Teaching information literacy skills: an evaluation

This paper describes an evaluation of a curriculum-integrated information literacy programme in an undergraduate nursing course. The aim of the programme was to provide students with an awareness of the discipline's literature and the skills to locate and retrieve the literature. A multidimensional process for determining nursing students' development was utilised in the evaluation of the programme. Pre- and post-programme questionnaires were distributed to a cohort of students who undertook the programme. A cohort of more senior students who had not undertaken the information literacy programme was utilised as a comparison group. Questionnaire results were analysed using a range of inferential statistics. This paper will focus on two main findings related to objective measures of information literacy skills. These include pre-programme/post-programme change in student performance and differences in student performance between those who undertook the programme and those who did not. The programme demonstrated its effectiveness in developing information literacy skills, however the challenge remains for both academics and students to ensure that these skills are consolidated and extended for effective life-long learning.     

Delivering a transition programme in literacy from level 4 to level 5 for nursing students: a pilot study

This paper explores the development, delivery and evaluation of a pilot programme in academic literacy skills to help students make the transition from year 1of their undergraduate nursing programme (level 4) to year 2 (level 5). Although there is a good deal of literature available about supporting students in year 1 to develop academic literacy skills, there is a dearth of literature on supporting students as they move from level to level during their university programmes. The pilot programme comprised five 1½ hr sessions on different aspects of literacy skills in the transition period between year 1 and year 2. Students from one cohort were invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Students undertook a pre-test before starting the programme and a post-test at the end. However, only a small number chose to sit the post-test making comparative analysis impossible. However, results of the student questionnaires showed that student confidence in their literacy skills increased and their perceptions of their literacy skills were that they were improved as a result of the programme. Importantly, marks on semester 2 written assignments were improved compared with year 1 work for those who had attended the programme. This study is important for both the progression of students from year 1 to year 2 of their nursing programme and for their ability to develop the kinds of literacy skills required for nursing practice.     

Assessing nursing students' basic communication and interviewing skills: the development and testing of a rating scale

This study explores the communication skills of a group of nursing students who were required to interview a simulated client as part of their studies. In order to assess the students and to improve the process of learning discrete skills, an instrument was developed and tested as part of this process. The subjects were 212 nurses enrolled in a bachelor of nursing programme, in New South Wales, Australia, who were studying a problem-based learning package the focus of which was 'alcohol early intervention'. The sub-groups within the sample included registered nurses, a significant percentage of whom had completed their basic nursing education in overseas countries. The Simulated Client Interview Rating Scale (SCIRS) was developed to assess basic humanistic communication skills as well as beginning motivational interviewing skills. The students were required to interview a simulated client and demonstrate competence in interviewing. This was assessed by the SCIRS which was completed by the students and the simulated clients. The instrument proved to be a reliable and valid means of assessing student interview technique as well as a flexible educational tool, while valuable insights into students' interviewing techniques were gained.     

Student nurses as peer-mentors: collegiality in practice

Mentoring is promoted as a key strategy for supporting nursing students and new practitioners in clinical settings. However, mentoring is also a complex process, requiring the development of bounded and purposeful relationships underpinned by knowledge, experience and opportunities for reflection. This paper reports the findings of an evaluation by second-year nursing student mentors and first-year mentee students of a short peer-mentoring programme. The main objective of the programme was to support students making the transition to the university and nursing. At a more focused professional level, the programme also provided the opportunity for students to be a mentor or to be mentored, as a learning precursor to being mentored in the clinical setting. The programme provided rich learning opportunities for the development of the qualities and skills required for mentoring roles and was a vehicle for encouraging collegial interaction and learning. The students' evaluation of the programme also demonstrated that formal mentoring programmes require considerable organisational investment and ongoing commitment in educational and clinical settings. Mentors and mentees require time for face-to-face meetings and discussion, effective and on-going communication channels, and adequate role preparation.     

Lab mentors in a two-plus-two nursing program: A retrospective evaluation

Peer mentorships improve learning outcomes, student satisfaction, and confidence levels in undergraduate nursing students. In addition, volunteering as a mentor supports leadership development and proficiency in nursing skills. This article retrospectively evaluates an educational intervention using peer mentors in a 2-plus-2 undergraduate nursing program. Students enrolled in this program take prerequisite classes at a community college, then enter the baccalaureate program at the junior level and begin their nursing courses, completing all course work on the community college campus. Senior nursing students mentored the incoming junior students during their first semester as they practiced essential nursing skills in the clinical learning lab. Junior nursing students participating in this mentorship program expressed increased confidence and decreased anxiety levels while practicing clinical skills with mentors. Senior lab mentors valued the opportunity to support junior students in skills practice, and believed participation in the mentorship program improved their own nursing skills. There are several potential benefits of extending peer mentorships to the clinical lab setting for this unique student population as they transition to a baccalaureate nursing program.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Web-based graduate epidemiology course

