Postpandemic Nursing Education: Moving Forward With New Ideas

Integrating Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning Principles Into Nursing Education

BACKGROUND

Trauma-informed teaching and learning (TITL) considers the effect of trauma on learners stemming from sources such as political tensions, racial and gender inequities, health disparities, poverty, community violence, bullying, and most recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHOD

TITL is an inclusive, learner-centered teaching methodology that has evolved during the past two decades to become more relevant in times of crisis. The foundation for effective TITL practice is the educator's grasp of how trauma affects learner behavior, performance, relationships, and coping.

RESULTS

The principles of TITL are described as well as how each principle can be implemented to enhance learner engagement, strengthen relationships, and foster an inclusive learning environment aimed at facilitating learning and enhancing personal and professional growth.

CONCLUSION

Nursing faculty can implement TITL learner-centered, inclusive, inquiry-based, and adaptive strategies to promote learner engagement and empowerment, improve academic performance, and foster stronger faculty-learner connections. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(3):133-138.].

Integration of e-learning approaches in a post-pandemic learning environment - Norwegian nursing students' recommendations from an action research study

The covid-19 pandemic has profoundly led to changes in use of digital platforms, online teaching, and e-learning strategies. The aim of the present study was to examine how future pedagogical approaches can promote constructive learning environments and facilitate nursing students learning processes in future post-pandemic scenarios based on an action research study, which were conducted through several steps from January 2021 through January 2022 in a Bachelor of Nursing program at UiT the Arctic University of Norway. Students from the 2020 enrollment were invited to focus group interviews in March 2021. The interviews were transcribed, and content analyzed, resulting in concrete advice, which were implemented for the next enrollment. Students from the 2021 enrollment were invited to similar focus groups, resulting in refined advice, which will be presented. The pandemic situation resulted in extensive use of digital platforms for the 2020 enrollment. Students from this cohort described shock and disappointment connected to their study start. They expected a new life, meeting new friends and to develop a student identity, but their expectations were broken. The loss of social connections led to isolation and a weak link to the program and to the nursing profession. They recommended integrated training of theoretical and practical skills in small groups combined with short, well-prepared digital lectures equivalent to "flipped classroom" approaches. Implementing their advice, the 2021 enrollment's experience became different. This group was prepared for extensive use of digital platforms and gave future advise on increased flexibility and balance between the various learning activities centered around the clinical sessions. Based on these experiences during the pandemic, we suggest that digital platforms and e-learning strategies facilitate nursing students learning in combination with active and social learning environments.

Work-life balance and professional quality of life among nurse faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The rapid transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic created additional stress and workload issues for nurse faculty. Burnout has been reported in nurse faculty who cite workplace factors that influence satisfaction and work-life balance as major contributing factors.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine life balance and professional quality of life among nurse faculty (N = 216) in 2021 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and to describe the challenges of delivering virtual learning experiences.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was utilized to survey nurse faculty using the Life Balance Inventory and the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated.

Results

Nurse faculty reported an unbalanced life balance (median = 1.76), average compassion satisfaction (median = 40.00), average burnout (median = 24.00), and low secondary traumatic stress (median = 21.00). Narrative themes included (1) COVID-19 pandemic has made balance nearly impossible, (2) Intentional disconnection from work activities, (3) Challenging/changing priorities, (4) Promoting a healthy work environment, and (5) Moral distress and exhaustion.

Discussion

Understanding the factors that influence nurse faculty delivery of virtual learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic may provide opportunities to improve nurse faculty work-life balance and professional quality of life.