parties in teaching and learning. These were initiating, supporting, becoming part of and owning the teaching and learning role. Three dimensions of variation marked the differences among the conceptions: responsibility and accountability, priorities and level of collaboration.

CONCLUSIONS

The parties involved in the teaching and learning in nursing education have qualitatively different understating of their roles and those of others. There is a pattern transcending from being at the periphery of teaching and learning to taking ownership of teaching and learning. And a movement from limited responsibility and collaboration to that of being responsible, accountable and high level of collaboration in the teaching and learning of nursing students. The conceptions in this study add more ways of enhancing collaboration between theoretical and clinical sites in nursing education, by ensuring that those involved are aware of their role and that of others and work collaboratively at the micro-level.

Improving Active Collaborative Clinical Learning Through a Mobile Application for Undergraduate Nursing Students

Innovative teaching and learning strategies in pediatric clinical education are needed to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved efficiently and to improve students' satisfaction with the learning process. We developed a mobile application to enhance the clinical learning of nursing students during pediatric clinical practice and explored the participants' perceptions of the learning method. A mixed-method design and an online survey were used to assess participants' perceived achievement of learning objectives and satisfaction with the clinical practicum. Focus groups explored the participants' experience of using the application. The overall achievement of learning outcomes was 4.1 out of 5, and participants reported high satisfaction with the clinical practicum using the mobile application. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed four major themes: (1) facilitation of collaborative learning through real-time interactions and communication; (2) engagement in active learning through an application; (3) a useful tool for enhancing critical thinking; and (4) the "curate's egg" nature of the application. The mobile application can be incorporated into the clinical education of nursing students to promote self-regulated learning and collaboration with faculty. Clear guidance on how to use the application in a clinical environment should be provided to students and preceptors to achieve better learning outcomes.

Mentoring of nursing students-A comparative study of Japan and five European countries

AIMS

This study aimed to explore mentoring competence in nursing student mentors during clinical practice by identifying different mentor profiles and connections between different competence areas among five European countries and Japan.

METHODS

The study implemented a cross-sectional design in Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, and Japan during 2016 and 2019. In total, 6208 mentors were invited, and 1862 participated from 58 healthcare organizations. The data were collected with a survey questionnaire by including background question items with the Mentor Competence Instrument. K-clustering and structural equation modeling were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Four mentor profiles, A (43%), B (30%), C (18%), and D (9%), were identified according to the seven mentoring competence areas with high statistical significance (p < 0.001). Higher mentoring competence (mean >3.50) was observed among Finnish, Lithuanian, and Slovenian mentors with university education in nursing, older ages, more work experience, and previous education in mentoring. Lower competence (mean <2.49) was observed among Japanese and Italian mentors with diplomas in nursing, younger ages, less work experience, and no previous education in mentoring.

CONCLUSION

Mentoring requires motivated, highly competent mentors since mentoring is a critical aspect of nursing education. Mentoring roles should be given to nurses with higher education and mentoring training. Younger, less experienced nurses without formal mentoring training may need support from senior nurses when performing mentoring roles and could also facilitate a more balanced workload between patient care and mentoring for senior nurses.

Mentors' competence in mentoring nursing students in clinical practice: Detecting profiles to enhance mentoring practices

AIMS

To describe the mentoring competence of clinical practice nurse mentors and identify different mentor profiles.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional research design, secondary analysis.

METHODS

An international, cross-sectional study design was performed in five European countries. A total of 1 604 mentors from 33 healthcare organizations participated in the study between 2016-2019. The Mentors' Competence Instrument (MCI), which includes seven sub-dimensions and 44 items, was used to collect data. K-means cluster and binary regression analyses were performed to detect mentor profiles and determine how various factors affect competence, respectively.

RESULTS

The K-means cluster analysis identified three distinct profiles: A (n = 926); B (n = 566); and C (n = 85). The profiles showed significantly different values (p < .001) across all seven areas of mentoring competence. In comparison with the other profiles, nurses in profile A were older, had more work experience and were more probably to have completed mentoring-specific training.

Factors influencing the coping abilities in clinic nursing students under public health emergency (COVID-19): a cross-sectional study

Background

Public health emergencies are serious social problems, threatening people’s lives, causing considerable economic losses, and related to all mankind life and health and safety. Nurses are essential in the fight against the public health emergency, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). clinic nursing students are considered as backup health care providers for licensed nurses, the coping abilities and crisis management of nursing students at present deserve attention all around the world.

Methods

2035 clinic nursing students were invited to participate in mobile phone app-based survey from Feb 6 to 20, 2020. The demographic items, psychological and behavioral responses, and the coping abilities were conducted. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the independent factors to clinic nursing students’ coping abilities under COVID-19.

Results

1992 submitted were valid. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Confidence to overcome difficulties, Optimism, Active coping, Help seeking and Practice hospital as designated treatment unit were independently associated with the positive coping of clinic nursing students. Fear of COVID-19, Optimism, Avoidance, Help seeking and Severity of epidemic around were independently associated with the negative coping of clinic nursing students.

Conclusion

Under COVID-19, nursing students’ coping level is superior to the Chinese norm, which is also affected by many factors. As the most direct backup resources of professional nurses, the way clinic nursing students respond to public health emergencies and its influencing factors deserve attention.

