Partnership in action: a satellite program to expand an existing bachelor of science in nursing education program

The nursing shortage affects communities at many levels, from community hospitals to schools of nursing. The authors describe an innovative 4-way partnership involving a community healthcare district, a community hospital, a community college, and a state university. Working together, these partners established a new baccalaureate nursing program based at a community college and also functioning as a satellite of an existing university-based program, which increased the enrollment of baccalaureate nursing students by 50%. Their work could serve as a model for other collaborative efforts to expand nursing education and reduce the shortage of nurses.     

Nurses at the table: A naturalistic inquiry of nurses on governing boards

In an environment in which there is little or no nursing presence on governing boards in healthcare organizations (HCOs), physicians, and nonclinicians take responsibility for keeping the other board members apprised of the quality of patient care, including nursing‐generated, patient safety initiatives. Governing boards in HCOs are either not appointing nurses to governing boards or are not appointing nurses in numbers that are commensurate with the size and vital contributions of the profession. As a result, competent nursing professionals with an intimate understanding of quality care and patient safety are not in decision‐making roles that may redesign health care and improve patient care. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe experiences of nurse board members who hold governing board appointments in HCOs, and to describe the facilitators of and barriers to holding governing board appointments, as experienced by those nurse board members. This novel research employed naturalistic inquiry to explore the experiences of 12 nurse board members who held appointments with voting privileges in HCOs. From the interview data emerged four distinct themes: leveraging relationships and networking, valuing the mission of the board, feeling respected for my participation, and committing to board work. Facilitators of and barriers to governing board appointments were suggested. Findings validated the few previous research studies found in the literature and have implications for nursing leadership and governance.     

Preparing Today's Nursing Students for Tomorrow's Career

Federal directives, nursing and nursing education associations, as well as accrediting bodies emphasize the importance of integrating health information technology and EHRs into nursing practice. Additionally, informatics is a required competency of baccalaureate nursing graduates. Nursing education's efforts to enhance students’ learning in the area of electronic documentation is at its peak. The goal of enabling nurses to make healthcare safer, more effective, efficient, patient-centered, timely and equitable can only be achieved if a variety of technologies are clearly integrated into nursing education. Therefore, some schools have developed educational innovations to incorporate academic EHRs. As the mental health setting is unique, extraordinary attention has to be provided during the education of electronic documentation. Nursing education efforts must focus on interventions that provide resources that enhance the participant's knowledge and skills related to electronic documentation in a variety of clinical settings. Additionally, implementing academic EHRs in clinical settings offers nursing educators an opportunity to note the benefits. The state of nursing education depends on the accessibility to utilize academic EHRs in the nursing curriculum within the clinical setting to effectively prepare students for real-word practice.     

Case management curriculum in nursing education

Case management has been viewed as an essential function within the current healthcare environment. While the importance of case management in providing quality patient care is documented in the literature and in statements by national nursing and healthcare organizations, there is limited identification and documentation of case management content in nursing education programs. The purpose of this study was to identify the current case management content taught in nursing education programs and to determine the essential concepts and skills of case management relevant to associate, baccalaureate, and graduate nursing education. Using the results of this study, one baccalaureate nursing program revised a chronic illness course to expand the classroom presentation and clinical experience associated with case management content.     

Interprovincial partnership in nursing education

The Canadian Nurses Association endorsed the position that baccalaureate education is essential to practise nursing. Provincial adoption of this position began efforts to increase seats in baccalaureate programs as early as the late 1980s. These efforts have generated many different models of collaborative baccalaureate nursing programs in Canada. One model, the UNB-Humber Collaborative Nursing Program, began to offer nursing courses in the fall of 2001. As UNB already offered its basic baccalaureate program in four New Brunswick sites and Humber College had well-established nursing diploma and continuing education programs, a partnership approach to nursing education seemed beneficial to both institutions. This article describes, from the perspective of one faculty member in Ontario and one in New Brunswick, how the development and implementation of this collaborative program and its curriculum were guided by a similar philosophy. The authors describe how the curriculum values of primary health care, social justice and caring influenced their relationships in the program development process. They also discuss strategies the partnership has used for developing the curriculum collaboratively, ensuring similarity of courses across sites, addressing academic freedom and sharing and learning together.     

