South Africa has a low organ donation and transplantation rate despite the availability of medical professionals with the expertise to perform such transplants. This can be attributed to various factors, such as knowledge and attitudes towards organ donation and transplantation. Despite the efforts of the Organ Donor Foundation in South Africa by conducting awareness and education campaigns organ donation rates remains low. There is a wide discrepancy in the rate of organ donation among the different ethnic groups in the country, perhaps due to a lack of knowledge or for cultural or religious reasons. Nurses, as health-care providers, have an important role to play in enabling patients and families to deal with the topic of organ donation. This cross-sectional study investigated the knowledge and attitudes of 268 pre-registration nursing students towards organ donation, at a nursing college in Mthatha, using an anonymous, self- administered questionnaire for data collection. A stratified convenient sampling method was used. The data was captured and analysed using the SPSS statistical package, Version 21; thereafter, descriptive and cross-tabulation analyses were performed on the data. Results: The majority of respondents (62.8%) were aware of organ donation with a small number (1.6%) registered as organ donors. Ethnicity and religion did not influence an individual's decision to donate his/her organs, which suggested that the decision was a personal one. There was no association between age group and willingness to donate a kidney to a relative, although younger respondents were willing to donate kidneys as living donors. There was also no clear relationship between gender and willingness to donate an organ (p-values of 0.03). Knowledge about organ donation was seen as a strong predictor of the attitudes towards organ donation. The majority of respondents were willing to donate organs for transplantation to save the lives of others. It is highly recommended from the results of the study that awareness campaigns to promote organ donation using various strategies and emphasising altruistic motives can increase the organs for donation.

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Nurse educators play a crucial role in the nursing profession, as they are concerned with the important task of preparing responsible, efficient, competent and knowledgeable nurses; and also with the task of strengthening nurses as independent and critical thinkers not just for now, but for the future. Within the South African educational environment, and more specifically, a nursing college in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the roles expected of nurse educators are numerous, and in some cases part from the facilitation of learning in the college and the clinical area, they are also expected to teach subjects outside of their areas of expertise. Although the provincial nursing college, as the context for this study, provides unique and challenging opportunities for theoretical and clinical teaching and learning, the environment and the relationship between the stakeholders seems to be questionable, and needs improvement from all stakeholders to be more conducive for learning. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceived roles of nurse educators in the context of a provincial nursing college. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design served as framework for this study. Data was collected by means of focus-group discussions, with samples selected from two populations of stakeholders with first-hand experience of the expected roles of nurse educators. The first participating group consisted of seven nurse educators, and the second participating group consisted of twelve nursing students. The focus of the focus group discussions was based on the participants’ ‟experience of how they perceived the current role of nurse educators” in a provincial nursing college in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The findings of the research resulted in five (5) main and seventeen (17) sub-themes from the participating nurse educators, and four (4) main and eleven (11) sub-themes from the participating nursing students. The participants in this study perceived the current roles of the nurse educators within the provincial nursing college as those of mentor, support-giver, teacher and facilitator, collaborator and scholar. The nurse educators also viewed their current roles as including managerial and administrative tasks. These findings were integrated with relevant national and international literature to culminate in conclusions, limitations and recommendations of the study. The concluding statements served as a basis for the recommendations to nurse educators, nursing education, nursing education management and nursing research. These recommendations include the advice that nursing education within the provincial nursing college should be viewed and treated as a scholarly activity. Cooperation, teamwork and collaboration also came to the forefront as essential for the sustainability of nursing education within the provincial nursing college context. Role conflicts also came out as an integrated and essential part of understanding and developing the current role expectations of the nurse educator in the provincial nursing college context. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Nurse educators play a crucial role in the nursing profession, as they are concerned with the important task of preparing responsible, efficient, competent and knowledgeable nurses; and also with the task of strengthening nurses as independent and critical thinkers not just for now, but for the future. Within the South African educational environment, and more specifically, a nursing college in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the roles expected of nurse educators are numerous, and in some cases part from the facilitation of learning in the college and the clinical area, they are also expected to teach subjects outside of their areas of expertise. Although the provincial nursing college, as the context for this study, provides unique and challenging opportunities for theoretical and clinical teaching and learning, the environment and the relationship between the stakeholders seems to be questionable, and needs improvement from all stakeholders to be more conducive for learning. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceived roles of nurse educators in the context of a provincial nursing college. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design served as framework for this study. Data was collected by means of focus-group discussions, with samples selected from two populations of stakeholders with first-hand experience of the expected roles of nurse educators. The first participating group consisted of seven nurse educators, and the second participating group consisted of twelve nursing students. The focus of the focus group discussions was based on the participants’ ‟experience of how they perceived the current role of nurse educators” in a provincial nursing college in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The findings of the research resulted in five (5) main and seventeen (17) sub-themes from the participating nurse educators, and four (4) main and eleven (11) sub-themes from the participating nursing students. The participants in this study perceived the current roles of the nurse educators within the provincial nursing college as those of mentor, support-giver, teacher and facilitator, collaborator and scholar. The nurse educators also viewed their current roles as including managerial and administrative tasks. These findings were integrated with relevant national and international literature to culminate in conclusions, limitations and recommendations of the study. The concluding statements served as a basis for the recommendations to nurse educators, nursing education, nursing education management and nursing research. These recommendations include the advice that nursing education within the provincial nursing college should be viewed and treated as a scholarly activity. Cooperation, teamwork and collaboration also came to the forefront as essential for the sustainability of nursing education within the provincial nursing college context. Role conflicts also came out as an integrated and essential part of understanding and developing the current role expectations of the nurse educator in the provincial nursing college context. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study has been undertaken to investigate the impact of group discussion upon sociometric status, selfactualization, and number of stated problems with respect to student nurses. The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether group discussion will enhance sociometric status of student nurses, (2) to determine whether group discussion will positively affect self-actualization of student nurses, (3) to determine whether group discussion will lessen the number of stated problems of student nurses, and (4) to examine the group process and interaction of the group discussion sessions.

