Browsing by Subject "Nursing students"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    THE EFFECT OF CURRICULAR SEQUENCING OF HUMAN PATIENT SIMULATION LEARNING EXPERIENCES ON STUDENTS’ SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF CLINICAL REASONING ABILITIES
    (2011-11-18) Jensen, Rebecca Sue; Ebright, Patricia; Pesut, Daniel J.; Fisher, Mary L., Ph.D.; Welch, Janet L.
    It is unknown whether timing of human patient simulation (HPS) in a semester, demographic (age, gender, and ethnicity), and situational (type of program and previous baccalaureate degree and experience in healthcare) variables affects students’ perceptions of their clinical reasoning abilities. Nursing students were divided into two groups, mid and end of semester HPS experiences. Students’ perceptions of clinical reasoning abilities were measured at Baseline (beginning of semester) and Time 2 (end of semester), along with demographic and situational variables. Dependent variable was Difference scores where Baseline scores were subtracted from Time 2 scores to reveal changes in students’ perceptions of clinical reasoning. Students who were older and had previous healthcare experience had higher scores, as well as students in the AS program, indicating larger changes in students’ perceptions of clinical reasoning abilities from Baseline to Time 2. Timing of HPS, mid or end of semester, had no effect on Difference scores, and thus students’ perceptions of clinical reasoning abilities.
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    An evaluation of the relationship between reflective judgment and critical thinking in senior associate degree nursing students
    (2011-06-14) Maskey, Cynthia L.; Boland, Donna L.; Pesut, Daniel J.; Halstead, Judith A.; Flessner, Ryan B.
    For nursing students to be successful in current and future practice they must be proficient critical thinkers and be able to use reflective judgment skills to manage the daily dilemmas of healthcare practice. Critical thinking and reflective judgment are not elements of nursing curricula unless faculty explicitly design learning activities to develop these skills. This study examined the relationship between reflective judgment and critical thinking by comparing a measure of reflective judgment, the Reasoning about Current Issues (RCI) test, with a measure of critical thinking in nursing (the HESI Exit Exam) in a sample population of senior associate degree nursing (ADN) students (N = 108). The descriptive variables of individual ADN student’s age, grade point average (GPA) in nursing courses and the number of completed college/university credit hours were also examined. A modest correlation (r = .370, p < .01) was found between critical thinking and reflective judgment indicating a positive relationship between these two variables. However, the results supported the hypothesis that these are separate concepts; while the students achieved an acceptable level on the measure of critical thinking, they did not exhibit the skill level of an effective reflective thinker. Positive correlations were found between reflective judgment and individual student age and nursing program GPA (p < .01). Critical thinking was also positively correlated with age (r = .351) and GPA (r = .426). There were no statistically significant correlations noted between the number of credits or previously earned baccalaureate degrees with either reflective judgment or critical thinking. An appreciation of the unique commonalities and differences between reflective judgment and critical thinking is essential for the development of innovative strategies and pedagogies meant to advance teaching/learning within schools of nursing with an explicit focus on both concepts and an ultimate goal of improving competence in newly graduated nurses. The implication for nurse educators is in changes and innovations that can lead to more effective thinkers. Careful pedagogical planning and a mindful inclusion of learning activities to develop both reflective judgment and critical thinking skills may lead to increased competence as nursing students and as new graduate nurses.
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    Experiences of African American students in pre-licensure schools of nursing: a qualitative descriptive study
    (2015-12-17) White, Barbara Jean; Ironside, Pamela M.; Dreifuerst, Kristina Thomas; Crowder, Sharron J.; Mutegi, Jomo W.
    Despite more than 40 years of research and governmental support, African Americans continue to be underrepresented in the nursing profession compared to the population it serves. Though some progress has been made over the past 20 years, the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) continue to identify increasing diversity as a disciplinary priority. Further understanding of the experiences of African American nursing students is needed to inform decisions about recruitment, retention and successful matriculation of these students. This qualitative descriptive study focused on understanding the experiences, and the meaning those experiences had, for African American students who attended predominately European American schools of nursing. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with fourteen African American nurses who shared their experiences in pre-licensure nursing programs. Thematic analysis revealed two salient themes: "Standing out" and "It's not just about me." The findings from this study shed new light on this persistent issue and inform faculty members and nursing school administrators about the strategies and ways of framing the educational experience that may create environments that are welcoming to African American students to address the retention of African American students in pre-licensure nursing programs.
