In contemporary American society, the nursing profession is predominantly made up of white women. Currently, males make up only 6.8 percent of the three million nursing professionals in the U.S. and they are considered gender minorities within the nursing profession and within nursing education. As gender minorities, male students are identified as experiencing nursing programs and the practice of nursing differently than their female counterparts. The purpose of this single instrumental, within site case study was to explore the learning environment for male nursing students and to investigate the nature of the interactions between nursing faculty and male undergraduate students in a Pacific Northwest medical university nursing program. Data was collected in the educational setting through observations, participant interviews, and document analysis. In addition, this study used Kanter's theoretical framework of tokenism to uncover if male nursing students were perceived as tokens in the educational environment. The findings showed that the faculty-student interactions were largely positive; they also revealed that having other males in the class was an instrumental factor in their positive perception of their educational experience. However, the male nursing students also identified areas of discomfort in the educational setting, specifically when practicing clinical skills with female peers, feeling pressured to volunteer and to expose skin during in-class demonstrations, and anticipating that they would be excluded from certain clinical situations. This research indicated that gender differences are present within nursing education and contributed to instances of discomfort for male students. Specific barriers occurred most often when men engaged with female peers and were in clinical settings. These findings provide new insight into when and where men begin to experience gender barriers in the educational environment and are pertinent to understanding the educational environment for men in nursing. Recommendations specifically geared towards assisting students in their first term are suggested for nursing faculty and administrators to ensure that the learning environment is welcoming for men. These recommendations include consciously placing males together in cohort groups and in clinical experiences, reducing instances of visibility and pressure on men in the clinical setting, building faculty awareness of perceived and real barriers for men in the educational setting, and providing faculty with tools to assess and address barriers that are present in the classroom environment.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The shortage of nurse educators has an effect on the training of current and future nurses. A shortage of nurse educators leads to the inability to increase the number of student nurses, which results in a lack of trained nursing staff to meet the healthcare needs of the South African population. There is a need to gain an understanding of why nurse educators enter into and remain in academia versus the reasons why nurse practitioners – specifically registered nurses (RN) – choose to enter into and remain in practice. The prioritised reasons for entering into and remaining in nurse academia were investigated with a focus on: i.) The difference between the reasons why RNs enter into and remain in nursing practice ii.) The difference between the reasons why nurse educators enter into and remain in academia iii.) The difference between the reasons why RNs enter into nursing practice and reasons for nurse educators entering into academia iv.) The difference between the reasons why RNs remain in nursing practice and reasons why nurse educators remain in academia A descriptive, quantitative design was used to explore the factors that lead to nurses entering into and remaining in academia. An on-line, self-administered survey was used as the primary data collection instrument. Data was tabulated and presented in histograms and frequencies. The study found that: i.) RNs enter into and remain in nursing practice for the same reasons ii.) That nurse educators enter into and remain in academia for different reasons iii.) That RNs enter into nursing practice and nurse educators enter into academia for different reasons iv.) The primary reason for RNs remaining in nursing practice and nurse educators remaining in academia are the same The shortage of nurse educators is critical and it is essential that NEIs begin to institute plans focussing on the reasons behind nurse educators’ decision to stay in nursing education. Private NEIs should use the findings of this study to focus on areas that indicate satisfaction with the position rather than dissatisfaction in order to develop specific attraction and retention strategies.