以思维教育为核心教学模式在护理教学中的应用

目的:探讨以思维教育为核心的教学模式在护理本科生《护理教育与科研》教学中的应用,为提高其评判性思维技能水平提供借鉴。方法:对2005级76名和2006级96名五年制护理本科生采取以思维教育为核心的教学模式,教学前后分别采用WGCTA量表测量护生的评判性思维技能水平,6个月后对2006级护理本科生进行1次重测。应用SPSS15.0统计软件进行统计学处理。结果:教学前后护生的综合能力与评判性思维技能得分提高(P0.05),教学结束后,2006级护生的两次评判性思维技能测量之间没有统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:以思维教育为核心的教学模式可提高本科护生的评判性思维技能水平。     

Baccalaureate nursing faculty performance of nursing computer literacy skills and curriculum integration of these skills through teaching practice.

This article describes a cross-sectional survey research study designed to collect data from nurse educators regarding their self-reported competence in the performance of 60 nursing computer literacy skills, as well as self-reported levels of integration of these skills, through teaching practice, into the curricula of their respective baccalaureate nursing programs. Data were received from 184 respondents representing 18 publicly funded, National League for Nursing-accredited, college and university generic baccalaureate degree programs in the New England region of the United States. Study findings revealed that 21 of the 60 skills were being performed "well" or "very well" as reported by 50% or more of respondents, while in the area of curriculum integration through teaching practice, only 3 of the 60 skills were being integrated into teaching practice either "moderately" or "extensively" as reported by 50% or more of respondents. Another major finding of this research study strongly suggested that faculty who have the ability to perform requisite nursing computer literacy skills comfortably are more likely to integrate these skills into the curriculum through their teaching practices (r = .76; p<.01). This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study findings for nursing education.     

A critical exploration of "Working Together,Learning Together"--does it meet the learning needs of nurses?

Recent government educational initiatives have emphasised the need for lifelong learning to facilitate and equip nurses with the appropriate knowledge and skills to operate in a dynamic healthcare delivery system. In this paper I will critically explore a recent educational framework from an educational ideology and curriculum design perspective. It is recognised that any educational program cannot be devised or constructed in a socio-political vacuum and any developments must acknowledge this influence on the context in which nurse education operates. The framework is debated from an ideological perspective and I surmise that an ideological change from Romanticism to Revisionism will facilitate change in curriculum design that is in keeping with the realties of healthcare needs. The educational initiative is explored from a curriculum design perspective utilising Beattie's Fourfold Model. I further surmise that the educational initiative fails to acknowledge the uniqueness of nursing knowledge and the integral learning processes such as reflection thus marginalising nursing as a profession. In this paper I suggest that any educational initiative must recognise the evolving role of nursing, the profession and the realties of healthcare systems to ensure the present and future workforce is skilled and empowered to aspire to these multifaceted demands.     

The future of baccalaureate degrees for nurses

PROBLEM. Unlike other professional healthcare disciplines, the profession of nursing has multiple levels of entry. Recently, several states have proposed legislation to mandate completion of baccalaureate education after 10 years of nursing licensure. METHODS. This article examines the proposals, statistics, strategies, and other relevant literature on baccalaureate education for nurses and the positive outcomes associated with a more highly educated nursing workforce. FINDINGS. The proposal recognizes the entry level preparation provided by associate degree nurses and is an innovative solution that offers a balance between multiple entry levels into practice and continued educational preparation. CONCLUSIONS. Through a combination of the entry level preparation of associate degree nurses and baccalaureate education, a stronger nursing workforce can be created and patient outcomes and quality of care improved.     

多民族地区护理本科人文社会课程设置的现状调查与分析

目的调查新疆地区护理专业本科人文社会课程设置情况,探索多民族地区护理本科教育发展规律,为教学改革提供参考依据。方法以实地收集法收集新疆4年制护理本科教学计划并进行统计分析。结果所调查的新疆护理本科课程设置中人文课程平均总学时数为934.5,与内地相关研究基本一致;必修课学时数为719.5,所占比重与内地研究持平;选修课学时数及其所占比重较内地研究明显偏高。结论新疆护理本科人文社会课程设置体现出多民族地区护理人才培养特色。     

Enhancing baccalaureate student nursing education. Collaboration with occupational health nurses for hands-on experience

Historically, occupational health nursing has been underemphasized in most baccalaureate nursing education programs. Advances in medical technology resulting in higher costs for hospital care, increasing need and support for nursing students, and curriculum emphases on holistic health care are factors pointing to the potential for broader clinical experiences for students outside the traditional hospital setting. One school in Louisiana has found that providing opportunities for occupational health nursing affiliations with students in baccalaureate programs has benefitted practitioners, students, and faculty.     

