Do educational outcomes correspond with the requirements of nursing practice: educators' and managers' assessments of novice nurses' professional competence

Objective

This study evaluated weather educational outcomes of nurse education meet the requirements of nursing practice by exploring the correspondence between nurse educators' and nurse managers' assessments of novice nurses' professional competence. The purpose was to find competence areas contributing to the acknowledged practice–theory gap.

Design

A cross-sectional, comparative design using the Nurse Competence Scale was applied.

Subjects

The sample comprised nurse educators (n = 86) and nurse managers (n = 141).

Methods

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analysis.

Main outcome measures

Educators assessed novice nurses' competence to a significantly higher level than managers in all competence areas (p < 0.001). The biggest correspondence between educators' and mangers' assessments were in competencies related to immediate patient care, commitment to ethical values, maintaining professional skills and nurses' care of the self. The biggest differences were in competencies related to developmental and evaluation tasks, coaching activities, use of evidence-based knowledge and in activities which required mastering a comprehensive view of care situations. However, differences between educators' and managers' assessments were strongly associated with their age and work experience. Active and improved collaboration should be focused on areas in which the differences between educators' and managers' assessments greatly differ in ensuring novice nurses′ fitness for practice.

COVID-19 Collaborative Model for an Academic Hospital and Long-Term Care Facilities

The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating post-acute and long-term care (PA/LTC). As geriatricians practicing in PA/LTC and a regional academic medical center, we created this program for collaboration between academic medical centers and regional PA/LTC facilities. The mission of the Geriatric Engagement and Resource Integration in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Facilities (GERI-PaL) program is to support optimal care of residents in PA/LTC facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are 5 main components of our program: (1) Project ECHO; (2) nursing liaisons; (3) infection advisory consultation; (4) telemedicine consultation; and (5) resident social contact remote connections. Implementation of this program has had positive response from our local PA/LTC facilities. A key component of our program is our interprofessional team, which includes physicians and nursing, emergency response, and public health experts. With diverse professional backgrounds, our team members have created a new model for academic medical centers to collaborate with local PA/LTC facilities.

Alleviating the nurse faculty shortage: designating and preparing the academic nurse educator as an advanced practice registered nurse

A lack of qualified nurse faculty is a persistent problem in the discipline of nursing. It limits the number of nurses prepared to provide safe, quality care in settings around the world. Many individuals, groups, and organizations have studied the nurse faculty shortage and recommended resolutions, yet the shortage persists. This opinion paper contends that designating the academic nurse educator (ANE) as an advanced practice registered nurse and identifying an educational pathway that ensures academic preparation for the role could help to alleviate the nurse faculty shortage. Evidence disseminated by national and international constituents that influence nursing and nursing education supports the perspective and serves as the basis for recommendations that could attract more nurses to faculty positions in nursing education and ensure preparation of ANEs for their role.

EHR-based medication support and nurse-led medication therapy management: rationale and design for a three-arm clinic randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic conditions often use complex medical regimens. A nurse-led strategy to support medication therapy management incorporated into primary care teams may lead to improved use of medications for disease control. Electronic health record (EHR) tools may offer a lower-cost, less intensive approach to improving medication management.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The Northwestern and Access Community Health Network Medication Education Study is a health center-level cluster-randomized trial being conducted within a network of federally qualified community health centers. Health centers have been enrolled in groups of 3 and randomized to (1) usual care, (2) EHR-based medication management tools alone, or (3) EHR tools plus nurse-led medication therapy management. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension who are prescribed ≥ 3 medications of any kind are recruited from the centers. EHR tools include a printed medication list to prompt review at each visit and automated plain-language medication information within the after-visit summary to encourage proper medication use. In the nurse-led intervention, patients receive one-on-one counseling about their medication regimens to clarify medication discrepancies and identify drug-related concerns, safety issues, and nonadherence. Nurses also provide follow-up telephone calls following new prescriptions and periodically to perform medication review. The primary study outcome is systolic blood pressure after 1 year. Secondary outcomes include measures of understanding of dosing instructions, discrepancies between patient-reported medications and the medical record, adherence, and intervention costs.