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / The problem identified by the researcher, points to the fact that professional nurses in South Africa are not aware that it is their responsibility to continue learning and to seek learning opportunities in order to address their learning needs after obtaining a basic nursing qualification. Continuing professional development (CPD) has been defined as lifelong learning that takes place in a professional career after the point of qualification and/or registration. The primary aim of continuing professional development (CPD) in nursing is improvement of patient care. CPD in nursing enables professional nurse practitioners to provide quality nursing care and service delivery to their patients and clients. The purpose of this research was to assess the need for continuing professional development for professional nurses in order to develop criteria that would assist with the provision of these programmes. The objectives of this research were to: assess whether professional nurses are aware of their responsibility to continue their education beyond their initial pre-service training; assess the extent to which professional nurses participate in continuing educational activities; ascertain whether professional nurses support the introduction of mandatory continuing professional development; and determine the barriers to participation in continuing professional development. A survey, as a quantitative research design, was used in this research to collect the data from a sample of professional nurses working at two public hospitals in the Western Cape Province. A random sampling technique was used to select one hundred professional nurses from a population of professional nurses that was dispersed over a wide geographical area. This design enabled the researcher to use a questionnaire in order to obtain the information needed for this research from the participants. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews, which constitutes a qualitative approach to research, with ten professional nurses. The reason for using both research approaches was that the quantitative approach helped the researcher to measure the responses from the professional nurses objectively while the qualitative approach enabled the researcher to describe the professional nurses’ own experience of their CPD activities. A questionnaire, as the data collection instrument, was informed by the literature review. It enabled the researcher to obtain the information from the sample of professional nurses. The data collected included the demographic information of the sample, the nurses’ participation in formal education, non-formal education and in-service education as well as the reasons for and the barriers to participating in these programmes and their views about mandatory continuing professional development. The questionnaire was selfadministered and anonymous. The data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews was analysed with the use of the Statistica program and a hand calculator. The process of triangulation was used in this research to assess the reliability and the validity of the research process. The findings of this research indicated that the professional nurses included in this research are aware that they have a responsibility to continue their education beyond their initial pre-service training. Although these nurses are therefore aware that they have to continue learning and that they have a responsibility to pursue lifelong learning, and even though there are a significant number of professional nurses who have already participated in CPD activities there are also a significant number of professional nurses who have not yet participated in the CPD activities. Financial and accommodation constraints, family responsibility, lack of advanced notification and staff shortages have been identified as the barriers to CPD participation. The researcher has identified that the professional nurse is in need of CPD. The findings have indicated that the nurses in the sample do not support mandatory continuing professional development but have indicated that they will use all formal and non-formal learning opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. According to the literature review, various authors have stressed that the concept of adult learning should be incorporated in the provisions of the CPD programmes for nurses, including the criteria on which these programmes should be based. Teaching and learning strategies are to be employed that would ensure that nurses have the skills to learn and relearn as knowledge develops. This will enable nurses to develop the skills that are necessary for lifelong learning. Innovative strategies also referred to as self-directed approaches to learning, such as problem-based learning, group discussions or projects and learning contracts that will promote the development of lifelong learning skills. CPD activities in nursing include formal, non-formal and in-formal learning opportunities. Based on the literature review and the findings, the researcher recommends that all professional nurses be granted the opportunity to attend a formal course to help them to obtain a post-basic nursing qualification and that all professional nurses further be encouraged to attend the hospital’s in-service education programmes and workshops provided by the professional nursing societies. The findings indicated that the sample professional nurses believed it is the individual professional nurse’s responsibility to identify and evaluate his or her own learning needs and be accountable for ensuring that those needs are met. Failure on the part of professional nurses to accept that the responsibility to learn continually is theirs could result in the inadequate delivery of nursing care.