Governance education for nurses: Preparing nurses for the future

The complexities of today's health care environment require organizational governing boards to have deeper understanding of health needs, influences, and outcomes with diverse board leadership. Nurses understand the complexities and demands of health care, but few nurses are engaged on boards of directors and many nurses feel unprepared for the governance leadership role. The nurse of the future requires governance knowledge and competencies to influence organizational policies that will improve health care outcomes and advance health promotion. Governance education is a necessary component of preparing the nurse of the future to influence health care transformation. Until nurses can confidently embrace governance leadership as a part of their professional identity, convincing and expecting non-nurse board leaders to appoint nurses to boards will continue to be a challenge. This paper describes a strategy for incorporating governance competencies into nursing curricula across all education levels by leveraging the American Hospital Association Governance Core Competencies (2009) and the Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Core Competencies©-RN (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative, 2016).     

Primary health care theory to practice: experience of first-year nursing students in Hong Kong

In the past, nursing education in Hong Kong has focused on acute illness care, and institutions providing nursing education have been slow to modify the illness-focused curriculum to a health-based curriculum. The nursing curriculum at the University of Hong Kong is unique in that it focuses on primary health care, and these concepts are introduced in both theory and practice in the first year of the baccalaureate program. In the second semester of the first year, students are required to develop and implement a primary health care project in a community setting. This article outlines the process and outcomes of the experience of 8 first-year nursing students who developed and implemented a primary health care project with older adults in a Hong Kong community. The Generalized Model for Program Development (McKenzie & Smeltzer) was used to guide the students in their practicum activities. The students demonstrated a high degree of competency in relation to health assessment skills; analysis of individual and community needs; development of appropriate health promotion sessions in relation to coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and arthritis; and evaluation strategies to demonstrate effectiveness of the intervention. This experience early in the program provided a strong foundation for the students in primary heath care and grounded their nursing practice in scientific-based evidence.     

Creating a collaborative partnership between academia and service

This article discusses how the experience of instituting preceptored clinical experiences throughout an undergraduate baccalaureate nursing curriculum resulted in a partnership between academia and service. The collaboration between academia and service built on the strengths of each institution to reach a common goal. Integration of the preceptor clinical model is unique in that implementation occurs in the second semester of a four-semester curriculum. Advantages and disadvantages to the model for students, preceptors, and faculty are presented. Unanticipated benefits to both institutions and ideas to help other programs and facilities develop a collaborative partnership for the education of baccalaureate nursing students are provided.     

护士职业倦怠与工作领域心理社会因素的相关研究

目的探讨护士职业倦怠与工作领域心理社会因素的关系.方法对425名护士进行问卷调查,问卷包括了解护士的职业倦怠水平以及工作控制体验(控制感和控制需求)、角色压力(角色冲突和角色模糊)、工作负荷以及领导支持自我评价.结果调查中,护士职业紧张感(48.7%)、负荷感(55.1%)较高,职业倦怠各因子与工作领域社会心理因素均显著相关(r=0.122～0.491).回归分析提示,工作负荷、工作控制感以及角色冲突是3个主要的预测因素.结论工作领域心理社会因素与护士职业倦怠水平密切相关.     

The influence of managed care on U.S. baccalaureate nursing education programs

The transformation of health care into managed care has raised many issues and concerns for nurse educators. The milieu in which nurses currently practice reflects the restructuring shaped by managed care principles. The shift from acute care to expanded community services has changed the way health care is provided within hospital settings. The organization of nursing programs has been affected by this shift, and the ramifications of these external forces on curriculum structure have altered the way nursing students are educated. This article presents research demonstrating the changes in the structure of the curricula for baccalaureate nursing education in 2001, which were caused by health care reform in effect since 1994.     

Computer literacy in baccalaureate nursing students during the last 8 years

With the rapid integration of information technology in the healthcare field, equipping nurses with skills to effectively use the technology is vital. Evaluations of nursing students' nursing informatics competencies are scarce in nursing programs as reported in the literature. The current study was implemented to evaluate the self-reported nursing informatics competence of undergraduate baccalaureate students upon admission and graduation in the years from 1997 to 2005 and to compare the differences between admission and graduation. The Gassert/McDowell Computer Literacy Survey was used to survey 411 students on admission and 429 students on graduation from a baccalaureate nursing program. Results showed a significant increase during the 8-year period, both on admission and graduation, for reported level of experience with word processing, electronic mail, and World Wide Web. Areas of less experience that did not increase significantly were spreadsheet experience, database experience, and use of statistical programs. The nursing informatics competencies established for beginning nurses include databases, spreadsheets, word processing, presentation graphics, and keyboard skills. The results of this study indicate nursing education programs currently may not be providing beginning nurses with the tools needed to effectively and efficiently work in the technology-rich healthcare arena.