CONCLUSIONS

The Northwestern and Access Community Health Network Medication Education Study will assess the effects of 2 approaches to support outpatient medication management among patients with uncontrolled hypertension in federally qualified health center settings.

Factors affecting undergraduate nurse educators' knowledge, skills or attitudes about older persons and their care: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

Nurses are increasingly expected to provide care for older persons; however, there are too few nurse educators with expertise in older person care to ensure students graduate with the requisite competencies.

METHODS

An integrative review, using Whittemore and Knafl's framework, was undertaken to identify and synthesise evidence about factors affecting nurse educators' knowledge, skills or attitudes about older persons and their care.

RESULTS

Forty-four articles met the inclusion criteria. All but three papers originated in the USA. Content analysis yielded three central themes: external-level factors, employer-level factors and individual-level factors. Findings demonstrated that external funding from philanthropic organisations and government agencies supported many of the national, regional and site-specific initiatives, which were, in many cases, underpinned by professional regulatory frameworks. Negative attitudes of administrators and reduced budgets of educational institutions impeded the availability of such initiatives. Negative attitudes of individual educators towards older person care and the specialty of gerontology constrained their pursuit of such learning, as did their lack of awareness of current gerontology resources.

CONCLUSIONS

The lack of educators with gerontology knowledge, skills and requisite attitudes requires a focused effort from external and professional bodies, and from educational institutions to ensure the resources are available to enhance educator expertise in gerontology. Rigorous study addressing the factors influencing educators' knowledge, skills or attitudes towards older persons and their care is required.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Addressing the lack of nurse educator expertise in gerontology could help to ensure new nurses have the required competencies to provide quality older person care.

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.

How to succeed as an adjunct clinical nurse instructor

Adjunct clinical nurse instructors who are proactive about staying clinically current and who form collaborative relationships with nurses, physicians and other health care professionals are able to teach safe care and engender staff nurses' trust. It's important for nurse educators to continually work to remain effective in the clinical setting to provide an optimal learning environment for students and optimal working environment for staff.

The experience of novice nurse faculty in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES

To understand the experience of novice nurse faculty members in Saudi Arabia and the influences on novice nurse graduates in their academic role.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive study grounded in naturalistic inquiry was used to better understand the experience of novice faculty in Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 novice nurse faculty from nursing schools in Saudi universities. Data were collected until saturation was achieved. The researcher interviewed participants using a video conferencing platform, and all interviews were digitally audio-recorded. Content and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

There were four major themes: teaching on a peninsula, navigating in the dark, grappling with the faculty role, and working hard to create hope for a better tomorrow.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings add to the literature regarding the novice faculty experience, self-confidence, and the strategies needed to enhance their teaching performance.

Crossing the "Ascent to Competence" Borders Into Privileged Belongingness Space: Practical Nursing Students' Experiences in Clinical Practice

BACKGROUND

There is substantial evidence that students' sense of belonging in clinical practice influence their motivation, learning, and acquisition of skills. Despite the importance of belongingness in clinical education, not many studies have been done in the Canadian context in general and practical nurse education in particular.

PURPOSE

The main objective of this study was to explore practical nursing students' experiences in clinical education with regard to their sense of belongingness. In addition, we also examined clinical instructors' experiences in fostering a sense of belongingness to students in clinical settings.

METHODS

Ascent to competence conceptual framework was used as an analytic lens in this study. Students enrolled in a two-year diploma in practical nursing and their instructors participated in the study. A total of 12 students and 4 clinical instructors participated in the in-depth semistructured one-on-one interviews. Inductive and deductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Deductive analysis used predetermined themes as per ascent to competence framework. Inductive thematic analysis allowed us to provide additional themes on concepts that could not be effectively explained by the predetermined themes.

RESULTS

Students described the uniqueness of their instructors and clinical sites as important attributes that enable them to cross various "borders" as they gain access to a "belongingness space" of acceptance, respect, and competency. Productive learning experiences were achieved by students who felt supported and "granted permission" to enter the belongingness space. The instructors highlighted their perceived roles in providing scaffolding supports they thought would help students feel a sense of belonging.

