Integrating experienced and novice nurses into graduate home health education.

Preparing master's-level professionals in home health nursing presents challenges because nurses come to graduate programs with varying degrees of home health experience. The purpose of this study was to examine how nurses with varying experience in home health nursing are integrated into graduate clinical practicum courses. Representations of 10 home health graduate programs were surveyed regarding how they adapt their clinical practicums to meet the special needs of their novice and experienced nurses. Respondents revealed that individualization was used to meet the individual needs of students. Individualization allows for creativity in developing learning experiences that are both challenging and satisfying for the student. However, lack of consistency in the advanced practice skills of graduates, and lack of time efficiency for faculty and agency personnel can also occur. Faculty members need to share creative ways of teaching students, to identify unique opportunities for clinical experiences, and to collaborate on research.     

Internet access: the impact on nurses and PAMs

An outline of a research project into the use of the internet on hospital wards and its impact on nurses and professionals allied to medicine.     

The status of training and education in information and computer technology of Australian nurses: a national survey

Aims and objectives. A study was undertaken of the current knowledge and future training requirements of nurses in information and computer technology to inform policy to meet national goals for health. Background. The role of the modern clinical nurse is intertwined with information and computer technology and adoption of such technology forms an important component of national strategies in health. The majority of nurses are expected to use information and computer technology during their work; however, the full extent of their knowledge and experience is unclear. Design. Self‐administered postal survey. Methods. A 78‐item questionnaire was distributed to 10,000 Australian Nursing Federation members to identify the nurses’ use of information and computer technology. Eighteen items related to nurses’ training and education in information and computer technology. Results. Response rate was 44%. Computers were used by 86·3% of respondents as part of their work‐related activities. Between 4–17% of nurses had received training in each of 11 generic computer skills and software applications during their preregistration/pre‐enrolment and between 12–30% as continuing professional education. Nurses who had received training believed that it was adequate to meet the needs of their job and was given at an appropriate time. Almost half of the respondents indicated that they required more training to better meet the information and computer technology requirements of their jobs and a quarter believed that their level of computer literacy was restricting their career development. Nurses considered that the vast majority of employers did not encourage information and computer technology training and, for those for whom training was available, workload was the major barrier to uptake. Nurses favoured introduction of a national competency standard in information and computer technology. Conclusions. For the considerable benefits of information and computer technology to be incorporated fully into the health system, employers must pay more attention to the training and education of nurses who are the largest users of that technology. Relevance to clinical practice. Knowledge of the training and education needs of clinical nurses with respect to information and computer technology will provide a platform for the development of appropriate policies by government and by employers.     

Implementing computer-based testing in distance education for advanced practice nurses: lessons learned

A distance education program utilized by graduate nursing students worldwide faces unique problems with testing. This article presents the results of a pilot study on the implementation of computer-based testing at the Frontier Nursing University. A detailed analysis of the evaluative survey completed by students in the pilot study revealed issues of hi-directional respect and trust between faculty and students and technological anxiety among students using computer-based testing.     

Attitudes toward Web-based distance learning among public health nurses in Taiwan: a questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND: Public health nurses (PHNs) often cannot receive in-service education due to limitations of time and space. Learning through the Internet has been a widely used technique in many professional and clinical nursing fields. The learner's attitude is the most important indicator that promotes learning. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate PHNs' attitude toward web-based learning and its determinants. DESIGN: This study conducted a cross-sectional research design. SETTINGS: 369 health centers in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: The population involved this study was 2398 PHNs, and we used random sampling from this population. Finally, 329 PHNs completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 84.0%. METHODS: Data were collected by mailing the questionnaire. RESULTS: Most PHNs revealed a positive attitude toward web-based learning (mean+/-SD=55.02+/-6.39). PHNs who worked at village health centers, a service population less than 10,000, PHNs who had access to computer facility and on-line hardware in health centers and with better computer competence revealed more positive attitudes (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Web-based learning is an important new way of in-service education; however, its success and hindering factors require further investigation. Individual computer competence is the main target for improvement, and educators should also consider how to establish a user-friendly learning environment on the Internet.     

