ABSTRACT
Background: Simulation education is needed to train a highly competent nursing workforce. In-person simulation requires many resources, such as faculty, space, and time, that can negatively affect its feasibility. These barriers have prompted educators to seek new technologies to provide experiential learning opportunities, such as virtual simulation (VS). The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for educators to investigate alternative learning opportunities.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with pre-licensure and advanced practice nursing students. They participated in a VS learning experience that was evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS)(R), the Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey (CLECS 2.0), and the Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified (SET-M).Result: 197 pre-licensure and 11 advanced nursing practice students completed post-simulation eval-uations. The results from the SUS scale found the overall virtual system effective. Evaluating the CLECS tool found students' perceived experience was relatively similar for face-to-face simulation and screen-based simulation. The SET-M indicated students rated the VS simulation experience positively. Conclusion: VS for nursing education can be an effective experiential learning tool.
ABSTRACT
Readiness of nurses to respond to disasters has become paramount with the advent and sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report calls for nurses to be knowledgeable in preparing and responding to disaster management. In New Mexico, five associate degree nursing programs and three university nursing programs collaborated to develop a novel project in teaching disaster preparedness using COVID-19 as the disaster. Tabletop methodology via Zoom was used to simulate incident command centers in Zoom breakout rooms. Students were assigned roles to carry out during the four-hour event using resources from FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. Student and faculty post-surveys were completed with themes identified. Students appreciated collaborating with students from different schools, but also identified challenges with the event posed by remote learning. Students reported their "biggest takeaways" and identified action steps for improving future events; particularly, requesting more information to better understand their roles.
ABSTRACT
Background: As part of program evaluation, the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium, a consortium of eleven state-funded nursing schools, asks that students complete end-of-term surveys. In Spring 2020, a question was added to the survey to elicit challenges experienced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic: "What was the biggest challenge that you had in completing the semester/term?" This question again was asked of students in Spring 2021. Objectives: To determine challenges faced by nursing students in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Design: Qualitative. Settings: Eleven state-funded nursing schools belonging to the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium. Participants: Students enrolled in member nursing programs. Methods: Braun and Clarke's 2006 thematic analysis. Results: Eight themes were identified for each of the two years. Conclusions: Nursing faculty must anticipate and respond to student feedback while maintaining proficiency in face-to-face and online teaching-learning strategies. Waiting until emergencies arise that require different types of pedagogy is not sufficient to ensure instructor proficiency with online pedagogies.
ABSTRACT
Background: The public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in mental and psychological ramifications on the healthcare professionals. The pre-licensure nursing students found themselves not only fighting against the baneful virus but also weak ego resilience. At this point, enriching the pre-licensure nursing students with psychological first aid (PFA) could help them to recover from the feeling of psychological distress and improve their resilience capacity to encounter any upcoming outbreaks. Methods: A quasi-experimental two groups, a pre-post-test study was used in which sixty-four pre-licensure nursing students completed a baseline survey which revealed high levels of psychological distress and low resilience capacity due to the COVID-19 crisis. The study group engaged in the Psychological First- aid Intervention (PFA) at the end of the clinical practicum course period, while the comparison group received routine psychological support. Results: A significant reduction in the psychological distress levels among students in the PFA group (FET=7.83, P = 0. 001). Likewise, significant improvements in the students' resilience capacity level immediately after the intervention (FET=3.34, P = 0.019) and during the two-month follow-up (FET=12.94, P = 0. 001). The implementation of PFA enhanced the pre-licensure nursing students' psychological health status and resilience capacity levels after their clinical training amid the ambiance of the COVID-19 crisis. Conclusion: The PFA effectively fostered the pre-licensure nursing students' recovery from the COVID-19 related- psychological distress and improve their resilience capacity. The application of RAPID model is recommended to reduce stress and prevent burnout among novice and future nurses who show signs of psychological exhaustion.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students, in a public university in the Northeast, utilizing brief mindfulness interventions as a method of coping with the anxiety associated with high fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty-seven students enrolled in an original pre-test post-test quantitative study, utilizing the State-Trait Anxiety inventory to assess the possible correlation between Koru mindfulness minutes practiced and anxiety associated with HFPS. In March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a sudden, profound effect on nursing education resulting in face-to-face classes being converted to online formats, and simulation and clinical education converting to virtual learning. At the same time, participation in the brief mindfulness interventions dropped and the researcher pivoted to exploring qualitative responses from participants. The researcher recruited 16 of the 57 students, who had agreed to be in the original study, to respond to written questions designed to capture their perceptions of the utility of brief mindfulness interventions in coping with the anxiety associated with HFPS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their written responses were coded, categorized, and themes emerged related to the two research questions: What are the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students regarding brief mindfulness interventions? How has COVID-19 impacted the use of mindfulness interventions? Responses revealed that participants' perceived value in learning and utilizing brief mindfulness strategies to manage anxiety. Subthemes included perceived value related to HFPS, and perceived value related to being a prelicensure nursing student. Participants expressed feeling overwhelmed related to curricular changes, social changes, and fear. A second theme emerged related to coping strategies utilized during this time. These promising results indicate that brief mindfulness interventions have the potential to be a tool for prelicensure students to utilize in managing the anxiety associated with various aspects of the nursing curriculum. The practical implications for integrating these findings into a pre-licensure nursing curriculum are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Simulation helps to prepare prelicensure nursing students for practice by providing opportunities to perform clinical skills and make decisions in a safe environment. The integration of nursing knowledge, skills, and decision-making abilities during simulated unfolding case-study scenarios may enhance student self-confidence and foster clinical judgement skills. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of simulation using unfolding case-study scenarios on undergraduate nursing students' self-confidence in pediatric nursing knowledge, skills, and clinical judgment/decision-making abilities. This mixed methods study included a pre- and post-survey design to evaluate undergraduate nursing students' confidence in pediatric nursing knowledge, skills, and decision-making abilities after participation in both an instructor-led (guided) and a student-led (decision-making) simulation involving unfolding case-study scenarios. Friedman's ANOVA analyses revealed that all 16-items demonstrated statistically significant differences between the three measured responses (pre-simulation and both post-simulation surveys). Post-hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed statistically significant differences in student ratings pre-simulation and post-instructor-led (guided) experience for all 16-scored items. The qualitative themes identified were perception of experience, pediatric nursing care, assimilation of knowledge, and critical thinking. Unfolding case-study simulation experiences positively impact the learning, self-confidence, and clinical judgement of undergraduate nursing students.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic created an upheaval for nursing faculty teaching students in both didactic and clinical settings. From the intense disruption, opportunities for creative endeavors emerged. Program directors from a consortium of 12 nursing schools met remotely for problem-solving and support. Rich text from minutes of nine program director meetings were analyzed. Aims of our project included identifying challenges that nurse educators encountered during the pandemic, demonstrating benefits of a university and community college partnership model, and informing nurse educators of innovative outcomes that originated from our project. Thematic analysis of meeting minutes revealed four categories: timing and urgency; collaboration, preparation, and teaching; altruism; and what we learned. Further themes were identified from each of the categories. Innovative outcomes were identified from the text including creation of website teaching resources and development of a computer based clinical checklist. Implications for future nursing education included that computer- based simulation will continue to be embedded in nursing curricula. Also, the need for nursing faculty to remain technologically savvy to deliver trailblazing online pedagogies will prominently continue. We conclude that the synergistic collaboration of nursing program directors can have momentous outcomes for support and success of nursing programs.