Preceptorships are an indispensable part of undergraduate clinical education and are prevalent among schools of nursing. However, there is wide interpretation and implementation of preceptorships which leaves many facets of the preceptor role poorly understood. Research has suggested preceptors experience several benefits from serving; however, the role has also been described as one leading to overload, conflict, and burnout. There is a lack of studies exploring preceptor role functions from the perspective of those who serve in it. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore staff nurse experiences as preceptors to undergraduate, pre-licensure nursing students with emphasis on the RN’s perceptions of the role, specifically the preparation for, support in, and understanding of what the role entails. Focus groups were used to collect data. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Findings suggest that the primary role function is Protector, with Socializer and Teacher as secondary role functions. Preceptors in this study described a strong empathetic drive to protect students from negative experiences, to protect patients from harm, to protect their own professional identities, and to protect the nature of the nursing profession. Within each role function, there are specific behaviors in which the preceptor engages to varying degrees depending on the needs of the individual student. Findings have implications for continued development of the preceptor role.

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Estimates indicate that by 2010 RN demand will exceed supply by over 400,000 full-time equivalents and by 2020 the RN shortage will increase to over 1 million. Turnover is a major contributor to the nursing shortage and job dissatisfaction is a well-established cause of nursing turnover. Understanding RN job satisfaction is an objective that is critical to keeping experienced nurses working in nursing and minimizing RN turnover. Many facets of RN job satisfaction have been examined in previous studies; however, much of the variance in job satisfaction remains unexplained. The purpose of this study was to explore job strain, body mass index, and background information variables (age, education, ethnicity, number of years in nursing, and perceived general health) as possible predictors of job satisfaction among hospital staff nurses. Resilience was examined for its mediating and moderating effects on the relationships between job strain and job satisfaction and body mass index and job satisfaction. The research design was cross-sectional and correlational. Surveys were mailed to RNs across the state of Texas. Reliable instruments were used to measure hospital staff RN job satisfaction, job strain, and resilience. Body mass index was calculated based on self-reported height and weight. From a sampling frame of full-time, hospital staff RNs purchased from the Texas Board of Nursing, a random sample of 556 RNs was obtained. The response rate was 27.6% (n = 147). Results showed that 25.2% of the RNs sampled reported high job strain. Job strain was significantly related to body mass index, and high job strain was significantly negatively related to job satisfaction. High job strain explained 24.7% of the variance in job satisfaction. None of the background information variables were significantly related to job satisfaction. Resilience had a moderating effect on the relationship between job strain and job satisfaction. Resilience did not mediate or moderate the relationship between body mass index and job satisfaction. Future research should focus on creating a nurse-specific instrument that measures job strain in hospital staff RNs. Intervention studies that investigate the effects of resilience training on the job satisfaction of hospital staff RNs should also be conducted. / text

