<p> To ensure optimal patient care an especially high level of accountability is required when entering the workforce. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore, describe, and define perceptions of accountability as described by sophomore and senior nursing students in two baccalaureate nursing programs. The research questions aimed to (a) define what it means to be accountable as a student in general and a nursing student in particular (b) describe the importance of accountability to the profession of nursing (c) describe the circumstances and conditions that demand accountability, and (d) engage in actions that promote self-accountability. After obtaining IRB approval, the researcher explained the study to the sophomore and senior nursing students who agreed to participate in the research. Eighteen participants were interviewed. </p><p> Six questions were asked during interviews conducted to investigate perceptions of accountability. Content analysis was used to discern the essence of the narratives, from which nine themes emerged. The nine themes identified are: Difficulty defining accountability and the interchangeable use of the terms; accountability and responsibility; emerging knowledge; focus on work of nursing; student attention to tasks and outcomes; motivation/self-discipline; student stress and sources of stress; conditions for accountability and responsibility, and faculty actions; and promoting self-accountability and accountability to others. </p><p> Study findings suggested that this group of students understood the importance of accountability but were unable to verbalize a definition, often confusing accountability with responsibility. Students perceived that faculty played a role in their academic success; students also promoted accountability in faculty and in peers who were less successful academically.</p><p>

<p> Simulation has been used in nursing education for many years in order to show students complex patients, allow practice of new skills without allowing actual harm to come to the patient, as well as being able to build up student confidence in abilities. The primary focus for this qualitative study was associate degree nursing faculty perceptions of their students transferability of knowledge gained through participating in simulation activities in the clinical setting and, may assist in planning future educational activities. The nursing faculty provided insight to what they felt the students needed to know and reflected on what they actually saw students do in actual clinical situations. The research question addressed in this study was the following: What are associate degree nursing faculty perceptions on student transferability of knowledge to an actual clinical setting after having experience in simulation activities? There was also a research sub question addressed, which was, What do associate degree nursing faculty perceive as barriers to becoming successful in clinical performance and knowledge retention? The study used a basic qualitative design. A basic qualitative design was appropriate for this study because it examined simulation use by nursing faculty at multiple chosen schools and their experiences with knowledge transferability. The study sample consisted of associate degree nursing faculty from the East South Central and West South Central regions of the United States. The study participants ranged in age from 30&ndash;66 years of age, and they all have been teaching for at least one year. The guided face-to-face interviews by the participants revealed the following themes, providing a safe environment, clinical experiences/nursing skills, simulation integration in course content, and faculty development and training regarding simulation use. The purpose of the study was to examine transferability of knowledge gained through simulation activities on student clinical performance, and this was actually not addressed in any of the participants&rsquo; answers. The researcher found that all the faculty participants are able to work together in all areas where simulation is utilized, in order to produce competent graduates who will be able to enter the workforce as nurses. Recommendations for further research include using a larger sample size and from other geographical regions in order to have a more diverse sample of nursing faculty.</p><p>

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Bibliography: leaves 99-111.