University and Health Service Partnership: A Model to Deliver Undergraduate Nurse Education in Rural Australia

Transition and pathway programs from second to first level nursing: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Second-level nurses comprise a large proportion of the nursing workforce in many countries. Despite differences in nomenclature, these nurses work under the supervision of first-level registered nurses and possess a more restricted scope of practice. Transition programs facilitate second-level nurses upgrading their qualifications to become first-level nurses. Globally, the impetus for transition of nurses to higher levels of registration has been to increase the skill mix demands in health care settings. However, no review has sought to explore these programs internationally and experiences of those making the transition.

OBJECTIVES

To explore what is known about transition and pathway programs from second to first level nursing.

DESIGN

Scoping review informed by the work of Arksey and O'Malley.

DATA SOURCES

Four databases were searched, CINAHL, ERIC, Proquest Nursing and Allied Health and DOAJ, using defined search strategy.

REVIEW METHODS

Titles and abstracts were uploaded into the online program Covidence for screening, followed by full-text screening. Two members of the research team screened all entries at both stages. Quality appraisal was performed to assess overall quality of research.

RESULTS

Transition programs are often undertaken to open up career pathways, job and financial advancement. These programs can be challenging as students seek to maintain dual identities, grapple with academic requirements and juggle work, study and personal demands. Despite their prior experience, there is a need for students to receive support as they adjust to their new role and scope of practice.

CONCLUSION

Much of the existing research around second to first-level nurse transition programs is dated. There is a need for longitudinal research to examine students' experiences as they transition across the roles.

Empathetic, persistent and female: A snapshot of oral health therapy students in Australia and New Zealand

INTRODUCTION

Dental therapists, hygienists and oral health therapists constitute up to a third of the dental workforce in Australia and New Zealand. Personality is often explored in health professions to provide insights into traits that are conducive to workforce retention and to assist in planning and training. This study aimed to investigate the current demographic and personality characteristics of oral health students in Australia and New Zealand.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Students in years one to three of all eight undergraduate Bachelor of Oral Health programs in Australia and New Zealand were invited to complete an online survey. The survey measured activities prior to entering into oral health, career intentions and included a personality questionnaire, the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).

RESULTS

Three quarters of participants (n = 336; 30% response rate; females = 90%) were single, from an urban area and 20-29 years of age. Oral health students overall portrayed high trait levels of Persistence and Cooperativeness. Cluster analysis of TCI traits identified three groups. Groups of students with high Persistence and Cooperativeness tended to be older, were working in non-dental and dental careers prior to their degree and were interested in working in regional areas after graduation.

CONCLUSIONS

Students with high levels of persistence and cooperativeness were interested in working in regional areas after graduation, highlighting the importance of industriousness and persistence in overcoming barriers to practicing in regional areas. Further research is warranted to investigate barriers and enablers in recruitment and retention of males in a primarily female dominated profession.

NURSING INTERFACES IN RURAL CARE: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

ABSTRACT Objective: to know the issues in evidence in rural nursing. Method: a six-stage integrative review. Data was collected from May to July 2017, in the SciELO, CUIDEN, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, with “Rural nursing” as descriptor. The analysis used was qualitative with the construction of subsets and topics. Results: of the 30 articles analyzed, 32% addressed professional training; 25% collective health-related practices; 12% hospital care; 10% job satisfaction; 7% were dedicated to telehealth and 3% of the studies addressed the following topics: nurses' recruitment and permanence in rural areas, continuing education, and professional practice in urgency and emergency regulation centers. Conclusion: working in rural areas demands that nurses face particularities such as isolation, difficulty of access, diverse socioeconomic conditions and specific epidemiological profiles, which influence the professional practice, making it a challenge.

Student Nurses’ Experiences and Reflections on Pain Management in the Clinical Setting: An Exploratory Analysis of Students’ Choice of Assignment Topic

Background

Pain, particularly chronic pain, represents a global health burden. The provision of undergraduate pain education for health professionals remains suboptimal, and yet pain features as an important competency for successful licensure in Canada.

Purpose

To explore what clinical events undergraduate nursing students identify as critical to their learning. If pain featured, then to describe the nature of the pain incident.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional design with a thematic analysis of year 3 undergraduate student nurses’ assignments was used. For the assignments identified as related to pain, a more detailed inductive content analysis was used to provide a condensed but broad description of the data.