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    Identification and Comparison of Academic Self Regulatory Strategy Use of Traditional and Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Students
    (2009-12-08T19:25:18Z) Mullen, Patricia A.; Billings, Diane M.; Pesut, Daniel J.; Beckstrand, Janis; Wlodkowski, Raymond
    Objective: To explore and compare the use of metacognitive, cognitive, and environmental resource management self regulatory learning (SRL) strategies used by a national sample of students enrolled in traditional and accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs. Background: Learner focused reforms in nursing education require students to assume more responsibility for learning. Nursing student responsibility for learning is reflected in their use of metacognitive, cognitive, and environmental resource SRL strategies. Learning strategy use promotes the development of clinical reasoning and lifelong learning skills requisite to meet the needs of complex patients in a dynamic healthcare environment. Method: Using Bandura’s social cognitive theory as a framework, the learning subscales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were used to survey a national sample of 514 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in their final semester of a traditional baccalaureate nursing program or a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate program. Delineation of student use of metacognitive, cognitive (rehearsal, organization, and elaboration), and environmental resource management (help seeking, peer learning, effort regulation, and time and study environment) SRL strategies was examined by program and in light of age, grade point average (GPA), weekly hours spent studying independently, and weekly hours spent in employment. Results: Differences in SRL strategy use were found between the program groups and between program groups divided by sample age. Older students in both the accelerated and traditional programs used more metacognition and elaboration SRL strategies than their younger traditional counterparts. Older traditional students used significantly more effort regulation SRL strategies than both groups of younger students. Both older groups of students studied significantly more, used significantly more time and study environment SRL strategies, and had significantly higher GPAs than the younger groups of students from both programs. Conclusions: This study provides a framework for learner focused nursing education by explicitly defining differences in SRL strategy use of students enrolled in traditional and accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs.
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    Processes used by nursing faculty when working with underperforming students in the clinical area: a theoretical model derived from grounded theory
    (2015-04-09) Craven, Marianne; Burke-Draucker, Claire; Thomas-Dreifuerst, Kristina; Hendricks, Susan; Pesut, Daniel J.
    Clinical nursing faculty members often work with students who underperform in the clinical area. Underperforming students are those who exhibit deficits in nursing knowledge, the application of nursing knowledge, psychomotor skills, motivation, and/or interpersonal skills. The outcomes of faculty work with underperforming students have implications for patient safety and the nursing workforce, yet little is known about how faculty work with underperforming students. The purpose of this project was to develop a theoretical framework that describes how clinical faculty work with underperforming students in the clinical area. Twenty-eight nursing faculty who had worked with underperforming nursing students during clinical rotations were interviewed and invited to tell stories about working with these students. Their narratives were analyzed using constant comparison analysis, and a theoretical framework was developed. The framework included three stages that unfolded as faculty worked with underperforming students over time. The first stage, Being Present, was the process by which faculty came to know students were underperforming. They did this by noticing red flags, taking extra time with students, working side-by-side with students, and connecting with students "where they were at." The second stage, Setting a New Course, was the process by which faculty attempted to provide remedial experiences to improve the performance of those students determined to be underperforming. The participants did this by beginning a new course of instruction for the students, bringing in new people to help the students, and creating new learning experiences for them. This process could result in students turning it [their performance] around, making it through [the clinical rotation], or not making it. The final stage, Being Objective, was the process by which participants made negative progression decisions. They did this by relying on objective indices, documenting problematic student behaviors, and obtaining validation for their decisions.
