<p> National calls for a better-educated nursing workforce are proliferating. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) challenged the nursing profession by setting the goal of having 80% of the nation's nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level (BSN) or higher by 2020. This is an ambitious goal given that, nationally, only 50% of nurses have a BSN. In fact, only 40% of nurses in Michigan have a BSN, and in the rural North-Central Region of this state, only 29% (the lowest in the state) of the nurses have a BSN. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand and interpret the meaning of being an associate degree (AD) nurse, the meaning attaining a BSN has for rural registered nurses who currently have an AD, and the barriers they experience that inform their decisions to return to school (or not). The investigator interviewed 11 AD nurses from rural North-Central Michigan and analyzed interview transcripts to identify common experiences and shared meanings using methods identified by Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). Two themes were explicated in this study: "Getting in and Getting out" and "What Difference Does it Make?" The findings in this study challenge many of the common assumptions about academic progression in nursing and provide educators, administrators, and legislators with insight about the strategies that may be most helpful for achieving the IOM goal in rural Michigan.</p>

<p> A quantitative, randomized, pretest, posttest study was conducted to assess the effect of aromatherapy on cognitive test anxiety among nursing students. Sophomore nursing students (n = 39) from a private, 4-year college, were randomized into either the control group (n = 18) or the experimental group (n = 21). Each participant completed the Cognitive Test Anxiety Survey (Cassady; 2001, 2004, 2010) twice; once for baseline data, and a second time after the intervention for comparison. Students in the experimental group completed their second exam in a room with diffused aromatherapy, and the control group remained in a classroom without aromatherapy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed for this study. There were no significant differences between the control and study group in relation to baseline cognitive anxiety scores (<i>M</i> = 78.17, <i>M</i> = 73.62) respectively. In the control group, there was a 3 point decrease in cognitive test anxiety scores between pretest and posttest. However, there was a significant decrease in cognitive test anxiety scores between the students who received aromatherapy and those who did not (<i>p</i> = 0.10). Age and gender were not moderating variables in this study. This novel discovery suggested that aromatherapy has a positive effect on cognitive test anxiety among nursing students, and warrants further research in nursing education.</p>

<p> Preparing nursing students to address spiritual needs of clients is a challenge for nursing education programs. There is minimal evidence in the literature exploring the spiritual needs of clients from the perspectives of nursing students and faculty. While licensed nurses can confirm the importance of meeting the physiological and psychosocial needs of the client, nursing professional practice standards demand nurses include acknowledging the client&rsquo;s spirituality. As required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), American Association of Credentialing Nursing (AACN), and the National Council State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), spiritual care is a requirement, not an option. By determining how nursing students are prepared to address the spiritual needs of the client in a large Midwestern baccalaureate nursing program, nursing faculty can identify effective methods of including spirituality in the nursing education curriculum. This research study used qualitative inquiry and focused on understanding experiences from nursing students and nurse educators. A grounded theory approach was utilized to assess faculty and student perceptions of preparation of senior baccalaureate nursing (BSN) students to address the spiritual needs of the clients. Two themes emerged from the faculty interviews: students need a clear definition of spirituality, and students are not prepared to address the spiritual needs of clients with a spiritual assessment tool. Three themes emerged from the student interviews: students cannot clearly define spirituality versus culture versus religion, they are not equipped to do a spiritual assessment, and there is a lack of role models by both nursing faculty and staff in the clinical setting demonstrating how to address the spiritual needs of clients. There are two sub-categories that support how to define spirituality and how to better equip students to address the spiritual needs of clients. Using a grounded theory approach, the outcomes of this study support a new theory to facilitate nurse inclusion of spirituality in the nursing curriculum. </p><p> This study provides support for integration in the nursing curriculum and inclusion of teaching strategies focusing on spirituality in the nursing curriculum. Findings from this study help minimize gaps in the literature by contributing new knowledge about spirituality in the nursing curriculum that previously had not been empirically identified.</p>

<p> The purpose of the qualitative grounded-theory study was to generate a theory to explain workplace readiness and needs of new graduates entering the intensive care unit (ICU) from the viewpoint of managers, clinical educators, preceptors, and new registered nurses (RN) graduates. The study involved 24 nurses including five managers, four educators, eight preceptors, and seven new graduates working in Florida with 1,550 beds, which includes 115 specialized ICU beds. A qualitative grounded theory developed from analyzing the responses from face-to-face interviews and identifying competencies and skills required for new graduates to enter the ICU. The following four themes emerged: (a) embracing the new ICU role, (b) overwhelming experience of performance ambiguity or anxiety, (c) adapting to the ICU, and (d) embodying the new ICU RN role. </p><p> The results of this study indicate that new ICU RN&rsquo;s have limited exposure in nursing school to the ICU and the inclusion of the novice nurse embracing the ICU theory (NNEIT) could enhance the new nurses&rsquo; transition into the ICU. Through the reduction of overwhelming experience of performance ambiguity or anxiety, the new graduate will adapt to the fast-paced ICU environment and embody the new ICU RN role. Novice nurses embodying the new role require time, preparation, and support. This study adds to a growing body of knowledge on facilitating the workplace readiness of new ICU nurses from the perspectives of the manager, educator, preceptor, and new graduate. The novice nurse embracing the ICU theory (NNEIT) will provide guidance in resolving the discourse of the competencies and skills for new nurses entering the ICU.</p>

No description available.