ABSTRACT Nurses’ Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) competence has been a subject of many research studies. The need for nurses to be competent in CPR is not debatable, because nurses are expected to preserve and promote life. This study assessed and compared CPR competence between two groups of Advanced Student Nurses in a Kenyan Medical Training College. The study used a descriptive comparative design. The participants were assigned to two groups based on the CPR training they had received. Group I had Advanced Life Support (ALS) training n=23 (comprised ICU advanced nursing students) and group II had Basic Life Support (BLS) training n=48 (comprised Midwifery, Ophthalmic, Community and Psychiatric advanced nursing students). The study sample constituted 71 participants of whom 28.2% were males and 71.8 % were females. Out of the 71 students who took part in the study only five attained the competence score, the remaining 66 failed the competence test. The five who passed the competence score were from the ALS group. The null hypothesis tested in the study was subjected to paired t-test and a p-value of p= 0.0001 was obtained. The null hypothesis was thus rejected based on this finding. The study confirmed previous findings that nurses CPR competence is below the expectation and the difference in training for the two groups of Advanced Student Nurses.

Student Number : 7632299 - MSc research report - Faculty of Health Sciences / The purpose of this research was to ascertain and examine the current genetic knowledge of the nurses in their final year of the Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing (General Nursing, Community Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing) and Midwifery. The research design was an exploratory, descriptive, quantitative survey, using a sample of final year student nurses at two of the three nursing colleges in Gauteng. Data were collected through the use of a self-administered paper-based questionnaire, which was adapted from a questionnaire used for a study to assess the genetic knowledge of general practitioners (Trenton, 2003). The questionnaire was adapted using the broad outline for subject content given in the curriculum for the four-year Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing (General Nursing, Community Health and Psychiatric Nursing) and Midwifery, the South African Nursing Council regulations, and the Department of Health Policy Guidelines. Random sampling was utilised to select two of the three nursing colleges in Gauteng and the total population of final year students was used as the sample. Data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics. It was concluded through this study that, although nurses showed fairly adequate knowledge in the areas of teratogens and multifactorial inheritance, they showed a lack of knowledge with regard to basic genetic inheritance patterns, genetic conditions, epidemiology and prenatal diagnostic techniques. It can thus be recommended that an expanded component of genetics be included in the basic curriculum of the four year Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing (General, Community, Psychiatric) and Midwifery programme in accordance with programmes initiated in other countries.