CONCLUSIONS

Students cross several borders as they persevere to gain access to the revered belongingness space. Clinical instructors play a major role in assisting students to enter the belongingness space where meaningful learning occurs.

Becoming a Transformative Nurse Educator: Finding Safety and Authenticity

The study purpose was to evaluate and strengthen this program's nursing education curriculum to better prepare and develop future nurse faculty. As the dire nursing faculty shortage increases, the transition of expert nurse clinician to novice educator is receiving more attention. In order to prepare, recruit, and retain the nursing faculty needed to meet the growing nurse shortage, understanding what nurse educators need in order to be successful is essential. Fourteen participants from four focus groups of nurse educators shared stories about their role transition. Two administrators were interviewed to determine what they identified as crucial in hiring new nurse educators. Interpretive analysis focused on identification of themes and possible paradigm cases. Themes that emerged included: a) culture of academia surprises, b) exciting "Aha!" moments, and c) Safety with a capital "S". These findings were used to strategically revise the entire nurse educator curriculum.

Validation of the professional practice environment scale in nurse educators in hospitals

AIM

To report an assessment of the psychometric properties of the Professional Practice Environment (PPE) scale in a sample of Australian nurse educators in acute care hospitals.

BACKGROUND

Although nurse educators are important in an enabling work environment, there has been no reported exploration of their satisfaction with work in acute care hospitals.

DISCUSSION

The factor structure and internal consistency of the PPE scale were consistent with Erickson's eight-factor model of the items, indicating the appropriateness of the scale as an assessment tool to measure the PPE of nurse educators.

CONCLUSION

The PPE scale is useful for monitoring the work environment of nurse educators in clinical practice and the environmental effects influencing their recruitment, retention and job satisfaction.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This work may inform the development of integrated professional practice environments where the professional practice and workplace satisfaction of nurse educators are optimised, influencing safe, quality patient care.

The rewards and challenges of becoming a clinical instructor

Frontline nurses working in the clinical area are a vital component to nursing education. Taking on the role of adjunct clinical instructor can be a rewarding way to increase one's own knowledge while performing the important task of educating the next generation of nurses.

The influence of language of instruction in the facilitation of academic activities: Nurse educators' experiences

BACKGROUND

Learners in most South African higher education institutions are taught mainly through English for most of their academic lives, yet many of them enter these institutions with poor proficiency in this language of instruction (LOI).

AIMS

The purpose of this article was to describe the experiences of nurse educators teaching in a 4-year comprehensive nursing diploma programme regarding the use of English as the LOI during academic activities.

SETTING

The nursing college under study offers a 4-year comprehensive nursing diploma programme as well as post-basic diploma qualifications such as Primary Health and Midwifery Nursing Science and is situated in Gauteng, South Africa.

METHODS

Twenty nurse educators were purposively sampled for in-depth individual interviews until data saturation and were requested to participate in the study. Tesch's protocol of qualitative data analysis was used and the themes that emerged were confirmed by an independent coder. Trustworthiness was ensured, and ethical considerations were adhered to.

RESULTS

It emerged that English language incompetence (1) undermines learners' self-esteem; (2) hinders critical, reflective and creative thinking; (3) renders understanding difficult and that (4) nurse educators' incompetence in LOI hinders meaningful teaching.

CONCLUSIONS

Recommendations were made to improve the use of the LOI because through language interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding are integrated, thus ultimately providing patients with comprehensive, holistic and transcultural healthcare.

Simulation-based education model for under-resourced nursing education institutions in Lesotho

Background

The changing landscape of nursing education to competency-based education has strengthened the importance of simulation learning in the process of developing the required graduate competencies.

Aim

This study aimed to develop a model that guides the implementation of simulation-based education (SBE) in under-resourced nursing education institutions in Lesotho.

Setting

Four Nursing Education Institutions in Lesotho.

Methods

An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was adopted. Sampling methods included stratified systematic random, purposive and systematic sampling. The total sample was 390 comprising students, nurse educators and principals. Data were collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions and in-depth unstructured individual interviews. Statistical analysis was employed for quantitative data while a grounded theory approach guided the qualitative data analysis and model development.

