Attitudes towards disability in an undergraduate nursing curriculum: the effects of a curriculum change

Through improved technology and treatment and ongoing de-institutionalisation, nurses will encounter growing numbers of people with disabilities in the New Zealand community and hospitals. Quality of nursing care is influenced by attitude and this study was to evaluate the effect of a curriculum change on the attitudes of two different streams of student nurses towards people with disabilities. During the year 2002 a focused disability unit was introduced to the revised undergraduate nursing curriculum of a major educational institution in New Zealand. The opportunity arose to consider student nurses' attitudes toward disabled people, comparing two streams of students undertaking two different curricula. A convenience sample of students completed the attitudes toward disabled persons questionnaire form B (Yuker, H.E., Block, J.R., Younng, J.H., 1970. The Measurement of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons. INA Mend Institute, New York), prior to and on completion of their relevant disability unit. No statistically significant difference in scores was demonstrated. A number of possible reasons for this are suggested.     

Population-focused practice: introduction to baccalaureate-level nursing students

This article describes a clinical nursing experience which introduces baccalaureate students to population-focused practice in the community. The importance of such practice in community health nursing is discussed as is the rationale for including it at the undergraduate level. An overview of how the experience fits within the baccalaureate nursing curriculum is presented. Individual and group student responsibilities are outlined, explaining the structure of this nursing experience. Student projects with two groups--the well elderly and the school-aged are described to illustrate the clinical experience. Finally, an evaluation of the experience is presented which indicates that it has benefits for clients, community health nurses, students and faculty.     

Modular Curriculum Development in Community Health Nursing

Integrated curricula for baccalaureate education in nursing have many advantages but present problems for faculty. Several problems were identified in our community health nursing curriculum. For example, difficulty coordinating theory with clinical practice, lack of structural organization for the curriculum, inadequate coverage of key areas such as epidemiology and community assessment, and lecture format made it difficult to meet the learning needs of different student groups such as returning registered nurses and other adult learners. A modular community health nursing curriculum was developed. Not only were the instructional problems resolved, but satisfaction with the curriculum was expressed by both faculty and students.     

Perceptions, orientation, and transition into nursing practice of accelerated second-degree nursing program graduates

This study discusses factors that influence newly graduated accelerated second-degree nursing students to remain at the bedside. It also identifies areas for improvement within the program curriculum to better prepare these unique nursing graduates for the transition into nursing practice. Twenty-nine graduate second-degree nursing students were surveyed 3 months after graduation from an accelerated second-degree nursing program. Key findings indicated that preceptorship within nursing courses and orientation programs was the most significant factor in preparing the graduates for the transition from student nurse to registered nurse. Also important to the successful transition into practice was the acceptance and support of the nursing staff on the clinical unit. The participants overwhelmingly cited preceptorships, at both the student nurse and recent graduate levels, as critical to preparing them for the transition from student nurse to registered nurse.     

构建《临床护理学仿真综合实验》课程的研究

目的 探讨<临床护理学仿真综合实验>课程的构建并评价其教学效果.方法 在医院调研的基础上,以护士职业岗位上作过程和上作任务为导向,构建了独立的<临床护理学仿真综合实验>课程并在四年制护理本科第三学年第二学期(毕业实习前)组织实施,对教学效果进行评价.结果 开设<临床护理学仿真综合实验>课程,可以有效增强护生将所学知识转化为临床护理实践的能力,有利于护生角色的转变和提高临床实习满意度.结论 在护理本科学生毕业实习前开设<临床护理学仿真综合实验>课程切实可行,也非常必要.     

Integrating Informatics into the Graduate Community Health Nursing Curriculum

Abstract Advanced practice of community health nursing is enhanced if the nurse is able to identify, create, and use databases to support nursing assessments of communities and to manage and evaluate community health programs. The College of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has revised its curriculum for community health nursing graduate students to include a strong focus on nursing informatics. This paper summarizes the integration of theoretical content and practice exercises into a pre-course workshop and four-course sequence. A focal point of this effort has been the "Healthy People 2000 Nursing Informatics Project," in which students develop an automated community-assessment tool and database related to the Year 2000 objectives. The use of this database and related national, state, and local databases to document community needs is emphasized. Students also evaluate nursing information systems and use information technologies to design and evaluate community health grant proposals. Curriculum development, evaluation, and modification are detailed in relation to student learning needs, faculty preparation, and equipment and consultation requirements.     

Learning in the field: curriculum issues in a diploma in public health nursing

Illuminative evaluation of a public health nursing curriculum shows that there was a gap between theory and practice, originating in the ways in which public health nursing was understood in the field, and therefore during students' placements, and in the university. The difference was chiefly in how the community staff and the lecturers understood primary health care. The former had a 'medical/professional' understanding of primary health care, implying that the professional knows best and that the client is an individual, a family or a group. The lecturers held a philosophy of primary health care with special emphasis on partnership with clients at all levels: individual, family, group and community; the partnership approach was intended to permeate the entire curriculum. Besides philosophical differences, there were other features of the theory practice gap demonstrated elsewhere. Fieldwork practice is integral to learning public health nursing so these contrasts created a serious disjunction within the curriculum. Actual and potential ways of improving curriculum integration are discussed.     