Results

A total of 215 students participated. The most reported topics were pain (14.8%), patient assessment (10.2%), patient-/family-centered care (10.2%), and effective communication (9.8%). For those who described a pain encounter in their clinical experience, advocacy, managing the gap, and a lack of knowledge were the main focus.

Conclusions

This study provided valuable insights to the ways in which student nurses wrote about their experiences and management of pain in the clinical setting. Strengthening learning in the nursing curricula around advocacy and conflict management might provide new ways to improve pain education.

Possibilidades de formação em enfermagem rural: revisão integrativa

Resumo Objetivo: Conhecer o processo de formação em enfermagem rural internacional e as repercussões na formação e prática no Brasil. Métodos: Revisão integrativa composta por seis etapas. Os dados foram coletados no mês de março de 2018, nas bases PubMed, Direct Science, com o descritor “Rural nursing” e a palavra-chave “formation”, com a combinação dos operadores booleanos “AND” e “OR”. Foram elegíveis artigos dos últimos 10 anos, originais, nos idiomas: português, espanhol e inglês, coadunando aos critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Realizou-se análise qualitativa com a construção de subconjuntos e tópicos. Resultados: Totalizou-se 13 artigos abordando: graduação em enfermagem, cursos de graduação à distância; estágios curriculares em serviços de saúde rural e atividade simulada com casos de famílias rurais. Pós-graduação: estágio de pós-graduando em unidade de saúde rural, curso de prática de enfermagem avançada com ênfase no contexto rural e a necessidade de atividade de educação permanente em enfermagem rural. Conclusão: Os estudos analisados evidenciam que as estratégias de qualificação dos profissionais de saúde rural podem ser realizadas de diferentes formas, com a utilização de várias metodologias e tecnologias associadas, conforme a necessidade e disponibilidade dos profissionais, apresentando-se como um leque de possibilidades a serem discutidas e desenvolvidas pela enfermagem, para a qualificação e consolidação da prática da enfermagem rural no Brasil.

The impact of undergraduate clinical teaching models on the perceptions of work-readiness among new graduate nurses: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Clinical Placements are an essential component of bridging the gap between academic theory and nursing practice. There are multiple clinical models designed to ease the transition from student to professional, yet there has been little exploration of such models and their impact on graduates' perceptions of work-readiness.

OBJECTIVES

This cross sectional study examined perceptions of work-readiness of new graduate nurses who attended one of the following clinical teaching models: the University Fellowship Program (UFP), the Traditional Multi-facility Clinical Model (TMCPM), and the Mixed Program (MP).

METHODS

Three groups of first year graduate nurses (UFP, TMCPM, and MP) were compared using the Work-readiness Scale, a validated and reliable tool, which assessed nurses' perceptions of work-readiness in four domains: organizational acumen, personal work characteristics, social intelligence, and work competence. A multivariable Generalized Estimating Equations regression investigated socio-demographic and teaching-modelrelated factors associated with work-readiness.

RESULTS

Of 43 nurses approached, 28 completed the survey (65% response rate) of whom 6 were UFP attendants, 8 attended the TMCPM and 14 the MP. Those who had attended the UFP scored higher than the other two in all four domains; however, the crude between-group comparisons did not yield statistically significant results. Only after accounting for age, gender, teaching setting and prior work experience, the multivariable model showed that undertaking the UFP was likely to increase perceptions of work-readiness by 1.4 points (95% CI 0.11-2.69), P=0.03). The UFP was superior to the other two placement models.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that the UFP may enhance graduate nurses' perceptions of work readiness.

Expanding the scope of practice for enrolled nurses working in an Australian rural health service - implications for job satisfaction

Career opportunities have been limited for enrolled nurses (ENs) working in small, rural health services. Medication endorsement offers ENs expanded scope of practice which may lead to improved job satisfaction. This small study compared job satisfaction between a group of ENs with recent medication endorsement and a group who elected not to undertake the course in a small, isolated health service. A questionnaire was designed to measure job satisfaction containing the measure of job satisfaction (MJS) scale and other information regarding the course in medication administration. Interviews were also conducted with medication endorsed nurses to gain a greater understanding about the course and their expanded scope of practice. Medication endorsed nurses were newer to nursing and their current job, and reported higher job satisfaction on all five factors. Non-medication endorsed nurses cited lack of confidence and ability as key reasons for not undertaking the course while medication endorsed nurses reported professional and personal reasons for expanding their scope of practice. Most enjoyed the responsibility and reported satisfaction from distributing medications and responding to pain while one viewed it as added work. The findings from this small study suggest that providing local education will improve job satisfaction of ENs.