Results

Implementation of simulation emerged as a multilevel, multi-actor and multistage process of adopting, introducing and implementing SBE. This education takes place in a simulated environment that serves as a connecting bridge between the learning of theory in the classroom and clinical learning in real-life settings. The model generated from this study has simulation implementation as the main concept that is supported by four major concepts: (1) simulation initiation at the strategic level, (2) simulation implementation at the tactical level, (3) simulation implementation at the operational level and (4) simulation outcomes.

Conclusion

Successful implementation of simulation requires buy-in from key stakeholders. Simulation-based education policy, competent facilitators and a well-resourced clinical skills laboratory may facilitate the development of the required competencies.

Contribution

The study provides guidance on how SBE can be implemented in resource-limited settings.

Educational Revolution: Integrating Concept-Based Curriculum and Active Learning for Mental Health Nursing Students

OBJECTIVE: To disseminate knowledge to mental health nurse educators regarding a course that is successfully preparing registered nurse (RN) students to pass the psychosocial integrity portion of the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). METHOD: Following the implementation of a new concept-based nursing program curricular design, faculty teaching in a psychiatric mental health nursing course embarked on converting lecture-based, content-saturated teaching strategies into active learning strategies. In this article, the overall conceptual framework for the course and specific examples of active learning teaching strategies related to nursing concepts in mental health are described. Information on objectives, clinical placements, testing, class organization, and curricular content are provided. Outcomes are shared revealing success in helping students pass the psychosocial integrity section of the NCLEX-RN. RESULTS: Predictive scores on the HESI RN Psychiatric Mental Health Specialty Exam have been consistently higher than the national average for the United States, and the NCLEX-RN pass rate for the cohort of 90 students was 97%. The majority of student evaluations of the course were positive. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the integration of conceptual and active learning in a psychiatric mental health nursing course may increase the likelihood of student success.

Critical thinking skills of nursing students: Observations of classroom instructional activities

Aim

Critical thinking (CT) is vital for nursing practice. Nursing schools should provide learning experiences that enable nursing students to acquire CT skills. Yet, these authors are not aware of any study that has directly observed instructional activities related to CT skills acquisition in the classroom environment. The aim of this study was to explore instructional activities in the classroom environment in relation to acquisition of CT skills of students.

Design

Qualitative non-participant observation.

Methods

Using a purposive sampling, 10 classroom teaching sessions were observed and mediating factors of CT skills acquisition of students noted. Data were analysed thematically. Data were collected from October-December 2017.

Results

Three key themes of instructional activities relating to acquisition of CT skills of students emerged, namely educators' behaviour, students' characteristics and university-wide factors/administrative support. Class sizes ranged from 34-162 students with an average of 95.

Inclusive pedagogy in online simulation-based learning in undergraduate nursing education: A scoping review protocol

Background: Education is recognised as a constitutional right, however, access to and participation in higher education can be challenging for some students. This has led to the development of various international and local initiatives promoting inclusion, which has increased student representation from marginalised groups. In order to support growing student diversity, teaching and learning (T&L) strategies must encompass inclusive pedagogical principles. Technological advancements have improved opportunities for online T&L strategies and these are becoming an integral component of curricula in undergraduate nursing programmes. Online simulation-based learning (SBL) has gathered momentum in nursing education over the past twenty years. However, it is unclear from the evidence-base how inclusive this educational approach is, and how it can best support the growing diversity among nursing students. This paper outlines the protocol for a scoping review that aims to systematically and comprehensively map the available published and unpublished literature on inclusive pedagogy in online SBL in undergraduate nursing education.  Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for systematic review protocols (PRISMA-P) guided this protocol. Arksey and O'Malley (2005) six-stage methodology framework, the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines (Peters et al., 2020) and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) will guide the proposed scoping review (Tricco et al., 2018). Conclusion: It is envisaged that this scoping review will give a broad overview of the evidence for inclusive pedagogy in online SBL at this point. The findings of this review will be used to inform future policy and the pedagogical and technological design of online SBL activities and assist nurse educators to meet the current requirement of inclusive practice.