RN-BSN completion programs: Equipping nurses for the future

The Institute of Medicine has outlined important components needed in nursing education to prepare the nursing workforce of the future. Previously published work on RN to BSN education has focused mainly on mode of delivery. The purpose of this paper is to examine RN to BSN program components for the facilitation of academic progression, innovative mechanisms of student engagement, and the curricular components that prepare graduates to meet future nursing challenges. Academic progression factors discussed include those relevant to recruiting RNs to BSN completion programs and factors important to retaining them through graduation. Recommendations for student engagement include the creation of honors programs, ethics teams, and practicum and service learning experiences. Suggestions for curriculum possibilities specifically address meeting the call of the Institute of Medicine report including content in community/public health, informatics, evidence-based practice, ethics, and health policy.     

Incorporating a built environment module into an accelerated second-degree community health nursing course

ABSTRACT Environmental quality is a leading indicator of population health. Environmental health content has been integrated into the curriculum of an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for second-degree students through development of an environmental health nursing module for the final-semester community health nursing course. The module was developed through collaboration between two professional schools at Duke University (the School of Nursing and the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences). It focused on the role of the built environment in community health and featured a mix of teaching strategies, including five components: (1) classroom lecture with associated readings, (2) two rounds of online small-group student discussions, (3) assessment of the built environment in local neighborhoods by student teams, (4) team presentation of the neighborhood assessments, and (5) individual student papers synthesizing the conclusions from all team presentations. The goal of the module was to provide nursing students with an organizing framework for integrating environmental health into clinical practice and an innovative tool for understanding community-level components of public health.     

Impact of a course on community nurses' practice: an evaluation

An evaluation of a community course for nurses working in primary care was undertaken to ascertain whether it made an impact on the students' clinical practice. The course was undertaken by 16 nurses working within community nursing teams that included intermediate care, health visiting, school nursing and district nursing. Three quarters of the nurses had worked in the community for less than one year and half of these were newly qualified nurses. The evaluation consisted of semi-structured questionnaires, which were completed after the course and by the student and their mentor after 3 months. The assessment of practice document submitted by the students for assessment was also scrutinized for examples of changes students had made to their practice. The results demonstrate that the students felt that the community course made an impact on their practice and encouraged them to develop some of the key skills identified for community nurses.     

Community college education through the looking glass of associate degree nursing

Community colleges, offering associate degree education, have become the major supplier of new graduates across the academic disciplines and professional careers. In nursing, associate degree nursing (ADN) preparation offers the shortest pathway to professional practice. Approximately 60% of nursing students graduate from Community Colleges. A diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students enters the contemporary higher-education system. Lack of appropriate academic preparation affects the students’ success and integration into professional practice. The community college leadership must evaluate whether the existing curriculum reflects the contemporary social and student needs.     

Integrating education and research in an APRN mental health services program

The Mental Health Services Program (MHSP), using an advanced practice psychiatric nursing model of care, was developed in an effort to address the need for community mental health services for an underserved population in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Under the direction of an Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse (APRN), direct services were provided by contracted APRNs and graduate and undergraduate nursing students, under the supervision of APRNs. Services provided included screenings for mental health problems; individual, family, and group education and counseling; psychiatric assessments; and consultations. More than 1,500 individuals, the majority of whom were vulnerable or at risk, were provided services during the 3 years of this grant-funded project. Client satisfaction was measured using the Goal Attainment Scale. Results indicated a high level of satisfaction and served as an indirect measure of effectiveness of services. More than 95% of respondents indicated that their goals were met "much better than expected." Furthermore, responses from community agency personnel indicate a high level of satisfaction with the services offered. As a result of the MHSP, curriculum changes have been implemented to integrate student community involvement and collaboration, and to facilitate student projects in the community. These curriculum changes include a health promotion project, a group process project, a mental health group project, and a research project. The students who participated as part of the MHSP benefited from their work in the real world with an underserved population in a way that otherwise would not have been possible. Services to the community will continue through the significant curriculum enhancement for mental health projects.     

Using clinical journaling to capture critical thinking across the curriculum

Clinical journaling is used as an integrated teaching methodology throughout the practicum component of a baccalaureate nursing curriculum. Two disciplines, Nursing and English, collaborated to develop clinical journaling guidelines to provide a consistent framework for student learning and evaluation in a variety of clinical settings. Students complete a weekly log for each clinical rotation. They identify learning goals, analyze events and relate them to nursing practice, use critical thinking to connect theory and practice, and reflect on the experience.A collegiate standard of writing is used. As the student advances through the program, a pattern of accomplishments and a cumulative integration of skills is evidenced to provide consistent standards for student evaluation.     

