Essential Professional Behaviors of Nursing Students and New Nurses: Hospital Nurse Leader Perspectives Survey

Correlation between self-awareness, communication ability and caring ability of undergraduate nursing students/A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Caring ability is the core ability of nursing. Here we explored the factors affecting the caring ability of undergraduate nursing students. Self-awareness and communication ability are potential variables to improve caring ability.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between self-awareness, communication ability and caring ability of domestic undergraduate nursing students and to explore whether communication ability has an intermediary effect between self-awareness and caring ability.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Undergraduate nursing students (n = 1411) who attended Dalian Medical University, Liaoning, China. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods using online platforms.

METHODS

The questionnaire used the Self-Consciousness Scale, Clinical Communication Competence Evaluation Scale and Caring Ability Inventory. The data were processed and analyzed by SPSS 24.0 and Amos 23.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were performed for data analysis.

RESULTS

There was a significant positive correlation between undergraduate nursing students' caring ability and their self-awareness and communication ability (p < 0.001). Communication ability played a partial mediating role between self-awareness and caring ability (p < 0.001), and the mediating effect was 34.2 %.

CONCLUSIONS

The self-awareness of undergraduate nursing students directly affects their caring ability and can also indirectly affect their caring ability through their communication ability. Educators can guide and cultivate student self-awareness and communication ability and promote self-regulation, so as to improve students' caring ability and improve clinical development.

Preparing nursing students for diverse populations

AIM

To improve undergraduate nursing students and educator intercultural knowledge and competencies by implementing an academic systems change.

BACKGROUND

Many organizations have diversity and inclusion guidelines and initiatives for healthcare providers to consider in determining culturally competent care, which has a direct impact on the care given, received, and overall outcomes.

DESIGN

1. Assess student's mindset at the beginning and the end of an undergraduate nursing course. 2. Ensure diversity and inclusion content was provided to faculty through a continuing education program. 3. Review all undergraduate courses for diversity and inclusion content.

METHODS

The Intercultural Development Inventory®, a 50-item cross-cultural, theory-based assessment tool was used in a pre- and post-test design (n = 61 intervention; n = 56 control) to determine undergraduate nursing student's mindset and assists the student's in developing a personalized Intercultural Development Plan. The effectiveness of faculty diversity and inclusion education was evaluated using a post program evaluation. Curricular blueprinting of all undergraduate nursing courses for diversity and inclusion content was completed.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the post-test between the intervention and control groups.

CONCLUSION

While evidence is lacking in specificity of how to best implement diversity and inclusion content in curriculum, these results provided some excellent baseline data that can be tracked while continued changes occur.

How inclusive leadership paves way for psychological well-being of employees during trauma and crisis: A three-wave longitudinal mediation study

AIMS

Nurses are at the forefront of public health emergencies facing psychological pressures ensuing from the loss of patients and potential risk of infection while treating the infected. This study examines whether inclusive leadership has a causal relationship with psychological distress and to assess the mediation effect of psychological safety on this relationship in the long run. The hypotheses are developed and interpreted with the help of theoretical underpinnings from job demands resources theory and the theory of shattered assumptions.

DESIGN

Three-wave longitudinal study.

METHODS

Questionnaire was used to carry out three waves of data collection from 405 nurses employed at five hospitals in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak between the months of January-April 2020. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data while controlling for age, gender, education, experience, and working hours.

RESULTS

Results supported the hypothesized relationships where inclusive leadership indicated significant inverse causal relationship with psychological distress and a positive causal relationship with psychological safety. Mediation effect of psychological safety was found significant, while the model explained 73.9% variance in psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

Inclusive leadership, through its positive and supportive characteristics, can pave way for such mechanisms that improve the psychological safety of employees in the long run and curbs psychological distress.

IMPACT

This is the first longitudinal study to examine the relationship between inclusive leadership and psychological distress in health care and also examines the mediating mechanism of psychology safety. There is scarcity of empirical research on factors that determine and affect behavioural mechanism of healthcare workers during traumatic events and crisis. Clinical leaders and healthcare policy makers must invest in and promote inclusive and supportive environment characterized with open and accessible leaders at workplace to improve psychological safety; it helps reduce levels of psychological distress.

Developing effective nurse leadership skills

Leadership is a role that nurses are expected to fulfil, regardless of their job title and experience. Nurses are required to lead and manage care as soon as they have completed their training. However, the development of leadership skills and the associated learning can be challenging, especially for less experienced nurses and those at the beginning of their careers. This article examines the importance of effective leadership for nurses, patients and healthcare organisations, and outlines some of the theories of leadership such as transformational leadership. It also details how nurses can develop their leadership skills, for example through self-awareness, critical reflection and role modelling.