All nurses should have the ability and disposition to engage in therapeutic relations with people who have learning disabilities. Therapeutic commitment is described as a therapeutic attitude that is influenced by nurses' perceptions of role competency and role support. It is essential to the provision of nursing care leading to improved patient outcomes. The study aimed to explore final year adult (AD), mental health (MH) and learning disability (LD) student nurses' perceptions of therapeutic commitment towards people with learning disabilities and the factors they perceived influenced it. A mixed method, convergent approach for complementarity and expansion purposes was used. A survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from 398 final year student nurses across four Higher Education Institutes in Scotland. Integrated findings suggested when caring for people with learning disabilities that student nurses are therapeutically committed, with LD student nurses' perceptions being greater than their counterparts. LD student nurses also perceived greater role competency and reported they could access experienced support more readily. Having education, a personal experience, the opportunity to provide care whilst on clinical placement and previous work experience with people with learning disabilities influenced the therapeutic commitment and role competency all students perceived. Other influencing factors included receiving thanks, being challenged by the task and the attitudes and qualities held by the nurse. Some AD and MH student nurses believed that people with learning disabilities characteristics negatively influenced their therapeutic commitment. This study has implications for nursing practice and education as it builds on the theory of therapeutic commitment, providing new knowledge of the factors that influence it, either positively or negatively when caring for people with learning disabilities. This knowledge will support nurses to engage in positive therapeutic relationships with people with learning disabilities to enhance the delivery of nursing care.

The purpose of this study was to determine which of two methods of teaching interpersonal relationship skills to student nurses was the most effective. The two methods compared were the traditional "established" method and a programmed group teaching method, the Basic Interpersonal Relations program. Subjects were 45 sophomore associated degree nursing students in their psychiatric rotation. Subjects were administered as pretests and posttests the Leory Interpersonal Checklist (ICL) and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B). Four groups were formed. Two groups (I and IV) were taught in the "established" way and in two groups (II and III), the basic Interpersonal Relations program was taught. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the amount of change in pre-post scores of any of the groups. This would indicate neither teaching method was superior to the other.

This research explores how experienced nurses perceive their role as clinical teachers in an environment that is challenged not only with on-going changes in healthcare delivery, but also by the expectation that it will continue to provide positive clinical learning opportunities for undergraduate student nurses. Schools of nursing in Australia have undergone rapid and far-reaching change as a consequence of the legislated transfer of nursing eduction to the tertiary sector. Expectations that nurse academics will possess higher degrees and be actively involved in research mean that faculty members have less time to be directly involved in their students’ learning during clinical practice placements. The literature indicates that the responsibility for moment to moment teaching and learning thus appears to have been implicitly given to clinical staff who may not possess any formal qualifications for teaching, yet are largely responsible for students’ learning through clinical placements. Indeed some clinicians report a worrying lack of knowledge of clinical supervision models giving cause for further concern about the nature of the clinical learning environment. Schools of nursing expect that clinical practica will provide opportunities for students to learn how to be a nurse through guided questioning, analysis and critical thinking. It is evident that in some settings, this represents an ideal situation and not the reality. Critical reflection on these issues has informed the purpose of this research and helped to shape the following questions that focus the conduct of the study: Research Question One. How do experienced nurses create positive clinical learning environments for student nurses? Research Question Two. How do experienced nurses resolve the often-contradictory demands of nursing students and those of the practice setting? Research Question Three. How do changes in the healthcare environment impact on the experienced nurse's role as a clinical teacher? The theoretical framework for this study was underpinned by the interpretive philosophies of hermeneutic phenomenology and symbolic interactionism, because they acknowledge the personal experiences and meanings of the participants. A case study approach was utilised because it acknowledges the given context of the participants. Data were collected from six experienced nurses through a series of semi-structured interviews, informal interviews and periods of participant observation supported by field notes and the researcher’s diary. Participants identified that their perception of their role as clinical teachers was constructed of three intersecting roles: that of facilitator of learning, assessor and socialiser. This study concludes that several factors influence these nurses’ perception of their role as clinical teachers. In particular, the positivist work culture of the clinical setting and nurses’ own past experiences and world view of nursing combine to shape these nurses’ perception of their role as clinical teachers. The research concludes that the expectations that students will be supported in their endeavours to be critically thinking, problem solving and reflective practitioners may, in fact, be unrealistic in the current, economically constrained, clinical environment. It is evident that experienced nurses, despite being willing to be involved with clinical teaching, have to function in rapidly changing environments that do not always offer opportunities for nurses to reflect on their practice. However, the creation of positive clinical learning environments in these circumstances requires an increased understanding and appreciation by both schools of nursing and their students of the impact of change on these nurses and their clinical environment. This appreciation may result in more effective collaboration between nursing education and nursing service to assist student nurses to learn not merely through repetitive practice and busywork, but also through opportunities to observe, question and understand their nursing practice.