Challenges experienced by nurse educators developing postgraduate nursing diploma curriculum programmes, Gauteng

BACKGROUND

 Nursing education's positioning within higher education mandated public nursing education institutions to develop competent nurses to manage diverse disease profiles of the country. Nurse educators were tasked to develop a competency-based curriculum with emphasis on primary healthcare to help prepare nurses to be independent, leaders, researchers, and critical thinkers.

OBJECTIVES

 To explore and describe the challenges experienced by nurse educators in Gauteng when developing the curriculum for the postgraduate nursing diploma programmes.

METHOD

 An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was used. Purposive sampling was followed to select the participants based on the inclusion criteria. Four focus group interviews were conducted, comprising of six participants each, leading to a sample of 30. Data collection were between March 2022 and April 2022. Thematic data analysis were performed following Tesch's eight steps of analysis.

RESULTS

 Themes that emerged during data analysis were psychological and emotional impact, challenges with communication and interpersonal relations, nurse educators experienced transformation and empowerment, nurse educators encountered barriers that impacted on their allocated tasks, and, nurse educators demonstrated resilience with the curriculum development processes.

CONCLUSION

 Participants reported positive and negative experiences they encountered during curriculum development. The findings revealed that nurse educators need support when involved in curriculum development, for instance, managerial, administrative, technological, financial, and most importantly capacitation, as this could enable them to work effectively without deterrents.Contribution: This study highlights the need to train and support nurse educators when developing a curriculum to equip them with the necessary competencies.

Norwegian nurse educators' self-rating of competencies: a nationwide cross-sectional web-survey

BACKGROUND

Nurse educators' competencies play a crucial role in the educational quality of nurses.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate how Norwegian nurse educators self-rated their competence domains, and how these competencies were associated background variables.

METHODS

The study was designed as a cross-sectional web-survey, and n=154 participated and filled out the Evaluation of Requirements of Nurse Teachers (ERNT) instrument. Educators' mean working experience was 12.9 years (SD 9.2); 86.3 % were permanently employed and 76.8 % had formal supervision training.

RESULTS

The nurse educators rated their competence as good on all competence domains and single competence items, and ERNT total mean score was 4.62 (SD 0.28), with relationship with the students rated highest and personality factors rated lowest. The ERNT total mean score was significantly related to academic degree.

CONCLUSIONS

Educational leaders in nursing education are recommended to establish a mentoring and supporting team for their educators.

Enhancing Roles: Teaching the Teachers Through EHR Documentation and Associated Quality of Care Analysis

Electronic health records (EHR) are designed to promote patient safety, workflow efficiency, and communication (HealthIT.gov). Competency in the use of an EHR is essential for both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Masters prepared nurse educator students may become clinical faculty in schools of nursing or clinical nurse educators in hospitals or out-patient settings after graduation. A gap exists in preparing future nurse educators to teach EHR-specific skills to their future nursing student populations and in promoting patient safety through quality improvement initiatives. The purpose of this observational study is to evaluate experiential learning activities for Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) nurse educator students aimed at preparing them to teach EHR-specific skills to undergraduate nursing students and in utilizing an EHR query activity to develop quality improvement plans.

Preparing Nurse Educators: The Current Landscape

There is an urgent need to address the nursing faculty shortage and evaluate current enrollment in nurse educator programs across the country. In this article, we describe a nationwide review of graduate nursing programs focusing on the nursing education shortage; program, faculty, and student demographics; methodological approaches; concentrations, content and practice areas; and future directions for graduate program development.

Work-life integration among nurse educators: a meta-synthesis

Background

Work-life integration has been extensively researched in various contexts. Women dominate the nursing profession, but work-life integration is essential for men and women since both are expected to focus equally on their families and careers. The nursing faculty perceives nurse educators' work environment as undervalued, lacking support, and limited time to grow and carry the heavy workload.

Method

A qualitative meta-synthesis of studies between 2013 and 2023 was conducted using ScienceDirect, EBSCO Host, Sage and Sabinet databases. Seven articles related to the research phenomenon were retrieved.

