This investigation concerned the effect of nurse educator/nursing student learning style match on the latter's problem solving ability. Problem solving ability was defined as the processes of finding facts, problems, ideas, solutions and their acceptance in other than past experience, tradition and habit. The underlying conceptual framework was Kolb's holistic model of experiential learning which combines experience, perception, cognition and behavior. The model has vertical and horizontal axes resulting in four quadrants or kinds of learners: diverger, assimilator, converger and accommodator. Instruments used were Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and Gover's Nursing Performance Simulation Instrument.

As a descriptive, pilot study utilizing an online survey, this study explores the perceptions of CSUSB student nurses related to their commute and ontime arrival at clinical sites, typically in the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and whether or not the commute is perceived as being stressful.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

AIM. The aim of this study was to describe the utilization of family planning methods by the nursing students in the selected nursing education institution. METHODOLOGY. A non-experimental descriptive survey design with a quantitative approach was used to describe the utilization of family planning methods by the nursing students. For the study, the quota sampling technique where 106 nursing students were selected. A self-developed questionnaire based on a conceptual framework, study objectives, and existing questionnaires was used as a data collection instrument. FINDINGS. The results yielded by the study showed that 63.9% (n = 62) used family planning methods before coming to college which was the majority of the respondents. Of the total number of participants, 35.1% (n = 34) who never used family planning methods before were still not using any method. The majority of students using family planning methods perceive this as beneficial. The perceived self-efficacy by the users is also high. A recommendation for future practice is that there should be health information available to students during orientation. The name used for these services may also need to be looked at. The qualitative study on the topic may yield different or similar results. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The purposes of this study were to describe perceived health problems and perceived stress and examine the relationship between perceived health problems and perceived stress in nursing students in five small religiously affiliated colleges with schools of nursing in Indiana.The Neuman Systems Model (Neuman, 1989) was the theoretical framework for the study. Health problems were examined using the Health Problems Inventory (Jones, L. H., 1988) and stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983).Findings included a moderate level of perceived health problems and a moderate level of perceived stress for the 150 study participants. The relationship between perceived health problems and perceived stress was strongly positive at a significant level (r= .69, p< .001). These findings were consistent with other studies that showed a relationship between stress and health problems in college students. These findings support Neuman's model of the effect of stressors on the system (disrupting the stability).Conclusions were that there is a level of stress that is unmanaged and perceived health problems which may be interfering with the students' education. The study findings have implications for students, nursing faculty, and those who provide health care to college students. Implications are organized into Neuman's three modes of prevention: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Implications included assessment of students to determine the presence of stress, stress management education for students, alerting nursing faculty and health care providers to the health problems identified by students, and increasing faculty awareness concerning the stressful nature of nursing school. / School of Nursing

Three hundred and eight nurse educators, who teach in NLN Accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs in the Midwest, were requested to complete a three-page survey concerning their perceptions and practices concerning student stress. The study demonstrated that nurse educators, in this study, were aware of the level of stress among students who were pursuing undergraduate degrees in nursing. The study found that most nurse educators understood that the sources of stress were a combination of the many roles and responsibilities of students. They were aware that most students needed services/interventions to assist them in coping with stress. Most nurse educators thought that they were responsible, to some degree, for intervening to assist students in decreasing their stress level. However, they expressed frustration at their attempts to help students. They indicated that many of the sources of stress were not within faculty control and that there was low participation when services/interventions were offered. Finally, the study found that most nurse educators thought that stress management for nursing students was included in the nursing curriculum. However, very little time was actually spent on stress management in the nursing program. Nurse educators indicated that they relied on other institutional services/interventions to provide stress management skills. However, many nurse educators indicated that they were willing to make changes to assist students. Nurse educators need to reconsider the amount of time that is spent facilitating students in reducing stress and helping them build coping skills that will continue to help them become competent nurses. Given the predicted nursing shortage that is estimated to last until 2020, the low application rate to nursing school, and the graying of America, it would seem prudent that nurse educators assist students who are in nursing programs become successful. The health of our nation may be at stake. The task for nurse educators is to help students recognize the signs of stress, understand the effects that unmanaged stress can produce, and teach the techniques that students can use in coping with stress. / Department of Educational Leadership

Two major purposes existed for this study. The first purpose was to compare how persisters and nonpersisters in the first year of a two-year nursing program differed in locus of control, selected personality traits, and seven demographic variables. The second major purpose was to develop a predictive model for the persisters and the nonpersisters. The particular personality variables examined were intelligence, superego strength, extraversion, anxiety, tough poise, and independence as measured by the 16PF. The summary findings were that persisters had significantly higher scores on the NDRT and the B and G traits, significantly lower externality, and were generally younger with no previous nursing experience, and more likely not to have prekindergarten age children than the nonpersisters. The major significance of this research comes from its use of data gathered at the beginning of an educational program to make predictions which can be available to teachers, counselors, and administrators who may make use of the information to improve the chance potential nonpersisters have of completing the nursing program, or perhaps to assist students in reexamination of their career choice.

