Iranian nursing students' comprehension and experiences regarding evaluation process: a thematic analysis study

Dignity of Nursing Students in Clinical Learning Environments

As an important professional value, dignity has always been an ethical concern in nursing education and practice. However, the dignity of nursing students in clinical environments has remained a little-discussed topic. This study aims to explore and describe nursing students' dignity in clinical learning environments. This study is a qualitative descriptive work in which data were collected via semi-structured, in-depth, individual interviews and subsequently analyzed according to conventional content analysis. Based on the inclusion criteria of the study, nursing students were selected from different departments of university hospitals in the south of Iran from October 2019 to December 2020 (n = 21). Sampling continued to the point of data saturation. This study has been approved by the institutional review board of the university. Two themes emerged from the data collected in the interviews: trust-based relationships and formation of professional identity. The findings of the study show that nursing students need to be supported by their instructors and perceive that the personnel and patients believe in their ability. In an effectively supportive, trust-based atmosphere, these factors can contribute to maintaining nursing students dignity. Also, showing respect for their personal identity, projecting a positive image of nursing, and giving them authority to perform executive and clinical tasks in hospital departments play a major role in the formation of nursing students' professional identity and development of their dignity. Accordingly, it is recommended that in cultural contexts and clinical learning environments, more attention should be given to nursing students' dignity.

Experiences of Iranian Nursing Students Regarding Their Clinical Learning Environment

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explain the experiences of Iranian nursing students regarding their clinical learning environment (CLE).

METHODS

Twenty-one nursing students participated in this qualitative study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

Analysis of interviews identified six categories: educational confusion, absence of evaluation procedures, limited educational opportunities, inappropriate interactions with nursing staff, bullying culture, and discrimination. Systematic and consistent methods were not used in clinical education and evaluation of nursing students. In addition, there were inadequate interactions between nursing students and health-care staff, and most students experienced discrimination and bullying in clinical settings.

CONCLUSION

Findings showed that the CLE of Iranian nursing students may be inadequate for high-level learning and safe and effective teaching. Addressing these challenges will require academic and practice partnerships to examine the systems affecting the CLE, and areas to be addressed are described in the six themes identified.

Nurses' human dignity in education and practice: An integrated literature review

BACKGROUND

Human dignity, as a fundamental human right and a moral obligation, has been emphasized in different fields of nursing. The aim of the present integrative review was to explore the nature of nurses' human dignity in educational and clinical settings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature review was conducted on quantitative and qualitative research papers in English and Persian using the PubMed, ProQuest, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google Scholar, SID, and Irandoc databases from the year 2000 to 2013. Keywords for the search included dignity, nursing, faculty, nurse clinicians, nursing student, and humanism. In total, 12 research papers met the inclusion criteria for the integrative review.

RESULTS

From this review, four key themes emerged. The themes consisted of concept of human dignity (it was as an expression of the professional value in nursing settings), factors affecting human dignity (including respect, communication, autonomy and power, competency and ability, structure of the workplace, and value-based education), dimensions of human dignity (including intrinsic and professional domains), and consequences of human dignity [positive (individual and professional growth and caring professional behavior) and negative (loss of motivation, intention to leave the profession, and non-professional image of nursing in the minds of people)].

CONCLUSIONS

The small number of studies found for the review indicates the need for further research in the field of nurses' dignity. Recognizing nurses' dignity can help to improve the nursing practice and provide them a dignified workplace.

Modification of nursing education for upgrading nurses' participation: a thematic analysis

Background:

The product of the educational nursing programs in Iran is training nurses who less have professional apprehension and commitment for participating in professional decisions. Whereas nurses especially those in high academic levels are expected to more involve in professional issues.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore Iranian nurse leaders’ experiences of making educational nursing policy with emphasizes on enhancement of nurses’ participation in professional decisions.

Methods:

We used a qualitative design with thematic analysis approach for data gathering and data analysis. Using purposive sampling we selected 17 experienced nurses in education and making educational nursing policies. Data gathered by open deep semi-structured face to face interviews. We followed six steps of Braun and Clarke for data analysis.

Results:

In order to enhance nurses’ participation in professional decisions they need to be well educated and trained to participate in community and meet community needs. The three main themes that evolved from analysis included opportunities available for training undergraduate students, challenges for PhD nurses and general deficiencies in nursing education. The second theme includes three sub-themes; namely, the PhD curriculum, PhD nurses’ attitudes and PhD nurses’ performance.

Conclusions:

We need for revising and directing nursing education toward service learning, community based need programs such as diabetes and driving accidents and also totally application of present educational opportunities. The specialization of nursing and the establishment of specialized nursing associations, the emphasis on teaching the science of care and reinforcing the sense of appreciation of pioneers of nursing in Iran are among the directions offered in the present study

Humanistic approach to nursing education: lived experiences of Iranian nursing students

The nurse teachers tried to have a complete understanding of the educational contents, to transfer knowledge to nursing students better, and to facilitate the process of education. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Iranian nursing students regarding the characteristics of academic nurse teachers. In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 Iranian nursing students and the audio-taped and transcribed interviews analyzed according to Van Manen´s method. The main theme emerged during data analysis, was “humanistic approach to nursing education”. The theme was extracted from 2 sub-themes including ‘ethical necessities’ and ‘effective interaction’. The findings present greater understanding of humanistic approach to nursing education.

Iranian nurses and nursing students' attitudes on barriers and facilitators to patient education: a survey study

The aim of this study is to describe the attitudes of Iranian nurses and students on barriers and facilitators to patient education. In this descriptive quantitative study, 103 nurses and 84 nursing students in two teaching hospitals in an urban area of Iran responded to a questionnaire investigating their attitudes on patient education. Results showed that all nurses and the majority (87.3%) of the students mentioned that they performed patient education. Moreover, 95% and 63.3% of the nurses and students respectively accepted that patient education was one of their roles. The nurses stated that heavy workload, inadequate time and lack of educational facilities were main barriers to patient education. The students believed that lack of knowledge, lack of communication skills and heavy workload were main barriers to patient education from their perspectives. While Iranian nurses and nursing students had positive attitudes towards patient education, it could not guarantee the implementation of patient education. Therefore, the clarification of patient education activities and development of a patient education team with the support of healthcare settings' administrators can facilitate the process of patient education in the Iranian healthcare settings.