Cultural diversity is affecting every aspect of society today and nurses need to be able to provide culturally competent care to remain relevant, and useful, within the current climate. Cultural immersion experiences are one of the teaching strategies that have been incorporated in an attempt to prepare nurses to be culturally competent in practice. However, there are only a few research studies that have been conducted, within the discipline of nursing, to empirically document the process and outcomes of a cultural immersion experience. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine factors that facilitate a meaningful cultural immersion experience during a nursing program, as well as the short-term effects of such experiences on personal and professional growth and cultural awareness. The theoretical framework for the study was Leininger's theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality.This study identified factors that were relevant and important in facilitating a meaningful cultural immersion experience within the categories of situational predetermining factors, modifying factors, and transitional factors (adjustment strategies). Situational predetermining factors identified as relevant included prior personal and professional experiences, prior attitudes and values, preparation before departure, andprior cultural knowledge. Modifying factors identified as relevant included the perception of living in another world, and being "stuck there," as well as the type of location, type of nursing experience, and people met on site. Transitional factors identified as relevant included social support from classmates and the use of coping responses such as humor, self-reliance, personal strength/faith, as well as adjustment of communication style to be able to talk with host-nationals. Finally, personal and professional growth and changes in cultural awareness were identified as outcomes of the immersion experience. Further research on the process and outcomes of cultural immersion is needed to continue to generate a base of nursing knowledge related to cultural immersion, and to assist nurse educators in the planning and execution of such experiences. / School of Nursing

M.Cur. / The study started by establishing that there Is a need for further education for nurses in general. It'was further stated that due to increased technology and the need for patient care, effective further education becomes a priority. But the problem that remains Is how nurses could further their education In the circumstances of the current nature of their work, I.e. the lack of accessibility to flexible learning programmes, long working hours, staff shortfall, low staff morale and institutional constraints. The aim of this study Is to Investigate and report on the Web-based Instruction environment programme in Critical Care Nursing Science Education presented by Technikon Pretoria for nurses. The rationale led to .the formulation of the research question as: "To what extent can Web-based Instruction be used to facilitate a course in Critical Care Nursing Science Education at the Technikon Pretoria?" A literature review of the field of Web-based Instruction was undertaken. It was established that Web-based Instruction is an instructional strategy where the course presenter and the students are not in contact, and it can bridge the gap in tenns of time and space because of its flexibility and accessibility. The students and the course presenter generally reported positive experiences in the Web-based Instruction environment. Web-based Instruction is certainly not the only method for.all our teaching strategies, but it is a strategy that could be used tohelp course presenters to teach more effectively. In terms of the experiences of the students and the course presenter with regard to the Web-based Instruction environment as reported in this study, as well as the technological changes In education. it must be concluded that Web-based Instruction could be considered an acceptable Instructional method and that Critical Care Nursing Science education can be presented in this way...

Simulation in nursing education involves an instructor observing students performing a specific task using an anatomical model, standardized patients, or high-fidelity simulation using a simulator. This education method allows creation of realistic clinical scenarios to allow nurses to perform tasks in a safe learning environment. However, accurate performance in the simulation lab must be replicated in the clinical environment to impact patient outcomes. Chapter 2 is a systematic literature review resulting in 21 articles addressing dependent variables, conceptual frameworks, study designs and outcomes measured in new nurses. Knowledge, simulation satisfaction, confidence, and clinical performance were common simulation outcomes studied. Only 7 research articles reported using a theoretical framework. Even though most of the studies used self-reported measures to demonstrate improvement in the studied variables after simulation, none of the studies used objective observation in the actual clinical setting after simulation. Assessing performance in the actual clinical environment after simulation is an opportunity to link simulation education to patient outcomes. Researchers should explore if learned skills in simulation are transferred to the real clinical setting resulting in safe and competent care. This gap in the literature was the impetus for the study described in Chapter 3. Chapter 3 focuses on a quasi-experimental study on new nurses hired at an oncology institution to determine if skills learned in the simulation lab transferred to the clinical setting. The study’s aim addressed if a difference exists in clinical observation scores between the intervention group (involved in simulation) and control group (not involved in simulation) when performing a central line dressing change. Fifty-six participants were consented with 19 nurses completing all data collection points. No significant differences were identified between groups. Chapter 4 is a narrative account applying the concept of resilience to the doctoral dissertation experience during a pandemic. Using Richardson’s Resiliency Model, the challenges of performing research on staff development during a pandemic are presented. The presence of a stressor (pandemic) and the resulting stages of disruption and reintegration are described resulting in resilient reintegration during the doctoral research process. Simulation is an educational methodology in academia and staff development. However, outcomes such as confidence, knowledge and simulation satisfaction are over-studied and there is a need for studies to focus on if skills performed during simulation are replicated accurately in the clinical setting. In addition, simulations should be designed to ensure they are addressing the identified construct (e.g. clinical judgement). In addition, the logistics involved in observing practice at the point of care is challenging due to unpredictable factors such as staffing, patient acuity, and operational decisions that may impact study design present unique challenges. Keywords: Simulation, new nurses, resilience

