Reflective journaling: developing an online journal for distance education

Reflective journal writing can be a useful heuristic tool to foster critical thinking skills and develop reflective clinical practice in nursing. When combined with a distance education delivery format, the online journal helps to leverage the strengths of reflective learning with educational technology as well as provide a seamless record of learning outcomes across the curriculum. The authors discuss the incorporation of an online reflective journal into a distance education clinical course and provide guidelines for educators considering a similar approach.     

The role of simulation for learning within pre-registration nursing education - a literature review

Simulated learning in a clinical skills centre has become more popular within undergraduate nursing education and is increasingly used to teach and assess clinical skill acquisition. Current literature suggests that there is some validity in teaching psychomotor skills in a designated simulated clinical skills centre, whilst other sources still question its value in terms of experience. Such contradictions demand further exploration and appraisal of the current literature.The findings show that simulated learning in a clinical skills laboratory is reported to increase student confidence and prepares students for real clinical setting, however, this acquisition of skill is often achieved at different rates by different students. A standardised approach to simulated learning in nursing education and the development of further holistic clinical scenarios which are linked to related theory and lectures, would offer measurable learning outcomes to meet professional and regulatory requirements. Therefore, further evaluation of the current learning methods within simulation may offer appraisal of the preparation of students for clinical practice, to ensure that students are offered quality-learning opportunities that are flexible and responsive to both their needs and the demands of the Health Care Services.     

Online, directed journaling in community health advanced practice nursing clinical education

The sharing of experiences in advanced practice nursing clinical courses allows for application of core principals to different facets of practice, with the potential to promote discussions beyond the course objectives, create opportunities for mentoring, foster critical thinking, and facilitate change and socialization into advanced practice. A pilot test of online, directed journaling, an innovative sharing and reflection strategy, was incorporated in a two-quarter community health advanced practice nursing clinical course in an attempt to enhance clinical learning. Six female graduate nursing students completed the journaling. A 10-item evaluation measure demonstrated that the online journaling strategy was highly effective and valuable for the students. An assessment of the journaling entries found multiple examples of discussion, mentoring, critical thinking, and socialization. Innovative online strategies should become the standard for sharing in advanced practice nursing education.     

Implementation and evaluation of peer assessment of clinical skills for first year student nurses

Enabling student nurses to learn and develop evidence-based clinical skills is the cornerstone of nursing education programmes. This article describes the implementation of a peer assessment scheme for clinical skills within a skills laboratory in a university school of nursing, and the link between peer assessment and clinical skills development. This was a qualitative evaluative study that used questionnaires for data collection and was undertaken on one cohort of students. Findings showed that nearly half of all the statements made by students were about the positive impact of PACS on their skills learning. Students identified giving and receiving peer feedback, reflection and working with peers in small groups as being particularly valuable in clinical skills learning. Increased confidence was also a dominant finding as was the value of repeated practice in a simulation setting on skills development. This study supports some of the previous literature related to use of simulation and peer assessment but the discussion presented in this article also highlights that the findings of this study contradicts other findings in the literature. What makes this study unique is its contribution to the literature is the link that was established by students between the peer-assessment process and clinical skills learning.     

Expanding educational capacity through an innovative practice-education partnership

This article describes a unique demonstration project using a collaborative practice and education partnership to expand baccalaureate student education capacity by 75% in an accelerated nursing program. Components of the project include using hospital-paid (donated) master's clinicians as clinical faculty; using online course delivery for the non-clinical theory nursing courses, thereby decreasing the need for classroom space; employing a Web instructional designer to convert the existing master's nurse educator program to an online format in an effort to increase the pipeline of nursing faculty; renovating existing space to expand the nursing skills laboratory; and purchasing equipment and supplies for the simulated patient environment modules in the expanded skills laboratory space. Both formative and summative measures will be used to evaluate the project, which is expected to produce 24 additional workforce-ready baccalaureate-prepared RNs in 15 months.     