Conclusion

The resulting themes revolved around two central aspects: nurse educators' work and life integration. Nurse educators face various challenges with work-life integration and often view their failure as a personal rather than a societal issue. However, as much as achieving work-life integration is personal, there is a call for employers in academic environments to improve workplace policies, like better-paid maternity leave, affordable quality childcare, and social support. Furthermore, nurse educators' line managers should display warmth and encouragement about personal challenges affecting nurse educators.

Experiences of nurse educators regarding the use of the clinical skills laboratory at the School of Nursing in the Free State province

Background

Integration of theory to practice by student nurses is a challenge in most training institutions accredited by the South African Nursing Council (SANC). Nurse educators require a fully equipped and functional clinical skills laboratory to impart clinical competency knowledge to student nurses.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of the nurse educators in teaching clinical skills to student nurses using the clinical skills laboratories.

Setting

The study was conducted at the School of Nursing in the Free State province in 2021.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to select participants for the study. Unstructured one-on-one interviews were conducted with 17 nurse educators until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed thematically.

Results

The three major themes that emerged during data analysis and were discussed to make recommendations of the study are as follows: clinical skills laboratory environment; human and material resources; financial constraints.

Conclusion

This study revealed that there is a need for the use of the clinical skills laboratory by nurse educators to teach clinical practice to student nurses. Therefore, it is imperative that the study recommendations be considered for implementation to improve the use of the clinical skills laboratory.

Contribution

The importance of integrating theory to practice by using the clinical skills laboratory during clinical practice teaching by nurse educators will be understood.

The social construction of nurse educator professional identities: Exploring the impact of a community of practice through participatory action research

AIMS

The aim of the study was to explore whether, and how, professional nurse educator identity is co-constructed by a community of practice.

DESIGN

A critical participatory action research (PAR) methodology was used as it extends the principles of action research by seeking purposeful and sustainable social change that recognizes participants as researchers and generators of knowledge.

METHODS

Twenty-two sector-based nurse educators employed as either nurse educators or clinical nurse educators participated in the critical PAR. Multiple methods of data generation were pursued in a cyclic and sequential manner consistent in an action research process. Three distinct phases of the research across 2015-2017 involved the generation of data before, during and after the establishment of a nurse educator community of practice. A social constructionist lens of analysis was used to explore the social and relational outcomes. The COREQ checklist was used to appraise the study report.

RESULTS

A sustained period of community of practice engagement enhanced the participants' relationships and shifted their perceived professional identities towards being validated nurse educators with a stronger collective sense of their roles.

CONCLUSION

For this group of nurse educators, participation in the research resulted in collective meaning-making, praxis, knowledge generation and the co-construction of their professional identities.

Incorporation of Nurse Initiated Management of Antiretroviral Treatment course within the undergraduate nursing programme North West province

Background

According to the 90-90-90 strategy, the focus is on 90% of people living with HIV and/or AIDS knowing their HIV status, initiated on antiretroviral treatment and achieving viral suppression. The challenge is that only 74% of people living with HIV and/or AIDS are on antiretroviral treatment, and HIV mortality still occurs. Literature recommends the incorporation of a Nurse Initiated Management of Antiretroviral Treatment (NIMART) course within the undergraduate nursing programme to capacitate new nurses to manage people living with HIV and/or AIDS immediately after completion of their training. However, the NIMART course is still not incorporated, and there is dearth of information on this topic in North West Province (NWP).

Aim

To explore and describe nurse educators' perceptions regarding the incorporation of NIMART course within the undergraduate nursing programme in NWP.

Setting

The setting of this research study was nursing education institutions of the NWP.

Methods

Phenomenography qualitative research design was followed. Twelve nurse educators underwent purposive selection and unstructured individual interviews were conducted. The research co-coder verified the findings. There were ethical considerations and trustworthiness maintained throughout the study.

Results

Main themes that emerged in this study depicted benefits and challenges associated with NIMART course incorporation within the undergraduate nursing programme as stated in Table 1.

Conclusion

This study concluded that NIMART course incorporation within the undergraduate nursing programme is a good and relevant idea, which requires human and non-human resources.

Contribution

The study contributed new knowledge on how nurse educators perceive the NIMART course incorporation within the undergraduate nursing programme in NWP.