Development and validation of an instrument to measure nurse educator perceived confidence in clinical teaching

Psychological capital and perceived supervisor social support as mediating roles between role stress and work engagement among Chinese clinical nursing teachers: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the work engagement of clinical nursing teachers and examine whether psychological capital and perceived supervisor social support mediates the association between role stress and work engagement among clinical nursing teachers.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study design was used.

SETTING

This study was conducted in five tertiary hospitals affiliated with medical universities in Shandong Province, China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 412 clinical nursing teachers were recruited out of which 406 completed the questionnaires effectively.

METHODS

Questionnaires were administered offline and the items consisted of social demographic characteristics, scale related to role stress, psychological capital, perceived supervisor social support and work engagement. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation analysis were conducted using SPSS, and mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

The work engagement scores of clinical nursing teachers were high, with an average score of 4.76±0.69. Structural equation modelling showed a good fit of the data to the hypothesised model. Role stress did not directly affect work engagement (β=0.057, p>0.001). However, a strong indirect effect of role stress on work engagement (β=-0.373, p<0.001) mediated by psychological capital and perceived supervisor social support was observed, with path coefficient of -0.319 (p<0.01) and -0.054 (p<0.01), respectively. The model explains 57% of the variance in work engagement.

CONCLUSION

Psychological capital and perceived supervisor social support fully mediated the relationship between role stress and work engagement among clinical nursing teachers. Thus, to promote the work engagement of clinical nursing teachers, their psychological capital needs to be improved. Furthermore, superiors should provide more support, particularly to clinical nursing teachers experiencing high role stress.

Instruments assessing nurse educator's competence: A scoping review

AIM

The aim of this review was to synthesize the instruments that assess nurse educators' competence.

DESIGN

A scoping review was conducted with the five-stage process informed by Arksey and O'Malley.

REVIEW METHODS

The predetermined search strategy was used including an additional hand search. The studies were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria to answer the research questions followed: (1) "What instruments are used to assess nurse educators' competence?", (2) "How are the psychometric properties of nurse educators' competence instruments reported in the literature?". The thematic synthesis was used.

DATA SOURCES

The literature search was conducted in January 2021 using the CINAHL, MEDLINE and ERIC databases from January 2000 to December 2020.

RESULTS

Of the 1,567 articles searched through, 25 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 19 instruments with 10 areas of competence were identified. Typical competence areas were pedagogical and nursing competence. In addition, leadership in managerial competence was included in several instruments. However, the theoretical backgrounds of the instruments varied and the psychometric properties were reported in varied ways in reviewed studies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

This study provides evidence about the valid and comprehensive assessment of nurse educators' competence, as competent nurse educators promote excellence in nursing education. To assess a nurse educators' competence comprehensively, a variety of theoretical backgrounds of this competence and more than one instrument for the measurement need to be considered. The selection of the instruments to assess nurse educators' competence should be based on the selected theoretical background and use of valid measurements.

REPORTING METHOD

This study was reported by following the reporting recommendations of the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution was applied, since research design was a scoping review.

Development of the Student Nurse Subjective Evaluation of Completed Clinical Practice Placement Instrument

BACKGROUND

Instruments that measure clinical learning environments have lacked rigorous methodological approaches in their development and validity.

METHOD

Development research using a survey design approach was conducted for an instrument to evaluate the quality of nursing students' clinical practice placement.

RESULTS

The development and validity of the Student Nurse Subjective Evaluation of Completed Clinical Practice Placement (SNEP) resulted in a 40-item instrument to evaluate nursing students' experience of their completed clinical practice placement. Adequate level of model fit was indicated (χ²[719] = 1909.47, p < .001) for the confirmatory factor analysis (χ²/df = 2.66, comparative fit index = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.92, and root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.07). Standardized factor loadings were high, ranging from 0.68 to 0.95.

CONCLUSION

The SNEP was designed and validated incorporating the perspective of various nurse stakeholders and can be used in both research and clinical learning environments. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(10):559-569.].

Clinical Teaching Competencies in Physical Therapist Education: A Modified Delphi Study

OBJECTIVE

Clinical instructors play a key role in physical therapist professional education but may serve with minimal preparation and without clearly defined expectations for their teaching performance. The objective of this study was to utilize a consensus-building process to establish core competencies of clinical teaching within physical therapist education.