<p> Background and Purpose: The healthcare system is currently facing daunting challenges; to increase the number of new nurses needed to provide care to the burgeoning population of seniors, to provide primary care for individuals covered by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and to fill the vacancies left by retiring nurses. Transition into practice programs are needed to help new graduate nurses develop comfort and confidence in the autonomous Registered professional nurse (RN) role. New graduate nurses are at risk for significant job stress, leading to rapid job turnover, putting patient safety at risk. Recent studies examining transition to practice programs include results and implications that are limited by the sampling of only baccalaureate prepared new graduate nurses enrolled in a structured nurse residency program. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of transition to practice programs on new graduate nurses regardless of transition to practice program type, length of program or degree upon initial entry to practice in the state of New Jersey. Research Question: What are the effects of transition to practice programs on new nurse comfort, confidence and RN role transition? </p><p> Design, methods and participants: The non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational descriptive study utilized the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey to examine new graduate nurses' comfort, confidence and RN role transition. The purposive convenience sample consisted of 182 RNs licensed in New Jersey, who were hired into their first nursing job between January 2012 and June 2014. </p><p> Results and implications: Data analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in new graduate comfort and confidence score regardless of length of transition to practice program or entry degree received. Approximately one-third of respondents felt that they were not able to complete their patient care assignment on time, had difficulty prioritizing and organizing patient care needs, and felt that they may harm a patient due to their lack of knowledge and experience. The results of this study indicate that up to one-third of new graduate nurses surveyed, who after completion of a TTP program, are often expected to care for a full assignment of high acuity patients comparable to a seasoned RN, lacked the comfort and confidence to do so. The study also indicates however, that those who participated in a longer TTP program fared best, reporting heightened comfort and confidence responses on the survey instrument.</p>

<p> The millennial generation comprises the majority of learners in the traditional university setting. Nurse educators identify problems developing teaching strategies in education that undergraduate millennial nursing students find engaging and meaningful. To prepare for the challenges of this group, it is imperative nurse educators examine preferred teaching methods, student learning styles, and needs in relation to traditional pedagogies. The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of millennial students participating in traditional pedagogies and its significant implications for nursing education. This interpretive phenomenological study recorded the lived experiences of millennial nursing students&rsquo; experiences in traditional classrooms. One on one interviews with 13 millennial students were conducted. Data collection and analysis aligned with van Manen&rsquo;s method. There are five themes that emerged from the data: physically present, mentally dislocated; unspoken peer pressure; wanting more from the professors; surface learning; and lack of trust. The essence focuses around the central theme of belonging. The millennial students identified the most significant challenge in a traditional classroom was disengaging professors. Recommendations for faculty to engage nursing students through a method of shared responsibility of educational approach are given. Blended teaching pedagogies that offer traditional and active methods such as role playing and discussion forums are recommended.</p>

<p> 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.</p><p> 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. </p>

<p> Nurse educators in baccalaureate nursing programs have the daunting task of preparing nursing students to be safe and competent practitioners that provide quality, patient-centered care in a reasonably short duration of time. Advances in current technology have created opportunities for new and innovative teaching strategies in healthcare to meet this challenge. The use of high-fidelity simulation is one technology that is beginning to emerge and be integrated into the nursing curriculum. This study featured a health and environmental safety assessment simulation designed to orient and prepare novice nursing students with competencies to perform a head-to-toe assessment on a patient in a clinical setting. The quantitative study featured a convenience sample of sophomore-level nursing students from a rural Midwestern, private, not-for profit, four-year baccalaureate program. The purpose of the research study was to identify the impact of the health and safety assessment simulation on student anxiety level, satisfaction, and self-confidence. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale for Adults, and the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale. Student anxiety was measured using a pretest-posttest (repeated measures) design. Student satisfaction and self-confidence was collected at the conclusion of the simulation experience. Simulation debriefing revealed positive remarks from students about the simulation experience but were not evaluated for themes. Results were analyzed using SPSS, Version 20 using descriptive statistics, paired <i>t-tests,</i> and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Results of this study support the use of high-fidelity simulation with simulators as an effective teaching strategy to decrease anxiety and increase student nurse self-confidence while performing a health and safety assessment on a patient.</p>

<p> This dissertation presents a quantitative study of the attitudes of staff nurse preceptors toward nursing students with learning disabilities. There are an increased number of nursing students with learning disabilities. These students may have additional challenges in clinical settings, particularly if clinical settings do not understand or support their educational needs. Stigma exists towards people with learning disabilities, and it is unclear if staff nurse preceptors are accepting of nursing students with learning disabilities and willing to serve as a preceptor. </p><p> Attitude was measured with the following four constructs developed for this study: perceived levels of preceptor preparedness, level of confidence in implementation of preceptor role, preceptor beliefs of student potential, and agreement with the provision of reasonable accommodations. These constructs were developed through a review of the literature and found to best represent the dynamic relationship between the preceptor and the preceptee. </p><p> This study analyzed data from an electronic survey to examine the preceptor's attitudes towards learners with learning disabilities and their willingness to serve in the preceptor role for students with learning disabilities. Preceptor's familiarity with learning disabilities, knowledge of issues related to learning disabilities, and their concerns regarding nursing students and new graduate nurses with learning disabilities were assessed. The preceptor's familiarity with learning disabilities and knowledge of issues related to learning disabilities were low, and their concerns were high. However their attitudes were mixed. Preceptors reported that they were not well prepared and had low levels of confidence in their ability to support and accommodate those with learning disabilities. However, they had strong beliefs in the potential of both nursing students and new graduate nurses with learning disabilities, and they had high levels of agreement that reasonable accommodations should be provided. </p><p> The preceptors indicated a high willingness to serve in the role of preceptor for both nursing students and new graduate nurses with learning disabilities. Attitudes toward new graduate nurses with learning disabilities were slightly more positive than the attitudes toward nursing students with learning disabilities, and willingness to precept was higher for new graduate nurses than nursing students. The conclusions of this research are that preceptors are accepting and willing to take on the challenge of precepting nursing students with learning disabilities, however they need information and support from their institutions and nurse educators.</p>