Student learning outcomes from a pilot medical innovations course with nursing, engineering, and biology undergraduate students

Addressing Challenges in Undergraduate Community Health Nursing Clinical: Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory

BACKGROUND

The undergraduate nursing students enrolled in community health nursing clinical course must assess vulnerable populations impacted by social determinants of health and develop appropriate population-specific and evidence-based community interventions. However, students struggle to associate community-based experiences with learning and clinical course objectives. This article describes the experiential learning theory approach to guide and enhance student learning in the undergraduate community health nursing clinical course.

METHOD

Kolb's experiential learning theory was used to guide self-reflection process after clinical experience for undergraduate nursing students in their last semester of their education.

RESULTS

The guided reflection helped nursing students translate experience into concepts and associate community-based clinical experience with their learning to meet clinical course objectives.

CONCLUSION

Kolb's experiential learning theory is transformative in enhancing student learning in community health nursing care clinical education. The landscape of teaching and practice environment is evolving; therefore, teaching methods must follow suit. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Teaching Psychomotor Skills in Undergraduate Nursing Education: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Psychomotor skills, a cognitive and fine motor process, are an essential component to undergraduate nursing education. Currently, no national guidelines exist to guide nursing programs on the best way to educate students to ensure competent and safe practice of psycho-motor skills in the clinical setting. This review sought to determine what methods of education, training, and practice of psychomotor skills enhanced psychomotor skill competency in undergraduate nursing students.

METHOD

An integrative review was conducted to determine teaching and practice strategies to support psychomotor skill competence.

RESULTS

Four significant categories were identified and included (1) simulation; (2) technology; (3) deliberate practice; and (4) theoretical and collaborative instruction. Overall, simulation and technology were found to be the most effective in psychomotor skill competence.

CONCLUSION

Additional research is needed to identify which teaching strategies best support nursing students' long-term knowledge acquisition and competency as they transition into professional practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(7):421-426.].

Use of Design Thinking to Grow the Reach and Relevance of Evidence-Based Practice Education Across a Health Care System

Evidence-based practice (EBP) skill building among clinical nurses is a priority for nurses in professional development because it is well known that this approach to clinical decision-making results in safe, cost-effective, person-centered care. Recent studies indicate widespread lack of self-reported competency in EBP skills among nurses, demonstrating the importance of prioritizing programs that meet clinical nurses' needs for EBP education. The goal of this design thinking project was to expand and diversify an EBP skill building program to provide more widespread accessibility across a multi-hospital health care system. The team followed the five-step human-centered design thinking process to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test an innovation. Based on end user feedback, a dual-track EBP educational program, with options for an intensive yearlong hybrid EBP Scholars program and a three-session skill building webinar series, was implemented. Design thinking provides a rich framework for incorporating end user feedback to generate innovations to address challenges in health care. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(8):360-366.].

Design Thinking in Nursing Education and Health Sciences Education

AIM

The aim of the study was to answer the research question: What is known from the existing literature about the use of design thinking in nursing education and health sciences education?

BACKGROUND

Nursing education should be ready for an enhanced focus on innovation and the potential to influence future practice.

METHOD

Arksey and O'Malley's scoping framework was used to identify and summarize findings from related literature.

RESULTS

Of 16 publications included, seven were nursing focused references. They consisted mostly of opinion pieces recommending future uses of design thinking. Two were examples of undergraduate nursing courses that incorporated design thinking into courses on innovation and research. Nine publications from multidisciplinary, interprofessional, or medical education with potential application to nursing education were included.

CONCLUSION

A broader effort by educational experts is necessary to increase the visibility and applicability of this human-centered problem-solving technique to move innovation forward in nursing education.

Co-curricular engagement among engineering undergrads: do they have the time and motivation?

BACKGROUND

Co-curricular activities are often touted as valuable STEM learning opportunities in higher education settings. Particularly in engineering, industry encourage and seek students with co-curricular experiences. However, many engineering undergraduates do not regularly participate in those experiences. Some researchers have suggested that the rigors of the curriculum leave little time for co-curriculars. Yet, little research has empirically examined the reality of the undergraduate students' involvement in co-curriculars. Thus, as an initial study, we situated our study in a large public university to explore students' motivations for co-curriculars. In this paper we report on our efforts to understand student perceptions about the value and costs of that involvement. We considered how undergraduate engineering students used their time and what motivated them to engage (or not) in co-curriculars using Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT). Students' motivation was investigated with a quantitative research methodology and complemented by interview data.

RESULTS

Results of our motivation survey show that students who participated in co-curriculars perceived less cost than those who never participated. We also found that the achievement values of co-curriculars does not necessarily motivate student involvement. Interview data were used to further interpret quantitative data results.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of study findings and existent literature, we discuss several implications for future research and practice. First, we argue for a more granular investigation of student time use and its impact on co-curricular participation. Second, despite the potential for high impact outcomes, students who have never participated perceived high cost for co-curricular engagement. Those perceptions may aggravate inequitable engagement of student populations, including historically marginalized populations in the STEM field. Third, students do not necessarily associate co-curricular experiences with the types of achievement values and learning that institutions, alumni, and industry might consider most important. Thus, to build and support co-curricular programs that provide the holistic educational experiences and learning that are anticipated, research that supports design of co-curricular programs and policies to improve engagement and persistence in those programs for all students is necessary.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-023-00410-1.