The Professional Behaviors New Nurses Need: Findings From a National Survey of Hospital Nurse Leaders

AIM

The purpose of this study was to survey hospital nurse leaders throughout the United States to determine which professional behaviors they believe are essential for nursing students to learn in the classroom.

BACKGROUND

This study was part of a multiphase study. The survey was revised from a previous survey administered to nurse leaders in the Midwest.

METHOD

Participants were surveyed using 46 items in the categories of Change, Communication, Conflict, Leadership, and Self-Awareness.

RESULTS

The highest ranked category was Communication, followed by Self-Awareness, Change, Leadership, and Conflict. The highest rated items in each category were communication with patients, accept constructive criticism, manage change, prioritization, and conflict resolution techniques.

CONCLUSION

Nurse educators and leaders can use the findings to continue to refine nursing education.

Conceptualizing and determining core clinical competencies in nursing students: a qualitative study

AIM

This study aimed to conceptualize and explain the core clinical competencies of nursing students in Iran.

BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION

Despite the national and international efforts to modify nursing curricula such that the students' clinical competencies are improved, there is still a widespread concern about this issue, perhaps due to the impact of factors other than the curriculum itself, such as the lack of a clear definition for the concept of clinical competency and its main components in nursing students.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The participants were selected through purposive sampling and included 14 senior students of bachelor of nursing, four nurses working in teaching hospitals and six clinical instructors. Individual semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. After recording and transcribing the interviews, content analysis was used to extract the concepts.

FINDINGS

The main theme of the study was 'multidimensionality of the concept of clinical competency,' which had six main categories, namely 'adoption of and adaptation with the nursing practice,' 'nursing knowledge,' 'self-direction in clinical learning,' 'patient care skills,' 'professional ethics' and 'the development of professional behaviours.'

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

Clinical competency and its dimensions among students comprise a multidimensional concept. Having a clear and comprehensive understanding of this concept and focusing on its core axes may be the most important step in improving students' clinical competency.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION POLICY

Policymakers and nursing education authorities can identify the problems existing in the students' clinical competency and provide them with practical solutions for a standard professional education through a clear understanding of the concept of clinical competency and its dimensions.

The mediating role of inclusive leadership: Work engagement and innovative behaviour among Chinese head nurses

AIM

This study investigated the relationship between work engagement and inclusive leadership in Chinese hospital head nurses. Besides, it explored the effect of the mediating role of inclusive leadership in the relationship between work engagement and innovative behaviour among Chinese hospital head nurses.

BACKGROUND

Head nurses are essential in the group of registered nurses who are to pass the Chinese licensure examination for nurses. Their work engagement and innovative behaviour are beneficial to improve the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of nursing services. However, little is known about the mediating role of inclusive leadership in the relationship between work engagement and innovative behaviour.

METHODS

In April 2018, a total of 374 Chinese head nurses were surveyed with a Work Engagement Scale, an Inclusive Leadership Scale and an Innovative Behavior Scale. Because the data were normally distributed in our study, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to conduct the correlation analysis of study variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the factors of innovative behaviour. Model 4 of Hayes's (2013) PROCESS macro and Bootstrap method was used to examine the mediating role of inclusive leadership.

RESULT

Inclusive leadership was significantly and positively correlated to innovative behaviour and work engagement (p < 0.01). Moreover, work engagement was correlated with innovative behaviour (p < 0.01). In addition, hospital level, publishing papers, work engagement and inclusive leadership were the factors of head nurses' innovative behaviour (p < 0.01). Inclusive leadership partially mediated the relationship between work engagement and innovative behaviour, accordingly.

CONCLUSION

Work engagement affects innovative behaviour among Chinese head nurses, and inclusive leadership is a mediator in the relationship. We should take measures to improve the leaders' level of inclusive leadership, in order to strengthen head nurses' innovative behaviour.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

According to the results of the study, the leaders of head nurses should pay attention to improve head nurses' innovative behaviour, inclusive leadership, work engagement, and the quality and competitiveness of nursing.

Educational needs for new graduate nurses in Korea

New nursing graduates often experience difficulty adjusting to clinical work environments, despite completing well-structured education programs. This study explored the educational needs of recent nursing graduates from the perspectives of new nurses and their clinical educators in Korea. Four focus-group interviews with 7 nurse educators and 8 new nurses were conducted. Data were analyzed using Patton's inductive content analysis. Five analytic categories emerged: communication skills that build good relationships, managing unexpected situations, prioritization, practical experiences, and different ways of delivering education. Educators and new nurses agreed that communication skills are essential in building and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Future educational programs for new graduate nurses should reflect the needs of nurses and their educators so new registered nurses can successfully make the transition to expert nurses.