Background: People suffering from mental illness are stigmatised in almost all societies and nurses are in key position to break this stigma. Ghana is a country greatly influenced by religion and traditional beliefs, which, by and large, affects the perception of mental illness. Nursing students have the opportunity to learn how to understand mental illness and have, due to this, an important role fighting old traditions and breaking the stigma. Aim: to examine Ghanaian nursing student’s attitudes towards mental illness. Method: This is a descriptive empirical study carried out by collecting qualitative data with semi-structured interviews. Result: The students recognize that lack of education and information within the Ghanaian society contributes to stigmatization and isolation of people suffering from mental disorders. Lack of resources, hospitals and educated health care-staff are major problems that need to be solved. The students highlight that society believes mental illness to be caused by evil spirits as result of bad behavior. The students state that mental illness is caused by chemical imbalance in the body due to heredity, nutritional factor and/or drugs. The students stress the importance of treating mentally ill patients as any other patient; good nursing is believed to be fundamental to the recovery process. Conclusion: The students’ attitudes towards mental illness differs a lot form their perception of what society in general considers. Clinical significance: The findings show a need for broadening the knowledge about mental illness in the Ghanaian community; nurses could help eradicating the stigmatization of mentally ill persons.

Bibliography: pages 169-183. / The present investigation was initiated with the aim of assessing the efficacy of multicomponent treatment programmes for test-anxiety in student nurses, in order to develop a programme that could be included in the nursing curricula. The subjects were 103 student nurses currently in their first year of the four-year Diploma in Nursing (General, Community and Psychiatry) and Midwifery at Carinus Nursing College CCNC). They had been randomly allocated to four classes at the College. The study compared high-test-anxious, low-test-anxious and mid-test-anxious subjects within these four groups, three of which received multicomponent treatment programmes, while the fourth was the control· group. Programmes comprised Systematic Desensitisation (SD), Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training and Guided Imagery (PMRT & Gl) and Study Skills Training (SST), each of which included a core component of cognitive restructuring. Treatment spanned six weeks. The following self-report questionnaires were used at pre- and post-intervention: The Anxiety Achievement Test <AATl, the Anticipated Anxiety Rating Scale (AARS) and the Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD). Academic achievement was also measured at both pre- and post-intervention by means of examination scores. Differences between pre and post scores were analysed by means of One- and Two-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The only group to differ significantly from the Control group at post-test was the SD group, showing reductions on the Debilitative scale of the AAT (p < 0.01), the SUD (p < 0.01) and the AARS (p < 0.05). However, this group expressed less satisfaction with the programme than the PMRT & GI group on the Treatment Evaluation Questionnaire. A subsidiary study compared the CNC student nurses (n = 103) with first-year paramedical students from the following disciplines: logopaedics (n = 12); physiotherapy (n = 24); occupational therapy (n = 18); BSc nursing (n = 12); radiography (n = 27), on the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Health Behaviour Assessment Scale (HBAS) and Matric scores. CNC nurses obtained significantly lower Matric scores than the other .students (p < 0.0001), and showed significant differences on other variables, indicating higher negative mood states and less healthy lifestyles. At one-year follow-up; 33 of the original 103 subjects had failed or resigned: sixteen of whom were high-test-anxious, nine low-test-anxious, eight mid-test-anxious. The drop-out rate was consistent across groups, i.e. treatment had had no long-term effect. Reasons for this are discussed, and the conclusion reached that high levels of test anxiety were realistically felt by student nurses with comparatively low Matric scores when faced with the demands of the four-~ear Diploma course. Such anxiety which at present tends to be dealt with by somewhat self-destructive behaviours could not be easily alleviated by short-term anxiety management programmes. Recommendations are made regarding possible alternative nurse training programmes. There would appear to be good reason to offer a programme with emphasis on clinical skills in addition to the heavily academic four-year Diploma course. A prophylactic stress management programme emphasising healthy lifestyles, and commencing at the start of training, was recommended.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this national survey study was to describe the transition conditions (facilitators and/or inhibitors) encountered by LPN-to-RN students. SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) describe the frequency of specific transition conditions experienced by LPN-to-RN students; (2) explore relationships between transition conditions experienced by LPN-to-RN students and student (personal) and program (community) characteristics; and (3) characterize (through open-ended questions) transition conditions experienced by LPN-to-RN students that were not included in the empirically-based investigator-designed survey. FRAMEWORK: This study was framed by Meleis et al.’s (2000) transition theory; each transition condition included in the survey was linked to one or more category of transition conditions described by Meleis et al. DESIGN: In March 2020, a cross-sectional national survey was distributed to all LPN-to-RN programs in the United States. RESULTS: 873 students, in programs across 37 states, responded to the survey. The least frequently reported facilitators were emotional support from faculty and finding online courses helpful. The most frequently reported inhibitors were personal stress and balancing school with non-school responsibilities. The most frequent characteristic related to transition conditions was taking classes with non-LPNs. Respondants reported several transition conditions not included in the survey, including prior experiences (facilitator) and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic (inhibitor). CONCLUSION: These results suggest areas where faculty can further support LPN-to-RN students through their own actions and highlight the importance of carefully planning how to integrate LPN and non-LPN nursing students if they share classes.

