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).

Effects of a Self-Directed Clinical Practicum on Self-Confidence and Satisfaction with Clinical Practicum among South Korean Nursing Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

In self-directed learning, students take the initiative to identify learning goals, choose learning strategies, and evaluate learning outcomes. This study aimed to explore the effects of a self-directed clinical practicum on nursing students' self-confidence and satisfaction with the clinical practicum. This mixed-methods study used a non-equivalent control group with a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design and content analysis. Participants were 111 nursing students (experimental group = 55, control group = 56). Quantitative (self-confidence and satisfaction with the clinical practicum) and qualitative (reflective diaries) data were collected. The experimental group had significantly increased scores for self-confidence and satisfaction with the clinical practicum compared with the control group. Four themes regarding the experience of the self-directed clinical practicum were identified: perceived linking of academic knowledge and practice, perceived development of nursing competency, enjoying the clinical practicum, and establishing nursing identity as a student. The self-directed clinical practicum developed as part of this study was found to be an effective education method for nursing students.

A process evaluation of a mobile cooperation intervention: A mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

A mobile cooperation intervention was developed to facilitate the cooperation of nursing students with nurse teacher and to improve the students' clinical learning outcomes. The intervention consisted of training in a mobile application's functionality and its use during clinical practicum cooperation procedures.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the development of a mobile application for student-teacher cooperation and to examine the acceptability of the mobile cooperation intervention for advancing intervention development.

DESIGN

A user-centred design and a mobile application development lifecycle model were applied to develop a mobile application. A process evaluation that used mixed methods design was conducted within the intervention group after a randomized controlled trial of a complex mobile cooperation intervention.

SETTING

The clinical practicum wards of seven hospitals in a hospital district in Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

Second-year pre-registration nursing students (N = 52) from one nursing school.

METHODS

Process evaluation questionnaires were completed upon completion of the five week intervention and essays were written by the students eleven weeks after the intervention ended.

RESULTS

A system usability scale (SUS) assessed the overall usability of the mobile application as rather good (a mean SUS score of 69.86 out of 100). Positive feedback about the mobile application's usability and utility was reported and recommendations for further development were highlighted. The intervention demonstrated high acceptability. In general, the students actively used the mobile application for intervention procedures at home and in the clinical practicum ward.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support the high acceptability of mobile cooperation intervention and its potential while also providing evidence for the development team's future development of the mobile application. Additionally, this study provides an example of mobile application development and process evaluation in nursing education research.

Smartphones and mobile applications (apps) in clinical nursing education: A student perspective

BACKGROUND

Nurse educators are exploring how mobile technology can support students in clinical practice. However, the view of nursing students on the use of smartphones and mobile applications (apps) to enhance clinical education has not been explored. Their opinions are vital to capture if the right technology is to be designed, evaluated, implemented and used.

METHOD

A self-reported questionnaire, based on a review of the literature, was used to understand the opinions of undergraduate nursing students towards the use of smartphones and mobile apps to support learning in clinical environments. Descriptive statistics were utilised to describe participants and the mobile devices and apps they currently use. Thematic analysis was employed to code open-ended questions and explore students' perspective on how mobile apps can support learning and how best to implement and use them in practice.

RESULTS

Two hundred nursing students across a four-year Bachelor of Nursing programme responded to the questionnaire. Most reported owning a smartphone but just under half used mobile apps to help them learn in clinical practice. A range of educational apps such as calculators, drug reference guides and medical dictionaries were used with varying frequency. Nursing students reported numerous benefits of mobile technology such as better access to educational material, improvements in knowledge and confidence, and reduced levels of anxiety around learning in practice. Barriers such as negative attitudes of nursing staff, poor Wi-Fi connectivity, and the quality of educational content available on mobile apps were identified as some of the issues preventing the adoption of mobile learning in clinical nursing education.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing students have a unique perspective on how smartphones and mobile apps can support learning in clinical practice. Nursing faculty need to undertake more rigorous research to determine if mobile technology can improve learning outcomes, how best to personalise mobile apps to students needs and ensure both hardware devices and educational software can be integrated in practice to support clinical training.