Medical Education Commons^™

A Global Perspective Of Advanced Practice Nursing Research: A Review Of Systematic Reviews Protocol, Kelley Kilpatrick, Isabelle Savard, Li-Anne Audet, Abby Kra-Friedman, Reneé Atallah, Mira Jabbour, Wentao Zhou, Kathy Wheeler, Elissa Ladd, Deborah C. Gray, Colette Henderson, Lori A. Spies, Heather Mcgrath, Melanie Rogers

Nursing Faculty Publications

Introduction

In 2020, the World Health Organization called for the expansion and greater recognition of all nursing roles, including advanced practice nurses (APNs), to better meet patient care needs. As defined by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the two most common APN roles include nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). They help ensure care to communities as well as patients and families with acute, chronic or complex conditions. Moreover, APNs support providers to deliver high quality care and improve access to services. Currently, there is much variability in the use of advanced practice nursing roles globally. A …

An Online Module To Promote Self-Care And Resiliency In Nursing Students, Karen Higgins, Janice Hawkins, Beth Tremblay, Lynn Wiles

Nursing Faculty Publications

Because the demands of nursing education can impact the physical and mental health of nursing students, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s revised Essentials require inclusion of self-care and resilience education in nursing curricula. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a self-care module in a new online undergraduate course. Using the REST mnemonic (relationships, exercise, soul, and transformative thinking), students developed personalized self-care plans for the semester. End-of-course evaluations revealed an increase in self-care activities. The most used activities were exercise, humor, intentional rest, and healthy eating.

Contributing Factors To Withdrawal Decisions Of Military And Nonmilitary Nursing Students, Beth Tremblay, Janice E. Hawkins, Robert E. Hawkins, Karen Higgins, Lynn Wiles, Jamela Martin

Nursing Faculty Publications

Retaining nursing students in courses is key to increasing the number of new nurses. This study examined factors associated with nursing course or program withdrawal among students with and without prior military experience. The purpose of this study was to uncover differences between groups of students who withdrew compared to those who did not. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire surveyed current or recent nursing students (n = 420) using the Educational Requirement Subscale and the Student Withdrawal Questionnaire from Jeffreys’ toolkit. Uncovering differences between groups of students who did and did not withdraw from nursing courses or programs …

Creating A Primary Care Track In Prelicensure Nursing Education, Janice E. Hawkins, Lynn L. Wiles, Jamela Martin, Beth Tremblay, Karen Higgins, Ingrid Mahoney

Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: RNs practicing in primary care (PC) increase access to health care and contribute to better patient outcomes and cost savings, yet undergraduate nursing education traditionally focuses on disease-oriented care. This article describes a curricular track for infusing PC prelicensure programs.

METHOD: PC content is threaded across four semesters with targeted assignments and clinical experiences. Providing clinical immersion experiences with practicing RNs as preceptors in community and PC settings is a key component of this initiative.

RESULTS: Student feedback has been favorable. Students stated they gained insight to the role of RNs in PC through class assignments and clinical rotations. …

Use Of The Rasch Model For Fit Statistics And Rating Scale Diagnosis For The Student Perception Appraisal- Revised, Robert J. Hawkins, Janice Hawkins, Beth Tremblay, Lynn Wiles, Karen Higgins

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Nursing student retention is essential to meet workforce demands. Jeffrey's Nursing Student Retention Student Perception Appraisal-Revised (SPA-R1) has been used extensively to understand factors that impact retention. Psychometric testing of the SPA-R1 contributes to greater confidence in the instrument's reliability and validity.

Methods: Item response theory and specifically, the single parameter polytomous Rasch model was used as a framework for fit statistic testing and rating scale diagnostics of the SPA-R1. This was a secondary analysis of a convenience sample of undergraduate prelicensure nursing students. The setting for the previous study was virtual, and the study period was …

Advanced Practice Nursing Initiatives In Africa, Moving Towards The Nurse Practitioner Role: Experiences From The Field, Deborah C. Gray, Melanie Rogers, Minna K. Miller

Nursing Faculty Publications

AIM: This paper discusses the development and progression of the advanced practice nurse practitioner role in Africa.

BACKGROUND: Providing adequate primary health care is problematic in Africa. The World Health Organization and International Council of Nurses proposed that nurses, specifically advanced practice nurse practitioners with the requisite skills in disease prevention, diagnosis and management, can be key to solving the primary care issue.

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: This paper utilized publications from PUBMED, CINAHL, policy papers, websites, workgroups, conferences, and the experiences and knowledge of authors involved in leading and moving forward key events and projects.