The development and evaluation of an integrated virtual patient case study and related online resources for person-centred nursing practice

Ensuring students develop person-centred practice for diverse groups of people across health care settings is an important outcome of undergraduate nursing education. This paper presents the development and evaluation of a learning innovation, an integrated virtual patient case study and complementary online resources for person-centred nursing practice. The virtual patient case study of an Australian Aboriginal woman diagnosed with breast cancer was integrated within four core subjects of a Bachelor of Nursing program, for a total of 600 second-year students. The evaluation of this learning strategy was encouraging. Students reported that the online learning activities were engaging, particularly due to the level of realism, their understanding of Aboriginal Peoples’ healthcare needs increased, and they developed therapeutic communication skills, applicable in a variety of healthcare contexts. Staff concerns about student wellbeing when learning sensitive content online were unfounded. When carefully planned, a virtual patient case study and online learning resources can support students to enhance their person-centred nursing practice. Further evaluation, including student outcomes through assessment, is an important next step.     

Recall Rummy: learning can be fun

BACKGROUND: Nurse educators are continuously seeking creative methods to teach nursing skills. Continuing education programs have adapted and used television game show themes as effective teaching strategies. METHOD: The traditional card game of rummy has been modified into a creative learning technique for entertaining and reinforcing skill techniques for nurses practicing in a clinical setting. CONCLUSION: Imagination and creativity are important assets for planning and teaching skills that relate to the practice of nursing. Recall Rummy presents one such approach to teaching nursing skills.     

Using computer assisted learning for clinical skills education in nursing: integrative review

Title.  Using computer assisted learning for clinical skills education in nursing: integrative review.
Aim.  This paper is a report of an integrative review of research investigating computer assisted learning for clinical skills education in nursing, the ways in which it has been studied and the general findings.
Background.  Clinical skills are an essential aspect of nursing practice and there is international debate about the most effective ways in which these can be taught. Computer assisted learning has been used as an alternative to conventional teaching methods, and robust research to evaluate its effectiveness is essential.
Data sources.  The CINAHL, Medline, BNI, PsycInfo and ERIC electronic databases were searched for the period 1997–2006 for research-based papers published in English. Electronic citation tracking and hand searching of reference lists and relevant journals was also undertaken.
Findings.  Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. An integrative review was conducted and each paper was explored in relation to: design, aims, sample, outcome measures and findings. Many of the study samples were small and there were weaknesses in designs. There is limited empirical evidence addressing the use of computer assisted learning for clinical skills education in nursing. Computer assisted learning has been used to teach a limited range of clinical skills in a variety of settings.
Conclusion.  The paucity of evaluative studies indicates the need for more rigorous research to investigate the effect of computer assisted learning for this purpose. Areas that need to be addressed in future studies include: sample size, range of skills, longitudinal follow-up and control of confounding variables.     

Surveying the orientation learning needs of clinical nursing instructors

The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge and skills nurses need to be successful clinical instructors. A formal learning needs assessment was conducted to measure the orientation learning needs of new part-time clinical nursing faculty at one university. An existing, validated learning needs instrument was modified and administered online. The respondents (n=44; 16.6%) unanimously identified five essential learning needs for nursing clinical instructors, thus providing sound justification upon which to base an instructor orientation program. From these results, essential content for an orientation workshop to be followed by an online orientation course is outlined. Future research is needed to evaluate the outcomes of clinical instructor orientation; that is, whether participants have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to competently facilitate student learning in the clinical setting.     

Community of Inquiry Framework for Advanced Practice Nursing Students

Distance education programs are increasingly common in nursing education, and educators are challenged with creating online courses that provide students with quality learning experiences. For advanced practice nursing (APN) students, online courses need to engage students in learning while meeting their unique needs. The Community of Inquiry (COI) framework is grounded in theories of learning and teaching and is relevant for use in developing online courses for APN students. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an online clinical practice management course for APN students using the COI framework.     

Improving Oral Health: Integrating Oral Health Content in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Education

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-based, interprofessional education experience designed to improve oral health and collaborative practice knowledge, skills, and attitudes of advanced practice registered nurse students. As part of an online advanced physical assessment course, students completed Smiles for Life (Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Oral Health, Leawood, KS) online modules and a 4-hour observational experience with a dental provider in their community. After completing the assignments, students had increased knowledge and skills and improved attitudes about oral health and collaborative practice. These learning strategies are suitable for on-campus and distance programs. Additionally, these resources are useful to practicing nurse practitioners for improving their oral health knowledge.     