The decision to pass or fail a nursing student should be based on a careful assessment of their clinical performance and a commitment to ensuring that they have the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to provide safe, effective, and compassionate care to patients. This decision is difficult for clinical nurse faculty, yet one that all educators face at some point in academia. his qualitative descriptive study was conducted to explore the perceptions of the marginal nursing student by clinical nursing faculty. Bondy’s (1983) Criteria for Clinical Evaluation was used as the framework for this study, from which semi-structured questions for the interview guide were derived. Seventeen participants were interviewed from a large metropolitan tristate area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). Each participant was a clinical nursing faculty holding a master’s or doctoral-level degree while still actively participating in their individual academic positions within their respective schools of nursing. The time spent in academia by the participants ranged from 3 to 38 years, while time spent as a registered professional nurse ranged from 13 to 49 years. Despite the differences in nursing clinical specialties or length of time teaching in their individual institutions of higher learning, there were remarkable similarities in their experiences. Three major themes were generated from the data: (1) The Nervous and Anxious Nursing Student—Not Comfortable or Confident; (2) Student’s Inability to Effectively Prioritize Nursing Care—Needing Prompting; and (3) Weak or Average Student Requiring Improvement—However, Moldable into a Stronger Student. Findings revealed that clinical nursing faculty perceives marginal students as facing a variety of challenges that can impact their academic success. Addressing the needs of marginal students requires a holistic approach that includes addressing their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. Clinical nursing faculty can provide guidance, feedback, and reassurance to help marginal nursing students build their skills and confidence. By creating a supportive learning environment that fosters collaboration, teamwork, mutual respect, and adequate time on the clinical unit, marginal nursing students can overcome their anxiety and become confident and competent healthcare professionals.

No description available.

The purpose was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a 25-item questionnaire on learning orientation in a nursing educational program. The questionnaire is a standardized instrument used in industry and universities but this is the first time its psychometric properties were assessed in a nursing students. Learning orientation is a vital aspect that includes elements such as: desire to learn, an outreaching toward the goal, and seriousness in using instructional resources provided. Four hundred and seventy-two undergraduate nursing students at the first semester junior level completed the Learning Orientation Questionnaire online. The data were imported into an R language processor (Version 3.3.1) for plotting and statistical analysis. This first step was manual extraction to identify correlations between items and group them into categories using cluster analysis. Six categories were formed: learning interest, ambitious goals, instructor, achievement of goals, and lone survivor. The second step was the automatic extraction of factors with functions in the R language. The items were grouped into four factors rather than six. The automatic extraction combined the factors learning interest and ambitious goals together and removed the lone survivor factor. The lone survivor factor contained one question (q24) with a low eigenvalue of (0.3). This question was deemed both minor and irrelevant to the topic of the questionnaire and therefore is proposed to be removed. The result of the factor and cluster analyses in nursing students was compared to that of a previous study (Martinez, 2005) that used a heterogeneous sample of both high school and university students of many different majors. The differences in the results were substantial. First, Martinez (2005) found three extracted factors in her research in comparison to the current research of four factors. Moreover, the previous study grouped our main two factors into a single factor, which means that the factors for learning interest, ambitious goals, and instructor influence were a single factor in the previous study. The eigenvalues were almost identical to the current research, yet the factors did not correspond. Another major difference between the two studies is that in the previous study’s second factor called “learning independence or autonomy” did not correlate with the description of the factor. The author explains the factor as growing to learn independently by finding the motivation from within. Yet, the questions selected in the factor solemnly incorporate the instructor as a resource of learning. In this study, the factor was placed in a separate category and was labeled “instructor influenced” based on the fact that it heavily relied on the demand of an instructor. The conclusions are: (1) The factors extracted in nursing students in the present study do not correspond closely to those of the sample used by Martinez (2005) and this might be explained by the greater focus on applied practice in nursing education. (2) The current questionnaire could be reduced in size to 8 questions while maintaining strong measurement quality.