Educational technology integration and distance learning in respiratory care: practices and attitudes

INTRODUCTION: Educational technologies have had an important role in respiratory care. Distance learning via postal correspondence has been used extensively in respiratory care, and Internet-based distance learning is now used in the training of respiratory therapists (RTs), clinical continuing education, and in baccalaureate degree and higher programs for RTs and educators. OBJECTIVES: To describe the current scope of respiratory care educational technology integration, including distance learning. To investigate online research potential in respiratory care. METHODS: A probabilistic online survey of United States respiratory care program directors was conducted on educational technology practices and attitudes, including distance learning. A parallel exploratory study of United States respiratory care managers was conducted. RESULTS: One-hundred seventy-seven (53%) program directors participated. One-hundred twenty-eight respiratory care managers participated. For instructional purposes, the respiratory care programs heavily use office-productivity software, the Internet, e-mail, and commercial respiratory care content-based computer-based instruction. The programs use, or would use, online resources provided by text publishers, but there is a paucity. Many program directors reported that their faculty use personal digital assistants (PDAs), often in instructional roles. 74.6% of the programs offer no fully online courses, but 61.0% reported at least one course delivered partially online. The managers considered continuing education via online technologies appropriate, but one third reported that they have not/will not hire RTs trained via distance learning. Neither group considered fully online courses a good match for RT training, nor did they consider training via distance learning of comparable quality to on-campus programs. Both groups rated baccalaureate and higher degrees via distance learning higher if the program included face-to-face instruction. Online distance-learning participatory experience generally improved attitudes toward distance learning. There was a good match between manager RT expectations in office-productivity software and program instructional practices. CONCLUSIONS: Educational technologies have an important role in respiratory care. Online distance learning for baccalaureate and higher degrees in respiratory care is promising. Online distance learning in respiratory care must include face-to-face instruction. Distance-learning deployment in respiratory care will require resources. A follow-up probabilistic survey of United States respiratory care managers is needed. Online surveys conducted for respiratory care are promising, but neither less expensive nor easier than conventional means.     

对现代护士信息技术教育的几点思考

在职护理人员的继续教育对他们的业务理论技术水平的提高是一种行之有效的方法和途径,尤其是在信息技术水平突飞猛进的当今,他们的信息技术教育日益显得迫切和需要。就在职护理人员的继续教育以及如何提高他们的信息技术水平问题进行论述。     

对现代护士信息技术教育的几点思考

在职护理人员的继续教育对他们的业务理论技术水平的提高是一种行之有效的方法和途径,尤其是在信息技术水平突飞猛进的当今,他们的信息技术教育日益显得迫切和需要.就在职护理人员的继续教育以及如何提高他们的信息技术水平问题进行论述.     

灵性教育与死亡态度——从三级医院护士死亡态度现状引发的思考

【目的】了解三级医院临床护士死亡态度现状并分析其影响因素,探讨改善临床护士死亡心态的有效措施。【方法】采用方便抽样法,于2019年3-5月选择江苏省无锡市人民医院的803名护士作为研究对象,采用一般资料调查问卷和死亡态度描绘量表进行调查。【结果】 803名临床护士死亡态度各个维度的得分均接近中等水平,其中“逃离接受”维度得分最低（3.00±0.81）,“中性接受”维度得分最高（3.92±0.52）;多元线性回归分析显示,婚姻状况、关于死亡的过往教育情况、工作科室是护士“死亡恐惧”的影响因素,宗教信仰、工作科室是“趋近接受”的影响因素,婚姻状况是“死亡逃避”的影响因素、工作年限是“逃离接受”的影响因素。【结论】三级医院临床护士死亡态度现状不容乐观,合理的教育内容和手段（如灵性教育）将有望促进临床护士死亡态度的正向发展。     

Effectiveness of a computer based medication calculation education and testing programme for nurses

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an on-line, medication calculation education and testing programme. The outcome measures were medication calculation proficiency and self efficacy. This quasi-experimental study involved the administration of questionnaires before and after nurses completed annual medication calculation testing. The study was conducted in two hospitals in south-east Queensland, Australia, which provide a variety of clinical services including obstetrics, paediatrics, ambulatory, mental health, acute and critical care and community services. Participants were registered nurses (RNs) and enrolled nurses with a medication endorsement (EN(Med)) working as clinicians (n=107). Data pertaining to success rate, number of test attempts, self-efficacy, medication calculation error rates and nurses' satisfaction with the programme were collected. Medication calculation scores at first test attempt showed improvement following one year of access to the programme. Two of the self-efficacy subscales improved over time and nurses reported satisfaction with the online programme. Results of this study may facilitate the continuation and expansion of medication calculation and administration education to improve nursing knowledge, inform practise and directly improve patient safety.     

Webcasting: a new instructional technology in distance graduate nursing education

Webcasting is a new instructional technology used to deliver audio and video presentations via the Internet, enabling learners to participate in a live class via a personal computer. In this article, we describe the workflow involved in producing a Webcast class and provide a detailed account of the process of adopting Webcasting as a medium to provide distance education at a state university in a rural setting. This article addresses the team members required to seamlessly integrate Webcasting into the curriculum: information technology specialists, faculty, students, and administrators. We also identify problems encountered with implementation of Webcasting and methods used to resolve them.