护理学临床实习中的隐性课程建设与应用

[目的]探讨临床护理实习中隐性课程的应用对实习护生的影响。[方法]通过物质隐性课程、制度隐性课程、文化隐性课程和人际沟通隐性课程对在医院实习的1168名护生进行培训。[结果]实习护生迟到、早退、旷工等违反劳动纪律的现象明显减少,实习护生的学习兴趣明显增强,专业能力明显提高,带教老师对实习护生总体评价较高,病人及家属满意度大幅提升。[结论]护理隐性课程的应用有利于提高实习护生综合素质及护理专业学科发展。     

Bridging the gap. Community partnerships in nursing education: advancing primary health care in practice

An innovative approach to nursing education was piloted by the School of Nursing at Flinders University and Noarlunga Health Services, a generic community health service, in Adelaide, South Australia. The approach, encapsulated in the four-year Community Enrichment Project (CEP), focused on Primary Health Care (PHC) and nursing practice. The CEP developed curriculum and organised student placements, which promoted understanding of PHC in a way that integrated acute and community sectors. This paper considers the impact of splitting the students' third year final practicum, of seven weeks, between acute and community placements. Integral to the overall outcome of the project was the community agencies' cooperation in accepting students for longer clinical placements than had previously been the norm. This resulted in students being engaged in activities and projects in diverse areas. The students were aided in linking PHC theory to practice by the CEP team members who mentored them throughout these placements. Outcomes demonstrated the ability of students to integrate PHC theory to practice, across a variety of health settings. Students moved from a position of little knowledge or understanding of PHC, to an integrated knowledge of PHC principles and the relationship to enhanced nursing practice.     

湖北省社区卫生服务机构护士培养模式现状及对策研究

对湖北省社区卫生服务机构护士的培养对象、培养目标、培训基地、师资力量、培训组织和管理、培训方式和时间、课程设置、培训效果评价和资格认证等现状进行描述;并对社区卫生服务机构护士培养方面存在的培训流于形式、岗位培训占主导、社区实践培训内容单一且培训时间少等问题进行分析;提出发展对策：应继续加大政府政策支持和经费的投入,加快推进社区护理服务和社区护理教育建设;建立社区护理人才队伍培养长效机制,健全和完善社区卫生人才培养体系;加大社区护理实践基地规模与设施的建设,加强临床实践技能.     

护理本科院校理论教学与临床实践差距的研究

目的探讨护理本科院校理论教学与临床实践的差距。方法采用现象学研究方法,对12名临床护理教师和18名本科护理专业实习学生进行深度访谈。结果导致护理本科院校理论教学与临床实践差距的主要因素有:部分书本知识更新滞后于临床发展;学校部分课程设置与课时安排不合理;学校教学情境与临床实践情境不一致;基础护理教学与临床实际应用的侧重点不同;学校教师与临床教师沟通欠缺等。结论为缩短理论与实践的差距,应发展与临床紧密结合的护理师资队伍,注重培养学生评判性思维和应变能力,优化课程设计,合理安排学生实践。     

Skills for safe practice – A qualitative study to evaluate the use of simulation in safeguarding children teaching for pre-registration children’s nurses

Safeguarding children teaching is a required component in all pre-registration nursing curricula. A structured approach to this teaching as part of preparation for registration as a children's nurse was developed jointly by the Course Leader and the Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children. This approach aims to equip children's nurses with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for safe practice. A key element in this curriculum is simulation, where students must assess injuries on manikins, select and complete appropriate documentation, and perform a nursing handover. Simulation has recognised value in nurse education but its use in safeguarding children teaching for student children's nurses has not previously been widely reported.This small-scale qualitative study explored the student experience and the impact of simulation teaching in the development of relevant knowledge and the core safeguarding skill set of observation, interpretation, documentation and communication.The methodology for this small, qualitative study was triangulated, comprising observation of the simulation teaching and two sets of semi-structured interviews. The resultant data was investigated using thematic analysis.The outcome of the study suggested that students were able to transfer learning from the simulation into clinical practice, and that simulation as an approach to safeguarding children teaching resonated with the students' preferred learning style and merits further consideration and evaluation.     

Enhancing evidence bases for interventions in a baccalaureate program

Modifying the sequence, objectives, and research-based content for a nursing interventions course in a baccalaureate curriculum resulted in improved outcomes including enhancement of the evidence bases for nursing interventions. A mixed methods research study demonstrated better student preparation for clinical experiences and improved satisfaction with course content, consistency, and sequencing. Faculty reported improved integration of theory, research, and practice. Although grades were slightly lower in the new course, the positive outcomes greatly outweighed this expected finding. A foundation for improving the evidence bases for future nursing practice is guided by the curricular modifications described in this article.