在本科护理教育中设置循证护理课程的研究

目的探讨在本科护理教育中设置循证护理课程,为循证护理教育和临床护理人员循证实践的相关培训提供依据和参考。方法采用德尔菲专家咨询法对17名护理管理、临床护理、护理教育专家进行3轮问卷调查,听取专家的意见和建议,筛选循证护理课程设置指标条目。结果 70.59%的专家认为在护理专业本科教育中开设循证护理课程"非常必要",29.41%的认为"必要";70.59%的专家建议将循证护理课程列入护理专业本科的选修课程,学时数为17-24学时;76.47%的专家建议将循证护理课程安排在整个护理学学习的中后期,即基础课程学习后期,临床实习前期;76.47%的专家建议从事临床工作的教师担任本科循证护理课程教学任务。结论本科循证护理课程开课形式为选修课;开课时机为基础课程学习后期,临床实习前期;学时数为17-24学时;师资来源为从事临床工作的临床教师。     

Enhancing medical-surgical nursing practice: using practice tests and clinical examples to promote active learning and program evaluation

In a 14-week medical-surgical nursing review course, two teaching strategies are used to promote active learning and assess the transfer of knowledge to nursing practice. Practice tests and clinical examples provide opportunities for participants to engage in self-assessment and reflective learning and enhance their nursing knowledge, skills, and practice. These strategies also contribute to program evaluation and are adaptable to a variety of course formats, including traditional classroom, web conference, and online self-study.     

Student outcomes of the healing web: evaluation of a transformative model for nursing education.

The Healing Web is a transformative nursing model, bridging gaps between nursing education and practice, baccalaureate and associate degree education, and public and private educational institutions. It is an educational prototype in which nursing students experience collaborative clinical practice in a differentiated practice model. Based on the Healing Web framework, it was hypothesized that the educational partnership model would influence specific student competencies (i.e., caring abilities, leadership skills, assertiveness, and professional nursing behaviors). Students in the Healing Web program scored higher in caring knowing, caring courage, leadership, and assertiveness than their counterparts who participated in traditional clinical experiences. Students identified collaboration, partnership with students and staff, and learning to value different nursing roles as primary benefits of the experience. Findings support the contribution of Healing Web experiences to selected student outcomes, but the research is limited by instrumentation, small numbers, and the question of adequate "dosage." Future research will emphasize qualitative methods to explicate significant concepts more completely.     

The effectiveness of an education program to teach Australian nurses comprehensive physical assessment skills

This study investigates the effectiveness of an educational program to teach 22 registered nurses comprehensive physical assessment skills. Administration of questionnaires and tests provided measures of the nurses: a) use of physical assessment skills; b) knowledge of physical assessment; c) changes in nursing practice since learning the skills; d) barriers to the use of these learned skills. The major post program findings regarding increases in the nurses' knowledge and use of physical assessment skills, positive changes in their nursing practice and lack of barriers to their use of these skills indicates that the participants did benefit from this educational experience.     

基于工作过程的成人外科护理学教学情境设计与应用效果观察

目的：在成人外科护理学教学中探索基于工作过程的教学情境的设计和实施方法。方法：选取2010级三年制高专护生2个班共105人为实验组,采用基于临床工作过程即“入院评估一术前准备一术后护理一健康教育”4个环节设计的教学情境进行教学。2010级另2个班107人为对照组,采用传统教学方法。结果：两组护生的考核成绩比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。实验组92．4％的护生认为该组教学方法能激发其学习兴趣,提高学习主动性;83．8％的护生认为能够融“教、学、做”为一体;89．5％的护生认为有利于护生沟通能力和语言表达能力的培养;85．7％的护生认为在仿真的临床情境下进行护理技能的学习,能提高其学习效果。结论：该教学方法能够融“教、学、做”为一体,提高护生的学习效果。