Systematic review of tools to measure preceptors' perceptions of their role in undergraduate health clinical education

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate tools used to measure preceptors' perceptions of their role in the clinical education of health undergraduate students.

BACKGROUND

Measurement of preceptors' perceptions of their role in students' learning in practice lacks consistency. The preceptor role makes an important contribution to quality clinical education.

DESIGN

A systematic literature review informed by PRISMA Guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

Major databases CINAHL, ProQuest, Nursing and Allied Health, Medline, Health Reference Centre, Joanna Briggs Institute, PsychInfo and Google Scholar were searched.

REVIEW METHODS

The search strategy yielded a total of 166 papers. Screening for inclusion resulted in 28 papers for critical appraisal and review.

RESULTS

Twenty-two individual tools were identified. Fourteen were named. Nine tools were new, study-specific and untitled. Eight tools were informed by previous research. A third of studies were appraised as being of good quality. A lack of consistency in measures, use of small convenience samples and reliance on self-reported outcomes limited the generalisability of findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Two tools were suitable measures of preceptors' perceptions of their role or an appropriate measure for preceptor effectiveness in students' learning in practice. These tools were tested on the nursing profession only. Ensuring quality in clinical education requires consideration of experiences of key stakeholders and standard measurement of perspectives, effectiveness and preparedness to achieve quality clinical learning outcomes for students.

Contribution of students to nursing practice settings during clinical training: Design and validation of a questionnaire

BACKGROUND

A validated questionnaire to measure the contributions of nursing students to clinical settings could potentially assist in the improved management of students in healthcare institutions.

AIM

To develop and test the psychometric properties of the questionnaire 'Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings' (CEEEC, Spanish acronym for 'Contribuciones de los Estudiantes de Enfermería a los Entornos Clínicos').

DESIGN

Instrument design and psychometric testing.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTINGS

A multicentre study involving 1,098 nursing professionals from three universities and five hospitals of Spain, between January 2019 and March 2020.

METHODS

The study was carried out in two phases. Phase 1 involved the questionnaire design by experts (n = 28), which required a review of the available literature, cognitive interviews and Delphi rounds, and a preliminary validity study, which included a pilot test with responses from a sample of nurses (n = 143). Phase 2 involved a formal validation with a wider sample of nurses (n = 927), including factor analysis and a study of convergent validity with the Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index and Health Sciences-Evidence Based Practice.

RESULTS

Experts selected 42 items on student contributions. After cognitive interviews, three items were eliminated and seven failed to reach the minimum content validity index (78%). Based on the remaining 32 items, the discrimination index of each item was calculated, and those with <0.3, eight items were sequentially eliminated. The resulting questionnaire contained 24 items grouped into a single factor, which explained 41% of the variance. The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha: 0.94), and the convergent validity was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

A 24-item questionnaire was designed and validated to measure the contributions of nursing students to clinical practice settings.

IMPACT

Most hospitals are also teaching centres where nursing students undergo clinical practice. The application of this test will provide insight into the nursing professionals' perception of the students' role.

A Multisite Study on Knowledge, Perceived Motivators, and Perceived Inhibitors to Precepting Nursing Students within the Clinical Environment in Ghana

Background

Preceptorship constitutes an important component of the educational process of training nursing students. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceived motivators, and perceived inhibitors to precepting nursing students at the clinical placement sites in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 442 nurses and midwives aged 27-56 years with at least three years of work experience. Data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, exploratory factor analysis, and point biserial correlation.

Results

The results indicate that the participants had a high knowledge of preceptorship of up to 91.2% (n = 404). A significant proportion of up to 88.2% (n = 390) had an intention to precept nursing students in the near future. The three important perceived motivational factors to precepting nursing students were the learning and professional needs of students, helping students to develop skills, and experience and formal recognition of the role of preceptorship. The main perceived inhibitors to engage in a preceptorship role were lack of preparation for the role, lack of support from faculty and nurse managers, and additional work burden. The results further indicate a significant strong positive correlation between experience and professional recognition of preceptorship and the intention to precept nursing students in the near future (r = 0.99, p=0.037).

Conclusions

The nurses and midwives who participated in the study are knowledgeable about preceptorship and have the intention to precept nursing students. Having enough experience on the job and being formally recognized as a preceptor may motivate these professionals to precept nursing students. However, there are critical perceived barriers that need to be addressed, to enable more nurses and midwives with the desire to precept students to engage in the preceptorship role.

What Academic Factors Influence Satisfaction With Clinical Practice in Nursing Students? Regressions vs. fsQCA

Clinical practices are considered one of the cornerstones in nurses' education. This study provides a framework to determine how factors in the academic environment, influence nursing student's satisfaction with their practices. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in a convenience sample of 574 nursing students at a private university in Valencia, during the 2016/2017 academic year, 79% (456) were women. Two statistical methodologies were used for data analysis: hierarchical regression models (HRM) and fuzzy sets qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The HRM indicate that the students' mean score influences all dimensions of satisfaction. Furthermore, in the fsQCA, the type of service and center, as well as the type of management, the preference in the choice of the practice center and the number of students per period per clinical educator influence satisfaction with clinical practices. These results could be used to understand how academic factors influence nursing students' satisfaction with their clinical practices and to create intervention programmes that improve it. This will help prepare students to be the future nursing workforce.