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Background to the study: The Critical Care nursing programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences (Stellenbosch University) is a one-year programme. The practical component consists of practical procedures and case presentations. Students have limited time available in the clinical areas to reach competency in the practical skills. Students tend to use the majority of the clinical teaching time available to reach competency in these practical procedures, rather than discussing the patient and learning the skills to integrate and understand the patient’s condition and treatment, which they can acquire by doing case presentations. The end result of this misuse of clinical contact time is that some of the students, by the end of their programme, still have difficulty to integrate a patient’s diagnosis and treatment regime, although they have managed to complete the expected practical procedures. Summary of the work: A case study design was used. I wanted to investigate whether one could make use of simulation and the Clinical Skills Centre (CSC) to complete the majority of the practical procedures so that more time would be available in the clinical areas for the students to do case presentations. The study focuses on describing how the tutors and students involved experienced the use of simulation, as well as how it impacted on the available teaching time in the clinical areas. Conclusions and recommendations: Some of the most important issues that were highlighted in the study and needs to be mentioned are the following: · The students highly valued supervision by a Critical Care tutor when practising their skills in the CSC. · Students indicated that they valued the opportunity to practise some of the more risky procedures in simulation, because it presents no risk to patients. · Case presentations seem important to be added to the CSC’s practical sessions in order to attempt making the practical simulated scenarios even more realistic. · The teaching at the bedside in the clinical areas used to be done somewhat ad hoc. With the teaching in the CSC now being much more structured, this necessitates the teaching at the bedside to be revisited and to be structured to a certain extent. Summary of the results: The information obtained from the Critical Care tutors and the students indicated that these two groups were largely in agreement that simulation seems to be valuable and can effectively be used in a Critical Care nursing programme.

Nowadays the status of a medical nurse represents a fairly actual topic. It is a profession where many changes had to be undertaken during a few years beginning with scholars education up to a graduation of a nurse and their responsibilities. A nurse not only plays the role of a caretaker and a helper but is also an individually thinking professional who has received a proper education and has his or her competence bound by the jurisdiction. The theoretical part focuses on the status of a nurse from the sociological viewpoint, on its development from a historical perspective, on changes taking place in the present and stretching to the future and on the trends we might expect in this profession. The practical part contains information obtained by the research which focused on the perception of the status of a nurse by patients, nurses and physicians. The aim of this graduation research was to question nurses in the Czech Republic about their contentment with their current status and explore their future visions, furthermore to obtain opinions on the topic from both patients and physicians. The H1 hypothesis was: nurses are not content with their current social status, was proved correct. The H2 hypothesis was: the ideas of a nurse about his or her future status in the society are positive was proved correct. The H3 hypothesis was: the assessment of the status of a nurse by a patient is negative, wasn´t correct. The H4 hypothesis: physicians do not follow the current status of a nurse, correct. The H5 hypothesis was: physicians do not display any interest in following the status of a nurse in the future was correct.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The role of the nurse has changed dramatically in the past twenty years with increasing complexity of patient care and a rapidly changing health care environment. In addition to the challenges noted regarding patient care, problems with increasing medical errors were noted in the literature specific to graduates in their first year as a nurse. Research in particular to nursing education provides a way for nurse educators to become more astute at addressing problems pervading the role of the new nursing graduate. Narrative Pedagogy was identified as a research-based nursing pedagogy and has been researched and enacted for more than a decade. Out of the Narrative Pedagogy research, the Concernful Practices emerged identifying what was considered meaningful to nursing education by teachers, students, and clinicians. Listening was one of the Concernful Practices and became the focus of this study. The research question addressed the “How do nurse educators who enable Narrative Pedagogy experience Listening: knowing and connecting?” This was a hermeneutic phenomenological study in which ten nurse educators shared their experiences. The two themes that emerged from the study included: Listening as Dialogue and Listening as Attunement. The findings of this study provided a different way of thinking about teaching and learning that encompasses so much more than merely a strategy or outcome-based approach. The implications of this study offer nurse educators insight about opening a dialogue that draws attention to the realities of the role of the nurse responding to multiple patients with complex health conditions.