INNOVATE: Preparing Nurses to Be Health Care Innovation Leaders

A new certificate program has been designed that augments the traditional undergraduate nursing education with a curriculum of innovation and entrepreneurship. The goal of the Integrated Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate in Nursing Program (INNOVATE) is to empower nurses to collaboratively solve health care challenges and become thought leaders in health care products, technologies, and processes, as well as service and delivery methods, with a particular focus on the needs of vulnerable populations. Toward this goal, INNOVATE is built on an integrative, immersive curriculum, experiential learning, intentional cohort building, peer and faculty support, real-world connections, and the prioritization of diversity, inclusivity, and equity to build of a cohort of nursing students ready for careers in clinical and health care innovation. In this article, we provide the outline for the proposed curriculum, program strategies, anticipated outcomes, and evaluation criteria that we believe can serve as a national model for innovation and entrepreneurship in undergraduate nursing education.

Honors students in the health professions: An academic-practice partnership for developing interprofessional competencies through simulation

Abundant literature supports the value of interprofessional education (IPE) in health profession programs, but few studies focus on undergraduate honors students. The goals of this academic-practice partnership quality improvement project were to increase awareness of IPE, provide experiential opportunities to learn the principles of interprofessional practice, assess perceptions of readiness for practice, and to explore motivations and learning expectations of undergraduate nursing and pre-medical honors students. Average scores on the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) increased in several areas after the IPE simulation experiences, with small to medium effect sizes (Cohen's d) on individual items and two subscales (Teamwork & Collaboration and Positive Professional Identity). Themes identified in the narrative data were opportunity, fun, self-awareness, situational awareness, and the value of teamwork. These findings add to literature on honor students' expectations and motivations for learning and can be used in designing interprofessional collaborative learning activities for undergraduate health profession students.

Establishing a Cost-Effective 3-Dimensional Printing Laboratory for Anatomical Modeling and Simulation: An Institutional Experience

SUMMARY STATEMENT

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is rapidly growing in popularity for anatomical modeling and simulation for medical organizations across the world. Although this technology provides a powerful means of creating accurately representative models of anatomic structures, there remains formidable financial and workforce barriers to understanding the fundamentals of technology use, as well as establishing a cost- and time-effective system for standardized incorporation into a workflow for simulator design and anatomical modeling. There are many factors to consider when choosing the appropriate printer and accompanying software to succeed in accomplishing the desired goals of the executing team. The authors have successfully used open-access software and desktop fused deposition modeling 3D printing methods to produce more than 1000 models for anatomical modeling and procedural simulation in a cost-effective manner. It is our aim to share our experience and thought processes of implementing 3D printing into our anatomical modeling and simulation workflow to encourage other institutions to comfortably adopt this technology into their daily routines.

Strengths in numbers: Assessing the use of StrengthsFinder 2.0 in a pharmacy residency program

Purpose

To quantify the trends of StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains and traits in pharmacy residents within a single residency program. To recognize and discuss the application of resident StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits within a residency program.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains and traits among first- and second-year postgraduate year (PGY) pharmacy residents over the past 6 years in a community-based health system. Perspectives on the utility of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment within a residency program, from the viewpoints of a residency program director, a system director of pharmacy, and a current resident, were also obtained and recorded.

Results

A total of 34 residents with 170 StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits were included in this data analysis. The top StrengthsFinder 2.0 domains of all pharmacy residents were Strategic Thinking and Relationship Building, being exhibited by 36% and 28%, respectively. Learner, Achiever, Harmony, Input, and Restorative were found to be the most frequently reported StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits among all pharmacy residents examined. Learner and Harmony were found to be the top traits of first-year pharmacy residents (11% and 9%), while Achiever and Learner were the most common traits found in the second-year pharmacy residents (13% and 10%). The system pharmacy director, residency program director, and current resident agreed that the assessment tool enhances the resident experience. However, each has their own perspective on the benefits of the StrengthsFinder assessment with respect to the residency program.

Conclusion

Overall, the top 5 StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits seen in pharmacy residents who have completed a PGY1 or PGY2 residency at Lee Health were: Learner (18%), Achiever (9%), Harmony (7%), Input (6%), and Restorative (6%). Achiever, Harmony, Learner, Input, and Restorative were found to be the most common traits across all categories reported. These trends are similar to those reported in previous studies of StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment of pharmacy students and residents. Evaluating individual StrengthsFinder 2.0 traits at the start of the residency year provides a framework for each resident to complete ongoing self-evaluations. In addition, familiarity with the common traits seen within residents allows residency leadership members to make more thoughtful decisions regarding resident assignments for learning experiences or committee appointments.

Student ethical reasoning confidence pre/post an innovative makerspace course: A survey of ethical reasoning

BACKGROUND

Challenges today are complex and rapid innovations are required. We instruct a transdisciplinary undergraduate course where engineering, nursing, and pre-professional health students produce tangible innovative solutions to community health challenges using MakerSpace technologies. Students receive evidence-based ethics instruction as part of the course using the 8 Key Questions for improving ethical reasoning. Design thinking, an empathy-based problem solving technique, was used to teach problem solving and provided context for instructing ethical reasoning.

OBJECTIVE

The Objective of this research was to assess student ethical reasoning pre/post this course where students concurrently produce innovative products.

DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS

Undergraduate students were assessed pre/post course for their perceptions of 1) the importance of, and 2) their confidence in their ability to ethically reason using a digital version of the Survey of Ethical Reasoning, an instrument previously tested in this population.

RESULTS

Participants demonstrated a significant gain in their ethical reasoning confidence and maintained their high ranking of the importance of ethical reasoning concurrently to producing innovative products.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible, with deliberate instruction, for transdisciplinary undergraduate students to develop ethical reasoning confidence concurrently to developing innovative products.