The purposes of this study are to identify student retention strategies in generic baccalaureate schools of nursing and their supporting institutions to determine if these strategies vary according to identified characteristics of the school of nursing and its supporting institution and to determine the perceived effectiveness of the strategies. Data were collected from 313 administrative heads of schools of nursing that offer generic baccalaureate programs accredited by the National League for Nursing; 217 returned usable questionnaires constituted a national response rate of 69.3 per cent. Frequency distribution and the chi-square test of independence, significant at the .05 level, were used for statistical treatment of the data.

M.Cur. (Nursing Education) / There is a high number of nursing students suffering from the HIV and AIDS pandemic, causing them to have low self-esteem, being stigmatized and being on the receiving end of negative attitudes from their nursing colleagues. The infected students perform poorly and decide to terminate their training. This has a significant impact on the nursing profession, which is already suffering from a tremendous shortage of nurses (Minaar, 2005: 31). The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the experiences of student nurses living with HIV and AIDS at a nursing college in Gauteng, and to describe the strategies to improve the support system for these student nurses. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, contextual phenomenological study was used in order to gain insight into the experience of student nurses living with HIV and AIDS. A purposive sampling method was used. The data collection method was collated through an individual semi-structured interview. Open-coding data analysis method using Tesch’s protocol (in Creswell 2009: 186) was used. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were used according to Lincoln and Guba’s Model (1985: 327). Ethical standards for nurse researchers were adhered to in accordance with the DENOSA position statement (1998). The experiences of nursing students living with HIV and AIDS at a nursing college in Gauteng included both positive and negative categories. The following sub-category emerged under the positive experiences of coping with HIV and AIDS: aspects related to internal motivation and positive self-talk. Emerging themes were: 1. living positively with HIV and AIDS, 2. spiritual fulfillment, 3. Hope: 3.1 hope to live for one’s child/children and 3.2 hope for a cure of HIV and AIDS; 4. concern for colleagues and patients living a risky lifestyle. The following sub-category emerged under the negative experiences: The negative emotion related to the disease process. Emerging themes were: 1 fear: 1.1 fear of disclosure, 1.2 fear of stigmatisation, 1.3 fear of re-infection; 2 stress: 2.1 stress experienced when nursing terminally ill HIV and AIDS patients, 2.2 stress caused by inability to meet academic requirements due to the physical impact of the disease (sickness, exhaustion and fatigue); 3 side effects of ARVs; 4 the lack of support: 4.1 lack of support from family members, 4.2 lack of support from tutors and colleagues. The supportive strategies were described. Recommendations for Nursing Education, Nursing Research and Nursing Practice were made.

The purposes of this study were to examine the prevalence of current substance use and early risk indicators for substance abuse and dependence, and to investigate the relationships among religiousness, current substance use, and early risk indicators among nursing students at seven Seventh-day Adventist colleges. Data for this descriptive study were collected through Efinger's Alcohol Risk Survey (EARS) (Efinger, 1984), the CAGE Questionnaire ( Ewing , 1984), and the Intrinsic/Extrinsic-Revised Scale (Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989). Participants were 241 nursing students enrolled in their first year of nursing courses at seven colleges and universities located across the United States . Findings indicated that 42% of students scored higher than the EARS mean; 24% reported current substance use; and 15% scored in the probable abuse/dependence category of CAGE. Students who reported current substance use and those scoring in the probable substance abuse/dependence category were significantly more likely to score above the EARS median. Intrinsic religiousness demonstrated a significant inverse relationship with current substance use. Significantly lower rates of current substance use were associated with higher rates of attendance at religious services. Respondents who indicated that their religion prohibited alcohol consumption reported significantly lower rates of current substance use than those who answered "No" or "I don't know" to their religion's prohibition of alcohol consumption. A substantial number of nursing students were found to have high numbers of early risk indicators for substance abuse and dependence that warrant intervention. The majority of students who scored in the probable substance abuse/dependence category also had higher EARS scores, thereby increasing their risk for substance impairment. Religious variables appear to have had a mediating influence on current substance use with this sample. Prevention programs should be aimed at risks that are modifiable, thus enabling students to make healthy decisions about using substances.