Abstract Purpose: Mental illness in the United States is a well-documented prevalent health concern. Mental health conditions are extensive and subject to mental illness stigma that negatively impacts client care. Aims: This quality improvement project aims to implement the NAMI In Our Own Voices presentation in conjunction with a ninety-minute anti-stigma educational session to reduce mental illness stigma among nursing students. Methods: This quality improvement project utilizes a pretest-posttest study design to evaluate the implementation of the National Alliance on Mental Illness In Our Own Voices presentation in conjunction with a ninety-minute anti-stigma educational session’s impact on mental illness stigma reduction. The Open Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care providers will be used to determine the level of stigma reduction in undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. Results: Results are pending project implementation approval from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Conclusion: No conclusion can be determined at this time as study results are pending.

BACKGROUND: Nurses have the opportunity to bring a unique perspective to genetic and genomic healthcare through their emphasis of health promotion, prevention, screening, caring, and patient, family, and community relationships. Nurses are expected to have genetic and genomic knowledge that can be integrated into clinical practice. However, researchers today are finding nursing students are not competent or comfortable in the clinical applications of genetics and genomics, even though these students will soon be working in healthcare as it advances in these fields. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the genetic and genomic knowledge of nursing undergraduate students and explore their attitudes about using this knowledge in practice. METHOD: A pre- and posttest design was used. Student knowledge was measured online using the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory (GNCI©) in both tests. Demographic questions were included in the pretest and questions regarding attitudes toward comfort and readiness to apply that knowledge were included in the posttest. The pretest was administered at the beginning of the Spring 2014 semester. The posttest was administered at the end of the same semester, after the nursing students received the majority of genetic and genomic instruction from their program's curriculum. Descriptive statistics were used to examine all data. Total and subscale knowledge scores on the GNCI© were computed for each test. A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and post-GNCI© total and subscale scores. Correlations were calculated at both time points. A Spearman correlation was used to examine the relationship between prior experience with genetic education or exposure to people with a genetic condition and total pre-score knowledge on the pretest. For the posttest, a total attitude score was calculated to examine the relationship between attitude and post total knowledge scores using a Pearson's r correlation. FINDINGS: 109 undergraduate junior nursing students participated. Gains in total and subscale knowledge between the pre- and posttest were statistically significant (p < 0.05), except for the Mutations subscale. For the pretest GNCI©, the average mean score was 45%, which improved to 50% at the time of the posttest. Lowest scoring items were in the Genome Basics subscale, whereas highest scoring items were found within the Inheritance subscale for the posttest. Mean total attitude scores were 28.33 (SD = 5.17) indicating students had a relatively positive attitude towards using their knowledge base in practice. The majority of students (87.1%) agreed that it is important for the nurse to incorporate genetic and genomic knowledge into clinical practice although only 34.9% felt ready to do so. DISCUSSION: Genetics and genomic knowledge and preparedness were low among nursing students. This demonstrates a need for more integration of genetic and genomic content within nursing curriculum, including a review of basic concepts. Nurses are expected to perform comprehensive health assessments by incorporating knowledge of genetic, environmental, and genomic influences and risk factors. Lack of a basic understanding could lead to patient consequences related to inadequate risk assessment, referrals for genetic counseling, and patient education.

This study investigated the relationship between engagement, as measured with the Community College Student Survey of Engagement Course Feedback Form, and incivility, as measured with the Incivility in Nursing Education Survey, in 268 nursing students at a state college. A significant relationship was identified between the composite variables representing engagement and incivility. Specifically, the composite engagement variables representing active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, student effort, and academic challenge were positively related to the composite incivility variable reflecting the consideration of disruptive student behavior. Data analysis determined that the most disruptive classroom behavior reported were students holding distracting conversations. The use of computers for non-classroom activities was cited as the most frequently observed disruptive act. The study examined the presence of any differences in the levels of student engagement or incivility between first- and second-year students. No differences in either of these two constructs were identified. The study results suggest a relationship between incivility and engagement and denote the most prevalent and disruptive nursing student behaviors

No description available.