DISCUSSION: Four African countries have …

Pandemic Driven Mobility In Higher Education: The Good, The Bad And The Useful, Orly Calderon, Susan Penque, David Luhr, Caryn Nahum, Lauren Scardigno

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this mixed method research study is to describe the experiences of faculty and students in post-secondary education institutions as they shifted to remote education at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand these experiences in the context of previous research about pre-pandemic remote or mobile education. One hundred and two participants in the study include full-time and adjunct faculty, undergraduate and graduate students. A convergent mixed method survey queried about participants’ demographics, mobility experiences in terms of frequency of access to technology and a suitable learning/teaching environment and usefulness of various web and video conferencing …

Advanced Practice Nursing Roles, Regulation, Education, And Practice: A Global Study, Kathy J. Wheeler, Minna Miller, Joyce Pulcini, Deborah Gray, Elissa Ladd, Mary Kay Rayens

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Several subgroups of the International Council of Nurses Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network (ICN NP/APNN) have periodically analyzed APN (nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist) development around the world. The primary objective of this study was to describe the global status of APN practice regarding scope of practice, education, regulation, and practice climate. An additional objective was to look for gaps in these same areas of role development in order to recommend future initiatives.

Methods: An online survey was developed by the research team, and included questions on APN practice roles, education, regulation/credentialing, and practice climate. The …

A Comparison Of Factors That Impact Retention Of Nursing Students With And Without Military Experience: A Mixed Method Study, Janice E. Hawkins, Karen Higgins, Jamela Martin, Lynn Wiles, Ingrid Mahoney, Robert Hawkins, Beth Tremblay

Nursing Faculty Publications

Military veteran students have unique characteristics and challenges that influence their academic success. The factors impacting retention of nursing students with prior military experience may differ from students with no military experience. This mixed methods study used an anonymous survey guided by Jeffreys' Nursing Undergraduate Retention and Success Model to identify factors that support or restrict prelicensure nursing program retention of military veteran students compared to students with no history of military service. Statistically significant differences between groups were detected for three factors including financial status, membership in nursing organizations or clubs, and financial aid and/or scholarship. There was a …

How The Practice/Academic Partnership Model Helped One State During Covid-19, Mary E. Dietmann, Audrey M. Beauvais, Beth P. Beckman, Marianne Snyder, Cheryl-Ann Resha, Lisa Rebeschi, Pamela Forte

Nursing Faculty Publications

During the spring and summer of 2020, boards of nursing (BONs) throughout the U.S. were faced with requests from educational programs for ways to replace clinical hours due to the inability to access clinical sites caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While many clinical sites have since reopened to nursing students, some barriers still remain, resulting in a backlog of clinical hours for many nursing students throughout the state of Connecticut. Reflecting on lessons learned over the past year, collaboration between the BON and nursing leaders throughout the state has proved essential to providing the practice hours and clinical learning experiences …

Implementation And Sustainment Strategies For Open Visitation In The Intensive Care Unit: A Multicentre Qualitative Study, Kerry A. Milner, Suzanne Marmo, Susan A. Goncalves

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective

Open visitation in adult intensive care units has been associated with improved family and patient outcomes. However, worldwide adoption of this practice has been slow and reasons for this are unclear. This study documents barriers and strategies for implementing and sustaining open visitation in adult intensive care units in the United States experienced by nursing leadership.

Research design

Qualitative approach using grounded theory.

Participants

Nurse leaders in adult intensive care units with open visitation.

Setting

Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence® designated hospitals in the United States.

Methods

Semi structured interviews were conducted with 19 nurse leaders from 15 geographically …

Raise Your Voice To Promote Childhood Vaccines: Vaccines Save Lives, Janice Hawkins

Nursing Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] The current pandemic has increased our awareness of the importance of vaccines. As COVID-19 spread across the globe, the world raced to fight the disease. Vaccines rolled out in record time, and mass vaccination clinics are underway.

The Role Mentoring Plays In The Transition Of Practice Of Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainers, Stacy E. Walker, Stephanie Mazerolle Singe, Julie M. Cavallario

Nursing Faculty Publications

Context: Mentoring has been identified as an important method to support newly credentialed athletic trainers during their transition to practice. Gaining a better understanding of this relationship could provide valuable insights that may assist employers and professional programs to develop a plan, which could better facilitate the transition.

Objective: To examine what aspects of the mentoring relationship provided the most benefit during transition to practice.

Design: Grounded theory.

Setting: Individual phone interviews.

Patients or Other Participants: 13 athletic trainers who graduated from a professional master's program, were certified between February and July of 2016, and obtained employment between July to …

Stop The Bleed: Preparing Bystanders To Manage Life-Threatening Hemorrhage, Janice Hawkins, Heather Killion, Brandon Sparrer, Lynn Wiles

Nursing Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Do you know what to do if you encounter someone with life-threatening bleeding? Accidents can happen at any time, on the road, or in the workplace; It is important to know how to act quickly with the appropriate supplies needed to save a life.