Summaries in English, Afrikaans and Tswana / The purpose of this study was to explore and develop understanding of nurses and midwives’ perceptions and attitudes towards the implementation of CPD, aiming to provide them with a platform to make recommendations to enhance the attendance of CPD.The study was conducted in a public regional hospital in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The purposive exploratory descriptive qualitative research method was used. Data was collected through Focus Group Discussions. Participants comprised of three focus group discussions. A semi-structured guide with open –ended questions was used and discussions were recorded with an audio recorder which were transcribed verbatim. Content analysis of the data was done. The study yielded themes, sub-themes and codes during analysis. Participants perceived CPD to have benefits to keep nurses updated with knowledge, skills and improvement of attitudes. It improves quality patient care. However, they identified staff shortage, time constraints and lack of internet connection as the major challenges. / Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n begrip van die houdings en persepsies teenoor die implementering van voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling (VPO) van verpleegkundiges en vroedvroue te verken, ten einde ‘n platform vir aanbevelings daar te stel om die bywoning van VPO te bevorder. Die studie was in 'n openbare streekshospitaal in die provinsie Limpopo, Suid-Afrika gedoen. ‘n Kwalitatiewe, doelgerigte, verkennende en beskrywende navorsingsmetode was gebruik om data is deur middel van drie fokusgroepbesprekings in te samel. ‘n Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudegids met oop vrae was gebruik om klankopnames van gesprekke, verbatim te transkribeer. Data was ontleed deur middel van inhoudsanalise. Temas, subtemas en kodes is tydens die analise geïdentifiseer. Die deelnemers het VPO as voordelig beskou in terme van die opdatering van verpleegkundiges se kennis, vaardighede en houdings. Gehalte pasiëntsorg word sodoende verbeter. Hulle het egter personeeltekort, 'n gebrek aan tyd, en toegang tot die internet as ‘n struikelblok geïdentifiseer. / Maikaelelo a dipatlisiso tse (research), e ne e le go sekaseka le go tlhabolola kutlwisiso ya baoki le babelegisi ka ga tebo le maikutlo a bona mabapi le tshimololo ya go thlabolola dithuto bale tirong “CPD”. Maikaelelo e ne e le go ba neela tšhono ya go dira ditshwaelo go oketsa dipalo tse di tsenang dithuto tsa CPD. Dipatlisiso tse di diretswe kwa dipetleleng tsa kgaolo tsa botlhe, Porofenseng ya Limpopo mo Aforikaborwa. Go dirisitswe mokgwa wa dipatlisiso wa ‘purposive exploratory descriptive qualitative research’ mo di patlisisong tse. Dikitso di kgobokantswe go ya ka mokgwa wa lekgotla ‘Focus Group Discussion’. Batsayakarolo ba ne ba arogantswe ka ditlhopha tse tharo tsa ‘focus group discussions’. Kaedi e e rulagantsweng e e nang le dipotso tsa boitlhalosi- ka- botlalo e dirisitswe mme dipuisano tsa gatiswa ka rekhoto ya kgatiso-modumo morago tsa kwalwa fatshe ka mokgwa o di builweng. Tshekatsheko ya diteng tsa dikitso tse e dirilwe ka go latela mokgwa wa ‘content analysis’. Dipatlisiso tse dineetse molaetsa mogolo, melaetsanyana le melao ka nako ya ditshekatsheko. Batsayakarolo ba bone gothlabolola dithuto bale tirong ‘CPD’ go nale mosola mo tsweletsong ya go neela baoki kitso, bokgoni le tokafatso ya maitshwaro. E tokafaditse boleng ba tlhokomelo ya balwetse. Le fa go ntse jalo, ba supile fa tlhaelo ya baoki, dinako tsa go dira le go tlhoka kgokelelo ya enthanete e le dikgwetlho tse kgolo. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)