The primary focus of nursing education in the 21st century is to graduate students with well-developed critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. This descriptive case study explored the perceptions of 6 faculty and 6 unit staff nurses concerning the assessment of critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills of nursing students in the clinical setting. Benner's novice to expert theory served as the conceptual framework for the research. The guiding research questions focused on faculty and staff perceptions concerning unit staff nurses' level of preparedness to assess the critical thinking and clinical reasoning ability of nursing students, and explored how faculty and unit staff nurses perceived the process of evaluating nursing students' clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills in the clinical setting. Data were collected using semi structured interview questions, then coded and analyzed following Creswell's approach. This analysis identified six themes: (a) lack of consistency, (b) faculty and staff clinical expectations of students, (c) barriers to clinical education, (d) faculty and staff differences in educational definitions, (e) faculty and staff comfort level with students, and (f) resources needed for clinical education. Learning how faculty and staff nurses assess student nurses' ability to demonstrate effective clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills can positively impact social change in nursing education on the local and state level by informing best practice in how critical thinking and clinical reasoning are taught and assessed in nursing education. This facilitates graduating nurses who are prepared to deliver patient care that affect positive outcomes.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur undersköterskor i fyra olika verksamheter upplever att deras arbetssituation har förändrats sedan man införde LCP (Liverpool Care Pathway). Vidare belyses hur undersköterskorna menar att samarbete, kommunikation och relation har påverkats och på vilket sätt och i så fall hur. Uppsatsen är skriven utifrån samverkan och ett professionellt förhållningssätt i socialt arbete. Ett annat perspektiv som uppsatsen belyser är på vilket sätt metoden blev introducerad i organisationen, detta utifrån implementeringsprocesser och kommunikationsteorin. Resultatet visar att undersköterskorna upplever en större delaktighet och trygghet i deras arbete idag jämfört med tidigare. Vidare har samarbetet med andra samverkanspartners blivit mycket bättre sedan LCP- metoden infördes. Med hjälp av metoden känner undersköterskorna en ökad trygghet, delaktighet, klarhet, tydlighet och öppenhet. Detta genom de checklistor som LCP- metoden bygger på. Det framkom i uppsatsen att undersköterskorna känner att de kan prata mer öppet om döden och döendet med anhöriga efter införandet av LCP - metoden .Nyckelord: Kommunikation, / The purpose of this essay is to explore how staff nurses in four different businesses feel that their work situation has changed since the introduction of LCP (Liverpool Care Pathway). Further highlights is how the nurse believes that cooperation, communication and relationships have been affected, in what way and if so how. The essay is written from collaboration and a professional approach in social work. Another perspective the essay illustrates is the way in which the method was introduced in the organization, this according to implementation processes and communication theory. The result shows that the staff nurses experience a greater involvement and confidence in their work than before. Furthermore has the cooperating with other collaboration partners turn out to be much better since the LCP-method was introduced. By using the method the staff nurses feel an increased security, participation, transparency, clarity and transparency. The LCP-method with its checklists contributes to these feelings. It appeared in the essay that the staff nurses feel they can talk more openly about death and dying with relatives after the introduction of the LCP-method.

Etiska aspekter av vårdyrket spelar inte en framträdande roll i sjuksköterskeutbildningen. Etik är den teoretiska referensramen för ett korrekt moraliskt handlande och sjukvård handlar om att ge rätt omvårdnad till en individ i behov av detta. När moraliska värderingar och verkligheten kolliderar kan en konflikt uppstå, vilket i sin tur kan leda till moralisk stress. Psykisk ohälsa har på senare tid ökat bland sjukvårdspersonal som en direkt följd av moralisk stress. Syftet med denna empiriska enkätstudie är att undersöka i vilken grad undersköterskor och sjuksköterskor upplever moralisk stress i det dagliga arbetet. Studien har utförts på en medicinklinik på UMAS där alla undersköterskor och sjuksköterskor på avdelningen har inkluderats. Ett modifierat validerat mätinstrument har används för att mäta vilka situationer som är särskilt känsliga för moralisk stress samt i vilken grad detta ger dåligt samvete. Resultatet visar att det förekommer moralisk stress på avdelningen. Det finns inte någon skillnad mellan yrkeskategorierna i förekomsten av de utvalda situationerna däremot finns det en signifikant skillnad i vissa situationen när det gäller graden av dåligt samvete. / Ethical aspects of health care profession do not take a prominent role in nursing programme. Ethics is the theoretical reference for proper moral behavior and healthcare is about providing the right care to an individual in need of it. When moral values and reality collide a conflict can arise, which in turn can lead to moral stress. Psychological illness has recently increased among healthcare professionals as a direct result of moral stress. The aim of this empirical survey is to examine to which degree staff nurses and nurses experiencing moral stress in their daily work. The study was conducted at a medical clinic at UMAS where all the staff nurses and nurses in the department were included. A modified validated questionnaire has been used to measure the situations that are particularly sensitive to moral stress and to which degree these situations give troubled conscience. The result indicates that moral stress exists in the department. There is no difference in the presence of the selected situations between staff nurses and nurses, however, there is a significant difference between staff nurses and nurses in some situations to which they contribute troubled conscience.

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