Knowledge gaps in nursing leadership - focusing on health care systems organisation

Clinical learning for pre-registration nursing students: a viva voce approach during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic restricted face-to-face contact between students and educators, limiting continual assessment of student's clinical skill development. This led to rapid transformational online adaptations to nursing education. This article will present and discuss the introduction of a clinical 'viva voce' approach, which has been used at one university to formatively assess students' clinical learning and reasoning skills using virtual methods. The Virtual Clinical Competency Conversation (V3C) was developed using the 'Think aloud approach' and involved facilitated one-to-one discussion based on two questions from a bank of 17 predefined clinically focused questions. A total of 81 pre-registration students completed the formative assessment process. Overall, feedback from students and academic facilitators was positive and facilitated both learning and consolidation in a safe and nurturing way. Further local evaluation is continuing to measure the impact of the V3C approach on student learning now that some aspects of face-to-face education have resumed.

Health-promoting factors in higher education for a sustainable working life - protocol for a multicenter longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization has highlighted the importance of health promotion for health service providers in order to ensure sustainable working life for individuals involved in providing health services. Such sustainability begins when students are preparing to manage their own future health and welfare in working life. It has been suggested that universities, employees and trainee health professionals should adopt or follow a salutogenic approach that not only complements the providing of information on known health risks but also favors health promotion strategies. This paper describes the study design and data collection methods in a planned study aiming to explore health-promoting factors for a sustainable working life among students in higher education within healthcare and social work.

METHODS

This protocol describes a multicenter longitudinal study involving Swedish students on higher education programs in the healthcare and social work sectors. In 2018, the study invited students on seven education programs at six universities to participate. These programs were for qualification as: biomedical laboratory scientists (n = 121); dental hygienists (n = 87); nurses (n = 1411); occupational therapists (n = 111); physiotherapists (n = 48); radiographers (n = 60); and, social workers (n = 443). In total, 2283 students were invited to participate. Participants completed a baseline, a self-reported questionnaire including six validated instruments measuring health-promoting factors and processes. There are to be five follow-up questionnaires. Three while the students are studying, one a year after graduating, and one three years after graduating. Each questionnaire captures different health-promoting dimensions, namely: health-promoting resources (i.e. sense of coherence); occupational balance; emotional intelligence; health and welfare; social interaction; and work and workplace experiences/perceptions.

DISCUSSION

This study focuses on the vastly important aspect of promoting a sustainable working life for healthcare and social work employees. In contrast to previous studies in this area, the present study uses different, validated instruments in health promotion, taking a salutogenic approach. It is hoped that, by stimulating the implementation of new strategies, the study's findings will lead to education programs that prepare students better for a sustainable working life in healthcare and social work.

Chronic disease management: implementation and coordination of healthcare systems for depressed elderly persons

The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the research-based Chronic Care Model (CCM), discuss methods and summarise research recommendations for improving the care of depressed elderly persons. Interviews were conducted and state-of-the-art reviews employed. Three important areas emerged: (1) barriers to and facilitating factors in the implementation of the CCM; (2) the challenges involved in re-designing the delivery system and interdisciplinary team collaboration; and (3) empirical evidence pertaining to self-management support and how older persons manage to live with depressive ill-health. In conclusion, implementation research requires evidence-based knowledge, staff involvement and familiarity with the context in which development occurs.

Ambiguous meanings of projects as facilitators of sensegiving

AIM

To describe mid-level nurse managers' experiences of sensegiving in the context of hospital projects.

BACKGROUND

Sensegiving is about shaping and affecting how employees see themselves, their work and issues related to their work. It has been little studied in the context of hospital projects from mid-level nurse managers' point of view.

METHOD

Mid-level nurse managers (n = 10) were interviewed about their experiences of projects from the viewpoint of sensegiving during change processes. Data was analysed using discourse analysis.

RESULTS

Three repertoires were constructed from the data: the repertoires of regeneration, control and humane.

CONCLUSION

Projects were considered as appropriate ways for sensegiving in hospitals from the viewpoint of mid-level nurse managers. In order to use projects effectively in hospitals as means for change management mid-level nurse managers ought to enhance their role as interpreters during the change process (i.e. strengthen their visioning, talk and dialogue skills).

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Training on the nature of change as a social and interactive process could deepen mid-level nurse managers' understanding of the change process in the context of hospital projects.