METHODS

A modified Delphi approach was used to identify core competencies of clinical teaching. An expert panel consisted of clinical instructors, site coordinators of clinical education, and directors of clinical education, representing multiple geographic regions in the United States. The panel assessed the relevance of 30 original competencies. Criteria for consensus included 75% of participants perceiving the competency as very or extremely relevant and a median score of 2 (very relevant) on a 5-point Likert scale. Consistent with a Modified Delphi approach, quantitative and qualitative data analysis were completed for each of the 3 rounds. Revised surveys were used in Rounds 2 and 3 based on the results from previous data analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-four competencies achieved final consensus. The competencies were categorized within 3 domains: learner-centered educator (n = 8), assessor/evaluator (n = 7), and professional role model (n = 9).

CONCLUSION

The 24 competencies and 3 domains provide the foundation for a competency framework for clinical teaching in physical therapy. This framework provides clarity for the expected knowledge, skills, and attitudes of clinical instructors in physical therapist professional education.

IMPACT

This is the first study, to our knowledge, to utilize a consensus-building strategy to clearly define competencies of clinical teaching in physical therapist professional education. Like efforts in nursing and medical education, adoption of these competencies could promote consistency in clinical instructor teaching behaviors and contribute to the creation of assessment and professional development mechanisms for clinical instructors, positively impacting the preparation of the next generation of excellent physical therapist clinicians.

Professional identity in nursing: A mixed method research study

Professional identity is developed through a self-understanding as a nurse along with experience in clinical practice and understanding of their role. Personal and professional factors can influence its development. A recent integrative literature review synthesised factors that influenced registered nurse's perceptions of their professional identity into three categories of the self, the role and the context of nursing practice. This review recommended that further research was needed into professional identity and how factors and perceptions changed over time. The aims of this study were to explore registered nurses' understanding of professional identity and establish if it changed over time. A mixed-methods study using a two-stage design with an on-line survey and focus groups was implemented with registered nurses who were studying nursing at a postgraduate level in Australia or Scotland. The reported influences on professional identity related to the nurse, the nursing role, patient care, the environment, the health care team and the perceptions of nursing. Professional development and time working in the profession were drivers of changes in thinking about nursing, their role and working context and their professional identity. Additionally, participants sought validation of their professional identity from others external to the profession.

Perceived Stress and Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Clinical Nursing Teachers: A Moderated Mediation Model of Burnout and Emotion Regulation

Our previous study indicated that clinical teaching nurses in China suffered high levels of perceived stress and burnout, mainly because they were taking double responsibilities of nursing and teaching at the same time. The study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of how and when perceived stress increased the risk of burnout and decreased life satisfaction among clinical teaching nurses. Questionnaires about perceived stress, burnout, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction were self-administered to 1,372 teaching nurses from eight tertiary military hospitals in China. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regressions were employed for data analysis. The results revealed that perceived stress had direct and indirect impacts on life satisfaction, with the principal element of burnout-emotional exhaustion-acting as a mediator. Moreover, the association between perceived stress and emotional exhaustion was moderated by emotion suppression-a key emotion regulation strategy. The negative impact of perceived stress on burnout was stronger among teaching nurses with high emotion suppression than among those with low emotion suppression. The present study contributed to a deeper understanding of the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction and also suggested further research into emotion regulation interventions to alleviate or eliminate the impact of perceived stress on burnout and eventually improve the life satisfaction for Chinese clinical nursing teachers.

The effectiveness of partnership models in clinical nursing education - A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effectiveness of partnership models in clinical nursing education with regards to cost effectiveness; student employability, work-readiness, confidence, and competence; and stakeholders' satisfaction.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

Research studies published in English were searched electronically through EbscoHost (CINAHL and ERIC), Scopus, Medline (via Ovid), ProQuest Central, and Web of Science databases. Criteria were developed to guide the selection of original studies published in English before 2019 for review.

REVIEW METHODS

Arksey and Malley's framework (2005) and relevant enhancements guided the conduct of the review. An informal appraisal of selected studies was applied.

RESULTS

Two theses and 31 articles with a variation in methodologies, methods, sample sizes, research populations and quality of evidence were included for review. Four themes were identified: (i) Description of partnership models in clinical education, (ii) length of model implementation prior to evaluation, (iii) positive qualitative findings, and (iv) quantitative findings limited by data collection periods and methods.

CONCLUSIONS

Shared among the reviewed studies is stakeholder view of the positive impacts of partnership models on the clinical learning environment, and the increased level of support and individualised instruction for students. However, the use of not fully validated survey instruments and the lack of description about the implementation period before evaluation in many reviewed studies limit the interpretation of quantifiable effect of the partnership models. This review identifies a lack of attention on student employability, work-readiness, cost evaluation, patient perspective, and partnership models in low-income countries. Future research to address these knowledge gaps using high quality data collection methods and rigorous research design is warranted.