This descriptive study was done to provide information on the number of hours and clinical experience students received during nursing education which might equip them with skills required for mental retardation nursing. Registered Nurses Associations for each province assisted in the study by providing lists of nursing schools in their province. Of the 142 nursing schools having a graduating class in 1969, 140 were studied. The urgency of the problem was shown when it was noted that an estimated 3 percent of the population of Canada were mentally retarded. Several commissions have been done on this topic in the past decade in Canada. Some studies of this general nature have been done in the United States. Review of the literature indicated that no previous studies had been done on this topic in Canada. A questionnaire was constructed to obtain data relating to placement of mental retardation experience, hours of theory and clinical experience provided and the year of nursing education in which the experience occurred. Questionnaires were mailed to the schools, completed by them, and returned. It was found that diploma schools tended to provide between 0 to 8 hours of theory and clinical experience in mental retardation whereas university schools tended to offer up to 12 hours of experience. Most nursing education in mental retardation occurred in pediatrics or psychiatric programs or in combinations of these and other courses. Mental retardation nursing education tended to occur in the next to the last year of the program for all schools. Many schools, however, indicated that mental retardation experience was not included in the school curriculum at all. It appeared that very little theory and clinical experience in mental retardation was being given students enrolled in nursing schools in Canada. The relative lack of planned clinical experience with retarded individuals was surprising. Several problems and limitations were encountered in conducting the study, particularly concerning data collection and the tool used for data collection. The data had to be collected in two phases from two different sources, home schools and affiliate schools, to obtain accurate data. Studies could be done to focus attention on current problems in nursing the mentally retarded, related to the need for inclusion of theory and clinical experience in the curriculum of nursing schools. Studies could also be done to determine time allotment, placement and specific mental retardation content in current nursing programs. Qualitative studies could be done to show the possible effect of staff knowledge of mental retardation on the care provided to mentally retarded patients. This study was an attempt to show the need for review of nursing education programs in relation to the inclusion of mental retardation theory and clinical experience in the curriculum of nursing schools. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

Submitted in fulfillment for the requirements of M Technology : Nursing, Department of Nursing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Background All nursing students need to undergo clinical training for them to be competent practitioners when they qualify. According to the South African Nursing Council (SANC) training facilities are accredited only if the clinical training component is effective. Therefore, it is important that students are accompanied in order for them to grow professionally and have values as future health care professionals. In nursing education, a student throughout the nursing training course receives instruction both theoretically and clinically in the subjects prescribed in the curriculum by the SANC. Clinical instruction is effected through clinical teaching and learning, which is a requirement by the nursing regulatory body, the SANC. For an undergraduate programme a student has to spend a minimum of 1000 hours per year in clinical placement to meet programme outcomes. It is the responsibility of all nursing schools, colleges and universities to ensure that each student meets these requirements. For this to be effective it has to be facilitated by lecturers and clinical instructors, through teaching and learning strategies to enable students to perform the clinical skill with knowledge and eventual competence. Therefore, clinical instructors are there to ensure that the students are competent in all skills, such as cognitive, affective as well as psychomotor skills. This will be beneficial to the programme in reduction of rates of failure and dropout and again by producing competent practitioners. A positive relationship and collaboration between the clinical training institutions and clinical placement facilities is vital for student achievement, especially because the clinical instructors assist students in correlating theory and practice. This study sought to assess the clinical training component of an undergraduate programme at this UoT in KwaZulu Natal. Findings may inform an improved clinical instruction programme as no such study had been undertaken. Methods A qualitative and quantitative design was used to explore feelings, perceptions as well as experiences of staff and student nurses with regard to clinical training component. Stratified random sampling was used to select student nurses according to levels of training and questionnaires were used to collect data. All permanently employed staff who had been working over six months were selected since they were directly or indirectly involved in the clinical facilitation. A focus group interview was conducted for the clinical instructors and questionnaires were used for the lecturers to collect data. Themes and sub-themes emerged and on analysis they were compared to the findings from the quantitative survey. Results and discussion The results revealed that collaboration of clinical placement facilities and training institutions is important for student’s support since all parties are able to communicate freely and students benefit. Students stated that they did not get enough support since the clinical facilitators were short staffed and they were also allocated to facilities that were far from the campus. The respondents cited problems during clinical accompaniments as there were very high expectations by staff members in the placement areas regarding student support. Lecturers were also expected to involve themselves in clinical accompaniment to bridge theory-practice gap. The employment of mentors will assist in student support as the mentors will be at placement areas and the staff and students easily contact them. Conclusion From the interviews the researcher managed to come up with important aspects that should be included in an accompaniment tool when developed, which should be user friendly to both lecturers and clinical facilitators. It will thus assist students with critical skills including critical thinking when performing any patient related nursing skill. It was recommended that the UoT management support staff by attending to their concerns including finding more clinical placement facilities close to the campus.

Background In Sri Lanka, nursing education is moving from a 3-year general nursing certificate to a 4-year university bachelor degree. In this transitional stage, the development of a conceptual framework that uses evidence to underpin undergraduate nursing education is a crucially important step to improve nursing education and nursing service in Sri Lanka. However, there is no evidence to support the contention that existing and proposed undergraduate nursing curricula in Sri Lankan universities are based on a common philosophy or an acceptable needs assessment. Purpose The overall purpose of this study was to develop an evidence-based conceptual framework for undergraduate nursing curricula in Sri Lanka. Method This study has involved conducting critical reviews of literature, two systematic reviews, developing a draft conceptual framework, testing its appropriateness and feasibility with key stakeholders (nursing academics, administrators, clinicians) via focus group discussions in Sri Lanka, and formulating the final conceptual framework for nursing curricula in Sri Lanka. Findings The systematic reviews revealed that the evidence regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of undergraduate nursing curricula is notably weak and direct transfer of the curriculum model from one country to another is not appropriate without first assessing the cultural context of both countries. The conceptual framework, which was developed using the finding of systematic reviews and literature reviews, consists of widely recognised nursing concepts in international and local contexts. However, some concepts can not be directly applicable because of cultural and economic impediments. Discussion The cultural, social, political and economic contexts of a country have a direct impact on its health and education systems. This study identified several factors that shape the approach to nursing curricula in Sri Lanka. These factors include: Western influence; Sri Lanka’s cultural influence; the current healthcare system and demand for healthcare; nursing systems and regulation; medical dominance; financial support; and Sri Lanka’s education system. All of these factors influence the conceptualisation of nursing and educational strategies needed to effectively and appropriately prepare nurses in Sri Lanka. I propose seven recommendations to support the implementation of the study findings into practice in Sri Lanka. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1317073 / Thesis(Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2008