An online epidemiology course was developed, implemented, and evaluated for graduate nursing students through the collaborative efforts of nursing faculty and information, education, and instructional design staff of the library at a health sciences university. This epidemiology course is a core curriculum course for graduate nursing students. The course was piloted with 14 students (one student in Romania); the initial online offering ran concurrently with a traditional classroom section. Extensive evaluation data were collected and analyzed to compare the effectiveness of the classroom and distance-learning formats. Areas of evaluation included objective measures, such as midterm and final examination scores and content analysis comparisons, as well as subjective ratings by the students of time commitments, course objectives, technical aspects of the web-based course, areas of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and self-confidence regarding epidemiology and computer skills. Recommendations for course development, implementation, and evaluation for similar distance-learning courses will be included.     

Discontinuation, leaving reasons and course evaluation comments of students on the common foundation programme.

There is considerable financial incentive, at all levels, to reduce student nurse wastage and maintain recruitment to a workforce of professional nurses. This strategy is being pursued in a period following major educational change, when the attrition levels and leaving reasons of students need to be reassessed. Previous reports have identified a high voluntary loss of students on the common foundation programme (CFP) of the pre-registration nursing course. In order to achieve a better understanding of the basic problems faced by student nurses who consider leaving the CFP, questionnaires were distributed to three groups of students: current CFP students; students who had completed the CFP; and students who had discontinued training. The questionnaire responses show that course-based problems, identified as prime leaving reasons by the current and completed student groups, differ from the actual leaving reasons of discontinued students obtained by exit questionnaire. The attitudes of participating and discontinued students to theory, clinical and pastoral components of the CFP are not dissimilar. Some trends in attrition rate relate significantly to student category. Our results have implications for the management of student nurse attrition.     

Students' perceptions of practice assessment in the skills laboratory: An evaluation study of OSCAs with immediate feedback

Assessment of clinical skills is fundamental to undergraduate nursing programmes. However, enabling assessment to be a good learning experience as well is a challenge to nurse educators. The study presented here presents the change from using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for summative assessment (with feedback given to students after results had gone to the examination board – 6 weeks after the OSCE) to one with immediate feedback. Because the previous OSCEs were universally disliked by students, for reasons that included absence of immediate feedback, in making this change the university re-branded the OSCE as an objective structured clinical assessment (OSCA) with immediate feedback provided to students. A survey was undertaken to measure student engagement with the OSCA, its value and impact, and its sustainability from the students’ perspectives. There is little in the literature about student engagement with OSCEs and sustainability. Findings show that the OSCA with immediate feedback was perceived positively by students, was valued with regard to a number of factors, had a positively impact on student learning and confidence and was felt to be a form of assessment that this university should continue to use.     

Teaching pre-registration student nurses to assess acutely ill patients: an evaluation of an acute illness management programme

Mortality and physical crisis in hospital can be prevented by accurate assessment and early intervention. Evidence suggests that patients experiencing acute illness outside critical care areas who receive enhanced levels of intervention from appropriately trained nurses prevent the need for admission to high dependency and intensive care beds. Such interventions can lead to reduced mortality and morbidity. This qualitative study, supported by quantitative assessment, evaluated training for student nurses designed to assess patients using a structured programme in the management of acute illness. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 184 third year nursing students eliciting their experiences of the training programme. The responses demonstrated a positive evaluation of the programme. The study has implications for incorporating acute illness assessment into a theoretically oriented curriculum. Exposing student nurses to the programme enhances teaching and learning, as well as having potential for more effective interventions to take place in practice.     

Educational intervention of undergraduate nursing students' confidence skills with alcohol and drug misusers

There is a paucity literature on the educational interventions and evaluation programmes in alcohol and drug with undergraduate nursing students in the United Kingdom and this study intends to add a body of knowledge to this area. The aim of the study was to assess the intervention confidence skills of undergraduate nursing students before and after an educational intervention on alcohol and drug misuse. The research study is a quasi-experimental, pre- and post-test design. The sample was made of four cohorts of undergraduate nursing students (n=110) enrolled at a course leading to a diploma or BSc in nursing from three educational institutions. A visual analogue scale was used to measure intervention confidence skills before and after the educational programme in alcohol and drug. The findings showed an improvement in the level of intervention confidence skills of undergraduate nursing students. Further research is needed to examine effectiveness of educational interventions in working with substance misusers and whether substance misuse education is the key predictor of changing in changing intervention confidence skills.     

