Nursing students' experiences with service learning: A qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis

The experiences of nursing students participating in a student death doula service-learning program in palliative care settings: A qualitative study

Nursing students desire more training and experience in palliative care due to a need for more skills and knowledge. This descriptive qualitative study explored nursing students' experiences in participating in a student death doula service-learning program in palliative care settings. Fourteen final-year undergraduate nursing students participated in semi-structured focus group discussions via Zoom. Four focus group discussions were conducted. Six themes with 19 subthemes were developed: (1) initial feelings of fear and uncertainty, (2) death doula training and orientation, (3) palliative wards being a happier place than expected, (4) experience of watching their patients deteriorate over time, (5) benefits of participating in service-learning in palliative care settings, and (6) improving the service-learning experience. The program was well received by the nursing students, who recommended incorporating it into the nursing curriculum to enhance palliative nursing education. Additional refinements were proposed to better support nursing students during service-learning.

The role of the teacher and learning in clinical practicum scales: A psychometric testing of the Finnish versions

AIM

To test the psychometric properties of the further developed Role of the Teacher (Tc2) and the new Learning in Clinical Practicum (LCP) scales in a sample of Finnish healthcare students.

DESIGN

Psychometrical testing of the Tc2 and LCP scales.

METHODS

A sample consisting of 1133 healthcare students completed the further developed Tc2 scale and the new LCP scale between January and June 2020. Statistical data analysis was performed using explorative factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was applied in reporting.

RESULTS

Both the further developed Tc2 and the new LCP scales were shown to be valid and reliable. Explorative factor analysis confirmed a two-factor solution for the Tc2 scale with a 76.3% explained variance and a one-factor solution for the LCP scale with a 58.0% explained variance. The scales' internal consistency reliabilities were high (0.9).

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on professional identity development of intern nursing students in China: A scoping review

PURPOSE

Clinical experience plays a vital role in the development of the professional identity (PI) of nursing students. China has applied a strict zero- COVID health policy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic since December 2019 and studies have been conducted in different places of China to explore PI development of nursing students during the pandemic time among the intern nursing students who are on clinical practices. This review study aims to synthesize the previous studies and provide a comprehensive picture of the impacts of the pandemic on the PI development of intern nursing students.

METHODS

Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage scoping review framework was used. Combinations of keywords were used to search relevant articles in both Chinese and English databases published from inception of the articles until the final search date (10 March 2022). The initially included articles were also appraised for their quality, and those that passed the appraisal were left for data analysis. The analytic results were cross-checked among the reviewers.

RESULT

Three themes emerged from the included studies: 1) the PI levels, 2) the impacts of personal and social factors of PL, and 3) the specific impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The levels of students' PI ranged from 66%-80% of the total scores in PI instruments, almost the same levels as in pre-pandemic time, despite the elevated social image of nurses after the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no consensus about the impacts of most personal and social factors on students' PI across the studies. The impacts of COVID-19 on PI were both positive and negative.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 epidemic exerted complicated impacts on the PI of intern nursing students. While it is necessary to address the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic among intern nursing students, the pandemic may not be an opportunistic time to enhance the students' PI.

Educational effects of community service-learning involving older adults in nursing education: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

Community service-learning is a structured experiential learning approach in which students engage in service activities in response to identified community need(s). Service-learning programmes are developed to promote understanding of societal issues and facilitates critical learning for the learners, with emphasis on learning through reflection.

OBJECTIVES

To synthesize findings from published and grey literature related to the educational effects of community service-learning involving older adults in nursing education and evaluate the quality of existing service-learning programmes.

DESIGN

Integrative review following Whittemore and Knafl's framework to analyse and synthesize a broader range of evidence.

DATA SOURCES

Six databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC and ProQuest) were systematically searched from inception until 30 July 2021. Reference lists of relevant studies and reviews were also assessed for eligible studies. We also searched for grey literature and dissertations in ProQuest and Google Scholar.

REVIEW METHODS

The 5-step method was used: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, analysis, and presentation. Included studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool checklist. Service-learning programmes were evaluated using the Service-Learning Quality Assessment Tool.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies were included. Educational benefits of service-learning in the three domains of learning (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) were identified. Nine service-learning programmes achieved adequate quality and implementation of service-learning principles, while 12 exhibited emergent quality and implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Service-learning provides various benefits in nursing education. Existing empirical studies do not always follow established service-learning principles, and the quality of evidence is considered low. Future studies should use more rigorous methodologies and improve the reporting of research.