Impact Of Evidence-Based Educational Guidelines To Increase Nurse Educator’S Physical Activity At Work And Home, Carol M. Patton

Nursing Faculty Publications

Evidence-based practice peer-reviewed poster presented at Sigma's 30th International Nursing Research Congress, 25-29 July 2019, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Physical Activity And Dietary Program In Federal Incarcerated Females, Rosemary A. Johnson, Kerry A. Milner, Christine Heng, Anna E. Greer, Susan M. Denisco

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this 3-month quasi-experimental pilot study was to examine the effect of a physical activity and dietary education program on body mass index (BMI) and resilience. Participants were given data-storing pedometers to record their physical activity, attended classes on healthy eating, and used portion control tools from http://ChooseMyPlate.gov . MyPlate usage and commissary purchases were collected weekly. BMI and resilience scores were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Twenty-nine female prisoners completed the study. There was a statistically significant reduction in BMI after 12 weeks (χ2 = 7.56, p = .023) and resilience levels increased but …

Health Professions Faculty Beliefs, Confidence, Use, And Perceptions Of Organizational Culture And Readiness For Ebp: A Cross-Sectional, Descriptive Survey, Kerry A. Milner, Holly B. Bradley, Tammy M. Lampley

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an essential skill and ethical obligation for all practicing health professions clinicians because of its strong association with improved health outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that faculty who prepare these clinicians lack proficiency to teach EBP.

Informatics: Rn To Bsn Students’ Perceived Competence, Cathy Abell, Tonya Bragg-Underwood, Lori Alexander

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Nurses utilize informatics to aide in providing safe, quality care to patients across the lifespan in a variety of settings; therefore, it is important that nurses have knowledge of nursing informatics. Nurses entering RN to BSN completion programs bring a range of clinical experience which often includes application of informatics. This poses a challenge for nursing faculty in designing programs to meet the needs of this specific population regarding informatics.Method: In this descriptive correlational research study, data were collected from a convenience sample of RN to BSN students using a demographic questionnaire and the Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool …

The Practical Utility And Suitability Of Email Interviews In Qualitative Research, Janice E. Hawkins

Nursing Faculty Publications

Interviews with key informants are the most common means of data collection in qualitative descriptive research. Researchers have historically preferred face-to-face interviews but advances in technology have resulted in more options, including email exchanges, to conduct interviews. This article examines the practical utility and suitability of the email interview in qualitative research. The author will share personal experiences from a recent qualitative study involving email interviews of nurse educators. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of nurse educators in developing and implementing concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs. Interviews of nurse educators describing their experiences of developing and …

Using Simulated Family Presence To Decrease Agitation In Older Hospitalized Delirious Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Christine M. Waszynski, Kerry A. Milner, Ilene Staff, Sheila L. Molony

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Simulated family presence has been shown to be an effective nonpharmacological intervention to reduce agitation in persons with dementia in nursing homes. Hyperactive or mixed delirium is a common and serious complication experienced by hospitalized patients, a key feature of which is agitation. Effective nonpharmacological interventions to manage delirium are needed.

Objectives: To examine the effect of simulated family presence through pre-recorded video messages on the agitation level of hospitalized, delirious, acutely agitated patients.

Design: Single site randomized control trial, 3 groups x 4 time points mixed factorial design conducted from July 2015 to March 2016.

Setting: Acute care …

Shared Decision Making And Decision Aids: An Important Part Of Evidence-Based Practice, Kerry A. Milner, Marie O'Connor

Nursing Faculty Publications

Requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for incorporating patient and family values and goals into clinical decision making is an essential part of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process that needs more attention in nursing education. Use of shared decision making (SDM) and decision aids (DAs) by clinicians in practice is limited (Couët et al., 2015). Little or no SDM content in graduate nursing programs may, in part, explain the gap. Therefore, the authors of the current article created a learning activity on SDM and DAs to address this gap.

Delirium Prevention, Identification And Management In The Oncology Setting: A Unique Partnership With Patients And Their Family Caregivers, Mary Kate Eannielo, Christine M. Waszynski, Kerry A. Milner

Nursing Faculty Publications

Significance & Background: Delirium affects a significant number of hospitalized adults each year resulting in negative patient outcomes and family caregiver distress. Clinical identification of delirium by nurses and use of family caregivers as part of a multicomponent delirium prevention strategy are not consistently implemented in the practice setting despite being best practice.Purpose: An interdisciplinary team in this 800 bed level one trauma center has been created to create and implement this best practice delirium protocol. The purpose of this initiative was to incorporate the family caregiver into this existing multicomponent delirium prevention, detection and management protocol. Interventions: Consistent implementation …