Providing learning support to nursing students: A study of two universities

In universities where significant numbers of nursing students come from non-traditional backgrounds, and where an equally significant proportion of students have English as a second language, provision of learning support is essential to ensure success and progression, and to prevent attrition. This paper presents an evaluative study of the support services provided to undergraduate nursing students in two universities in the United Kingdom (UK). Both universities have significant numbers of students from non-traditional backgrounds and who have English as a second language, and both institutions have in place a large array of student support mechanisms. The aims of the study were to identify all existing student support mechanisms across the two universities, to illuminate the profile of students who enter pre-registration programmes at the two universities (age, gender, educational background) and to measure the perceptions of students of the use and usefulness of the support mechanisms provided by their university. Survey method evaluative research was the chosen research approach.Findings showed that the support services that appear to have the greatest impact on student success in their nursing programme are the programme leaders/module teachers, small study skills groups (known as APPL and L2L) and, for the 50% of students who required it, academic literacy and numeracy support sessions. For students who have English as a second language and with non-traditional entry qualifications, numeracy and academic literacy support is particularly valued.     

Use of simulated patients for a communication skills exercise

This article describes a training programme for people simulating the role of a patient with aphasia. Using the skills they had learned, the simulated patients (SPs) eventually took part in a pilot communication skills exercise, in which 86 nursing students participated and which was evaluated using a semi-structured questionnaire. The students reported that the SPs' portrayal of a patient with aphasia was realistic and appreciated being given the opportunity to rehearse safely in a simulated healthcare setting. The evaluation indicates that using a structured programme to train SPs to portray patients who have a communication difficulty, such as aphasia, is beneficial.     

Australian and Indian nursing students’ skills and attitudes surrounding mental illness: Preparing for a transnational nursing education collaboration

Cultural competence is a viewed as a necessary set of skills within nursing, and there is a need for student support in this area. This is particularly important in mental health care, with two skills considered crucial for providing quality care: therapeutic relationship skills and positive attitudes. With the objective of initiating an educational collaboration between two educational institutions, this study examined Australian and Indian undergraduate nursing student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes associated with mental illness. Participants were five hundred and fifty-five (n = 555) undergraduate nursing students from two different universities in Indian and Australia. The modified version of the Scale To Assess Therapeutic Relationship (STAR-C) and the Social Distance Scale (SDS) were both used to examine student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes. Australian nursing students indicated lower levels of stigma with lower levels of self-reported therapeutic relationships skills, as compared with the Indian nursing student cohort. However, Indian nursing students indicated higher levels of stigma with higher self-reported therapeutic relationship skills. The results of this study may reflect cultural differences and meanings attached to mental illness.     

Pre‐registration education: making a difference to critical care?

This paper aims to discuss the development of a pre-registration high-dependency nursing programme and evaluate its effects on student's perceived learning and confidence in managing critically ill patients. The programme consists of two modules that compliment one another, 'Care of the Acutely III Adult' focuses on a variety of disease processes and subsequent nursing care. Whilst the second module titled 'Caring for the Highly Dependant/Critically III Adult' focuses on assessment skills related to critically ill patients. The paper explores the content and delivery of the modules including the advantages and disadvantages of implementing them. Student evaluation from 59 nursing students found that student's knowledge, assessment skills and management of the critically ill patient had improved since completing the modules. Nurse Consultants, intensive therapy unit matrons and Critical Care Outreach nurses have acknowledged an increase in the number of nursing students identifying and referring critically ill patients to outreach teams. They also stated improvements in nurse recruitment in critical care since commencement of the modules.     

Physiotherapy students’ self-reported assessment of professional behaviours and skills while working with young people with disability

Abstract

Purpose: To quantify self-reported changes in student professional behaviours and skills after a 10-week community-based experience. Method: Twenty-eight physiotherapy students (22 women, 6 men; mean age 21.9 years, SD 2.9) were each matched with a young person with Down syndrome, who was randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The intervention group completed a 10-week, twice a week progressive resistance training (PRT) programme. The control group completed a 10-week, once a week social programme. Before and after the experience, the students completed a self-reported assessment of their skills in prescribing and supervising PRT, professional behaviours, confidence and the likelihood they would work with people with intellectual disability in the future. Between-group differences were analysed using analysis of covariance with baseline measures as covariate. Results: There were between-group differences for 7 items rating skills implementing PRT, in favour of the intervention group, but not for any other outcome. Across both groups, students self-reported positive changes in their professional behaviours, confidence and the likelihood they would work with people with intellectual disability after the programme. Conclusions: A 10-week community-based experience produced changes in physiotherapy student professional behaviours. Students who completed the exercise programme self-reported an improvement in their professional skills relating to PRT.