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    The Relationship Between Undergraduate, Baccalaureate Nursing Student Engagement and Use of Active Learning Strategies in the Classroom
    (2010-03-03T17:17:34Z) Popkess, Ann M.; Halstead, Judith A.; McDaniel, Anna; Fisher, Mary L., Ph.D.; Stokes, Lillian
    Nursing schools are facing demands to admit and graduate increasing numbers of students to meet the needs of the future healthcare system. Nursing schools must therefore admit, retain and graduate qualified applicants, able to provide care in complex healthcare environments. Educators are challenged to identify the best educational practices to retain and engage learners in the learning process. Research has indicated that student engagement contributes to student success in college. Learning environments may influence student engagement through the use of active learning strategies in the classroom. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the extent of engagement reported by nursing students in classrooms and determine relationships among student engagement, demographic and academic variables and learning environments. Astin’s (1985) Input-Environments-Output model provided the framework for this study, linking student characteristics, and student engagement in learning with outcomes of learning. A sample of 347 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students from 5 mid-western schools of nursing completed the Adapted Engaged Learning Index (AELI) and the Active Learning Environments Scale (ALES), measuring their level of engagement and perceived degree of active learning in the classroom, respectively. Subjects also provided demographic data including age, academic level, type and number of hours worked off campus, and prior learning experience. T-test and ANOVA analyses were conducted to compare group differences on demographic, learning environments (active, passive and mixed) and levels of engagement. Results indicated a significant (p≤.001) difference in the level of student engagement related to the perceived active learning occurring in the classroom. Students in active and mixed learning environments reported higher engagement levels than those in passive learning environments. Students over 25 years (p=.003), students with higher GPA’s (p≤ .05) and junior students (p≤ .001) reported significantly higher engagement scores than their counterparts. Findings from this study indicate that student engagement in the learning process may be positively influenced by an active learning environment in the classroom.
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    Undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions on nursing education during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: A national sample
    (Elsevier, 2021) Michel, Alexandra; Ryan, Nicole; Mattheus, Deborah; Knopf, Amelia; Abuelezam, Nadia N.; Stamp, Kelly; Branson, Sandra; Hekel, Barbara; Fontenot, Holly B.; School of Nursing
    Background: In 2020, nursing educational programs were abruptly interrupted and largely moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: To explore nursing students' perspectives about the effects of the pandemic on their education and intention to join the nursing workforce. Methods: Undergraduate nursing students from 5 universities across 5 United States regions were invited to participate in an online survey to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings: The final sample included quantitative data on 772 students and qualitative data on 540 students. Largely (65.1%), students reported that the pandemic strengthened their desire to become a nurse; only 11% had considered withdrawing from school. Qualitatively, students described the effect of the pandemic on their psychosocial wellbeing, adjustment to online learning, and challenges to clinical experiences. Conclusion: Findings highlighted the need to develop emergency education preparedness plans that address student wellbeing and novel collaborative partnerships between schools and clinical partners.
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    Variables Associated With Intent To Use Learning Style Preference Information By Undergraduate Nursing Students
    (2011-03-10) Burruss, Nancy M. H.; Billings, Diane McGovern; Halstead, Judith A.; Bakas, Tamilyn; McNelis, Angela M.
    Increasing the success of diverse undergraduate students is central to the mission of many nursing programs. Numerous programs administer learning style inventories in order to obtain baseline information about students’ learning needs. However, little is understood about students’ intent to use the learning style preference information. The purpose of this study was to examine variables associated with intent to use learning style preference information by undergraduate nursing students. Variables included demographic, academic, and learning style preference variables as well as students’ ability to explain learning style preference information, obtained from a commercial learning style inventory. A purposive convenience sample (N = 219) was obtained from six baccalaureate nursing programs in different geographical areas to achieve adequate learner diversity for the variables to be studied. A researcher-developed survey entitled Intent to Use Learning Style Preference Information was used to collect study data. Students responded to questions regarding demographic, academic, and learning style preference information. Pearson correlation, independent samples t test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression methods were used for statistical analyses. The significant variables of type of BSN program, years of education, person who shared results, perception of usefulness of learning style assessment, and ability to explain learning style preference information, when entered into the regression model, accounted for 32.5% of the variance in the intent to use learning style preference information, F(5, 198) = 19.07, p < .001. Intent to use learning style preference information was greater for BSN students in four-year programs as opposed to accelerated programs, those with fewer overall years of education, whose results were shared by an academic advisor rather than faculty, who perceived their learning style assessment as useful, and who had high ability to explain their learning style preference information. Evaluation of fiscal resources required for administration of learning style inventories and perceived usefulness of the information by students is critical. Implications from this study include ensuring students’ ability to understand and explain their learning style preference information, as well as providing strategies that students can utilize throughout their curriculum. Further research is recommended to determine the impact of implementation strategies.