Professional Nursing Value Development In Nursing Students Who Participate In International Service Learning, Heather Ferrillo

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: International Service Learning (ISL) is becoming widely used in nursing education as a means to provide global learning opportunities. Concrete outcomes for these experiences have not been clearly supported in previous research. Determining if ISL experience facilitate the development of Professional Nursing Values (PNV) can support the use of ISL as a viable pedagogy. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine if there were a difference in PNV development in students who participate in ISL as part of their clinical experiences compared to those who do not. The hypothesis was that there was a difference in the …

Empowerment Of Home Health Care Case Managers, Linda B. Melodia, Barbara Penprase, Linda L. Strong

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Job satisfaction and feelings of empowerment positively impact home health care nurses by improving patient safety and patient outcomes. The project objective determined whether an empowerment educational module improved the feelings of empowerment and job satisfaction of registered nurses at a home health care agency. Methods: A quantitative, pre-test/post-test research study was conducted to measure the success of an empowerment educational module. Laschinger’s (2008) Nursing Worklife questionnaire was administered to 92 participating nurses, 46 were assigned to an experimental group and 46 were assigned to a control group. Participants in the experimental group were queried about their perceptions towards …

Telehealth And Ehealth In Nurse Practitioner Training: Current Perspectives, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Karen Kott, Rebecca Poston, Christianne Fowler, Tina S. Haney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Telehealth is becoming a vital process for providing access to cost-effective quality care to patients at a distance. As such, it is important for nurse practitioners, often the primary providers for rural and disadvantaged populations, to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to utilize telehealth technologies in practice. In reviewing the literature, very little information was found on programs that addressed nurse practitioner training in telehealth. This article provides an overview of both the topics and the techniques that have been utilized for training nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students in the delivery of care utilizing telehealth. Specifically, this …

A "Clarion" Call For Embracing Ipe As The Status Quo For Preparing Health Professionals To Engage In Interprofessional Health Research, Kimberly Adams Tufts

Nursing Faculty Publications

Complex health conditions and the social-economic determinants that contribute to disease and injury incidence, prevalence, and health inequalities require multifaceted evidence-based interventions that only interprofessional research teams who collaborate across traditional disciplinary lines can generate. Interprofessionally driven and derived research evidence is the method of du jour. Nonetheless as a whole, health professionals who are often members of interprofessional health research teams are products of educational systems wherein they were educated in disciplinary silos. Health professionals that learn about, with, from, each other during their foundational education will be better prepared to function as interprofessional research team members. With the …

Nursing Faculty Reports Of Their Intention To Design Instruction To Support Student Learning In Community College Classrooms, Ann-Marie Evans

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to describe community college nursing faculty members' reports of their intention to design instruction to support learning for a broad range of students in their classrooms. Specifically, Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was the conceptual framework used to analyze nursing faculty members' reports of their attitudes, normative beliefs, and control beliefs related to the three Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2011) principles. Ajzen theorized that individuals base their behaviors on intention and intentions are based on the individuals' attitudes toward the behavior, their perceptions of how others wanted them to …

Are You Demonstrating The Value Of Caring?, Beth B. Boyd

Nursing Faculty Publications

Are you making a difference? Christian values and caring are at the heart of nursing practice. However, it seems there is little talk about caring values with nursing students, even though nurse educators can share these important messages with their students. Demonstrating compassion and caring in an environment of mutual respect can truly make a difference to future nurses.

Patient Centered Medical Home: Creating A Blueprint For Quality Healthcare Through Illustrative Simulation, Brenda Helen Sheingold, Deborah W. Chapa, Esther Emard

Nursing Faculty Publications

The advent of healthcare reform in the U.S. presents an unprecedented challenge to academic institutions that are striving to prepare a workforce to interact with individuals needing care in a variety of new practice settings. Patient-centered care is a core objective of these evolving settings which enhance access to a variety professionals and services in one location. This study was conducted over a period of three years and describes how illustrative simulation can be employed as a learning intervention to prepare graduate students for the expanded scope of practice necessary to function in the Patient Centered Medical Home healthcare delivery …

Do You Understand What I Mean? How Cognitive Interviewing Can Strengthen Valid, Reliable Study Instruments And Dissemination Products, Anne Hofmeyer, Brenda H. Sheingold, Ruth Taylor

Nursing Faculty Publications

It is now well accepted that working in research teams that span universities, jurisdictions and countries can be rewarding and economically prudent. To this end, investigators collaborate in the pursuit of knowledge to address human and societal problems and translate results into local and global contexts. This implies that investigators need to develop study instruments that are fit for purpose and strategically manage issues arising from geographical, linguistic and cultural diversity. A proven method is cognitive interviewing to pre-test the study materials to ensure clarity and relevance in the study population. This paper describes the steps taken to increase the …