• Implications for Rehabilitation

• Community-based experiences working with young people with disability offer physiotherapy students the opportunity to development their professional behaviours, skills and confidence.

• Students who completed a 10-week experience working with a young person with Down syndrome reported they were more likely to work with people with intellectual disability in the future.

• Improvements in the students’ skills in delivering progressive resistance training were only found for the students who completed an experience that included an exercise intervention.

     

实习护生入科前集中培训基础护理操作技能的效果研究

目的 探讨实习护生入科前集中培训基础护理操作技能的效果.方法 将2007年实习护生176名列为对照组,将2008年实习护生320名列为实验组.对照组护生在接受常规的入科前教育后即安排进入临床实习,实验组护生除常规入科前教育外,再进行为期1周的集中基础护理操作技能培训并考核,合格者进入临床实习,未合格者继续培训至考核合格,再进入临床实习.比较2组护生在第一阶段掌握操作技能时间、出科操作考核成绩和带教老师对护生实习质量的效果评价.结果 与对照组护生比较,实验组护生在第一阶段掌握操作技能的时间缩短,出科操作考核成绩明显上升,带教老师对实验组护生实习质量效果评价优良率较对照组明显提高.结论 通过集中培训考核,可缩短护生掌握基础护理操作技能时间,提高护生操作能力,促进临床护理带教质量的提高.     

Implementing competency recommendations into pre-registration nursing curricula: effects upon levels of confidence in clinical skills

The competency based pre-registration nursing curriculum was introduced to address concerns about levels of confidence and competence in skills of newly qualified Project 2000 educated nurses [Department of Health, 1999. Making a Difference: Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Contribution to Health and Healthcare. The Stationary Office, London]. This study sought to examine whether the implementation of the competency recommendations has led to improvements in the confidence of nursing students in their clinical skills. A self-administered questionnaire examining ratings of confidence in areas of nursing practice and core competencies as specified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) [UKCC, 2001. Requirements for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes. UKCC, London] was administered to 139 final year adult nursing students who were studying with the Project 2000 or competency curriculum. The response rate was 53%, results indicating that the students studying the competency curriculum have higher levels of confidence in all areas of their practice targeted by the competency recommendations than students studying in the Project 2000 curriculum. The positive effect that the competency recommendations had upon levels of confidence in nursing practice, and the implications of such changes to curricula are discussed.     

Evaluation of clinical teaching models for nursing practice

Clinical placements provide opportunities for student nurses to learn experientially. To create a constructive learning environment staff need to be friendly, approachable, available and willing to teach. There must be adequate opportunities for students to develop confidence and competence in clinical skills with a focus on student learning needs rather than service needs of facilities.A popular model for clinical teaching of nursing students is the preceptor model. This model involves a student working under the supervision of individual registered nurses who are part of the clinical staff. This model was failing to meet students’ needs in acute nursing practice areas, largely due to Registered Nurse staff shortages and demanding workloads. The students’ evaluations led to the trial of a ‘cluster’ or group model of eight students, with a clinical facilitator who is paid by the university, in each acute nursing ward.Evaluation of twenty nursing students’ perceptions of their acute nursing practice clinical placements was conducted using a mixed method approach to evaluate the two models of student supervision. Results indicate that the students prefer small groups with the clinical facilitator in one area. Thus evaluation and feedback from students and the perceptions of their clinical placement is essential.     

Effect of a clinical skills refresher course on the clinical performance,anxiety and self-efficacy of the final year undergraduate nursing students

Although the final year of nursing undergraduate programs that focus on clinical education are planned to prepare nursing students to better transition to the real world of health care service; evidence has shown that this program is not sufficient to reach this end goal. This controlled trial study was to investigate the effectiveness of a basic clinical skills refresher course for nursing students before entering the internship program. The sample consisted of 160 undergraduate nursing students assigned into two groups. The intervention was a three-day refresher course directed by nurse instructors for intervention group focused on 10 basic nursing procedures in the clinical skill lab. The control group did not receive any intervention. The students' anxiety, clinical self- efficacy and clinical skills practice were measured before and after intervention in both groups. The results indicated that the students who took part in the refresher course experienced lower anxiety levels, higher levels of clinical self-efficacy, and have better clinical skills during their internships. The undergraduate nursing curriculum can be strengthened by the basic clinical skills refresher course. This refresher course can bridge the theory - practice gap and provide a better transition from the student to nurse role.