Exploring communication apprehension in nursing and healthcare education: A scoping review

Communication among healthcare professionals is critical to optimizing patient outcomes, and communication education is incorporated into the educational programs of healthcare professions students. Communication can be a source of stress for new healthcare professionals, however, there is a lack of research on communication apprehension (CA) in healthcare students, especially in nursing education. This scoping review sought to explore CA and factors associated with CA among healthcare professions students. This scoping review report was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (Tricco et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018, 169, 467-473). Twenty studies of healthcare professions students were included for analysis. The percentage of health professions students with high CA ranged from 0.7% to 27%. Five out of seven intervention studies demonstrated a significant decrease in CA after the intervention. This review identified inconsistent associations between CA and various individual and educational factors. More research is needed utilizing rigorous research designs, designs employing qualitative methodology, and studies to investigate the impact of language on CA in health professions students who speak English as a second language.

Newly graduated Nurses' experiences of the intervention graduate guidance nurses: A qualitative interview study

AIMS

Describing newly graduated nurses' experiences of the intervention graduate guidance nurses.

BACKGROUND

Newly graduated nurses need support to become established in the profession. The intervention was initiated to empower and support in the professional role.

METHODS

A qualitative case study conducted with semi-structured interviews, using a thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

One overarching theme "Organizational prerequisites, consisting of three themes occurred: "Activator" involved that the graduate guidance nurse was the activator creating a clear structure and the wards became more attractive workplaces. "Supportive nursing" meant that the graduate guidance nurse constituted an important support function which ensured patient safety. "Professional development" created the opportunity for professional growth.

CONCLUSION

Newly graduated nurses' experiences shows that the creation of an organizational structure enabled the graduate guidance nurses to be an important support and contributed to professional development.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

In healthcare organizations, strategic decisions, management support, and clear goals are important to create the organizational conditions to improve safer care. Support from experienced nurses is a large enabler in supporting newly graduated nurses developing in their profession. The results of the current study can be transferred to other similar healthcare organizations and can be supporting managers who plan to initiate support to newly graduated nurses.

A Longitudinal View of Perceptions of Entering Nursing Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the landscape of health care and transition to practice for new graduates. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effects of the pandemic on the first-year experience of new nurses. Method A longitudinal, observational, descriptive study design was used. One hundred eighteen survey links were sent to new bachelor of science in nursing graduates from June 2020 to May 2021, with 56 responses to the first survey. Results Participants indicated the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the new graduate experience, resulted in concern for personal health and safety, and negatively altered preparation for the first year in practice. However, desire to be a nurse and view of nursing remained positive. Conclusion The first year in practice is stressful and challenging. The pandemic posed additional challenges to employers and new graduates. Future research should explore the long-term impact of the pandemic on an already strained nursing workforce. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(6):256-263.].

Evaluation of the first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program as a second career in Japan

BACKGROUND

The first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program with a two-year educational period in Japan was developed in a nursing university in Tokyo in 2017 (i.e., 2017-ABSN two-year program or designated as program 1) for individuals aiming to pursue nursing as a second career. It replaced program 2, the second-year bachelor's degree transfer program which is a three-year program implemented from 1997 to 2016. The original and currently on-going four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is designated as program 3.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the 2017-ABSN two-year program from learners' perspective.

METHODS

We used a case-control study design. As cases, the subjects were third-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 1 at the nursing university in Tokyo. As controls, second-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 2 and four-year undergraduate students of program 3 in the same university were given a questionnaire when they graduated. The survey items were grouped into five scales: (1) The education you are receiving, (2) Studying nursing, (3) Stress level, (4) The highest score on the national nursing examination practice test, and (5) The vocational commitment. The mean score of each item was calculated and comparisons were conducted using the Mann Whitney test.

RESULTS

Responses from 77 students (program 1), 23 students (program 2), and 133 students (program 3) were analyzed. The program 1 students had a significantly lower mean score on (1) The education you are receiving item "There is time for preparation and review" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly lower score on (2) The studying nursing item "I can get the job (role) I want" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly higher score on (4) The best score in the national nursing examination practice test (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Shortening the academic period to two years in program 1 had no effect on the knowledge base of the students. However, the program 1 students had a significantly lower score in their identity as a nurse. It is often difficult to acquire a new nursing culture in a short period from a previous culture that has already been mastered. Educators need to fully understand the characteristics of learners and provide them with individualized and professional guidance to further improve their skills.

Clinical sympathy - A mixed method study of the relationship between the clinical nurse educator and the graduate nurse

AIM/OBJECTIVE

This paper sought to investigate the influence of the supernumerary clinical nurse educator role on the newly qualified graduate nurses' professional development and successful transition to competent and confident practitioners in the acute care hospital environment.

BACKGROUND

The novice nurses learning in the inpatient clinical environment is affected by increasing patient acuity, complex conditions and organisational expectations. The supernumerary clinical nurse educator is uniquely positioned to prioritise these nurses' education through protected and available time to support adaption in the workplace culture and retention in the organisation.

DESIGN

A convergent mixed methods design was used to investigate the relationship between the supernumerary clinical nurse educator role through the opinions and experiences of the graduate nurse.

METHODS

Data were collected in February - July 2015 from graduate nurses from three hospital sites in a healthcare organisation in Western Australia. The research used online questionnaires (n = 39) and face to face interviews (n = 10). Analysis of quantitative data used descriptive statistics and qualitative data used thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Four main themes were identified. These were: acknowledges new and challenging experiences, available to provide constructive responses, sympathises with anxiety and missing in action.

CONCLUSION

The graduate registered nurses perceived that clinical sympathy provided by the clinical nurse educator was essential to their new role of frontline nurses influencing their delivery of quality patient care and as a practical solution to champion the graduate nurses' longevity in the future nursing workforce.