An Innovative Academic/Practice Partnership to Support Nursing Workforce Needs and Student Clinical Education.

ABSTRACT: Innovation is needed to solve nursing workforce issues during times of crisis. A collaborative effort between a hospital system and several universities resulted in the Bridge to Professional Practice Program that was implemented during a period of high patient volume and nursing student downtime. The program provided support for staffing needs and clinical hours to promote readiness for practice for students. The program evaluation outcomes and recommendations for improvement are addressed.

Practical Implications of Online Learning with Nurses During Coronavirus Disease 2019.

This study explores how teaching practices were impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a fully online nursing program. In-depth interviews were conducted of faculty in an online nursing program. The findings of the study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for the faculty members, but still they considered it an opportunity for personal and professional growth; they used this disruption to humanize their teaching practices by focusing on self-care to support their students in the challenging times of a global pandemic. The members also mentioned institutional support was crucial for their perseverance, growth, and job satisfaction.

Innovative approaches to teaching vascular access to nursing students in the COVID-19 era.

PURPOSE: For the student nurse, peripheral venous cannulation is one of the most stressful skills to be learned. Although some healthcare employers/establishments offer courses on vascular access and infusion nursing as part of their onboarding programs, ultimately educational institutions should share the responsibility to ensure that graduating nurses can provide safe infusion therapies. METHODS: An innovative vascular access and infusion nursing (VAIN) curriculum was created and mapped onto the entry to practice undergraduate nursing program at McGill University in Montréal, Québec, Canada. This presented an opportunity to implement new teaching approaches. RESULTS: Students experienced multiple new teaching approaches including multimedia and experiential learning and live simulation to ensure acquisition of knowledge and psychomotor skills. The teaching approaches had to be rapidly modified with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The VAIN curriculum emphasizes simulation and directed practice, seeking to increase competence, confidence, and knowledge. The pandemic underscored the need for flexibility and creativity in content delivery.

Developing and piloting a simulated placement experience for students.

COVID-19 and rising student numbers are affecting healthcare education, particularly access to clinical placements. As healthcare education is increasingly supported by technology and non-traditional teaching methods, educational experiences gained through clinical placement also require new approaches. This article explores and discusses the use of a simulated clinical placement for a dietetic student cohort. During this virtual placement, students were able to explore and experience a virtual clinical setting and immerse themselves in a placement experience. A vast range of virtual resources were linked to the online placement portal, including statutory and mandatory training, dietetic resources, patient journeys and interprofessional communication. Advantages of this approach include that all students experience a given situation, unlike in traditional placements where workloads, variety and engagement vary; there is also no risk to patient safety. The aim is to enhance the learning experience to create effective, efficient clinicians. This virtual placement for dietetics is part of a bigger project to develop and evaluate the use of a virtual placement framework in a range of professions. The concept of virtual placement may have been brought forward by the COVID-19 crisis but was inevitable with the move to more technology-enhanced learning tools.

Cultivating Student Belonging and School Connectedness.

The effect on students from the COVID-19 pandemic, violence related to racism, and loss of customary school routines may cause loss of both school connection and a sense of belonging. School nurses can positively influence student belonging and school connection as they encounter students throughout in-person school and virtual school environments. School nurses build connections with students whom they know and outreach to students whom they identify as vulnerable in the areas of belonging and school connectedness. With a mind-set of the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice and in collaboration with a school team implementing a multitiered system of support, school nurses intentionally outreach and cultural sensitivity to grow positive school climate that benefits students.

Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions on nursing education during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: A national sample.

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.

The mediating effect of academic engagement between psychological capital and academic burnout among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Almost all universities have been forced to close and change to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a big challenge for students. There is little knowledge about the academic burnout among nursing students in these difficult circumstances, especially in traditional Chinese medicine universities, and the relationship between the burnout and their psychological capital and academic engagement. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to describe academic burnout and clarify the relationships between academic burnout, academic engagement, and psychological capital among nursing students in traditional Chinese medicine universities. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. SETTING: The study sampled a four-year undergraduate traditional Chinese medicine university in Jian, Shandong Province, China. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sampling method was used to select 733 nursing students from April to June 2020. METHODS: The Academic Burnout Scale, the Positive Psychological Capital Scale, and the Academic Engagement Scale were used for data collection, in addition to social-demographic data. Path analysis was used to clarify the relationships among academic burnout, academic engagement and psychological capital. RESULTS: Of all the study participants, 39.29% had a certain degree of academic burnout. Academic engagement and psychological capital were negatively correlated with academic burnout among nursing students in traditional Chinese medicine university. Psychological capital was positively correlated with academic engagement. CONCLUSION: Nursing students had a certain degree of academic burnout. Academic engagement played a partial mediated role in the relationship between psychological capital and academic burnout.

Opportunities in Chaos: Leveraging Innovation to Create a New Reality in Nursing Education.

The impact of the global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered changes in nursing education at a pace not previously experienced in academia. Academic nursing leaders have been faced with challenges of balancing the impact of the pandemic responses in the face-to-face classroom, laboratory, and clinical learning, ensuring the safety of the college community, and supporting alternative educational delivery formats with assurance that desired learning outcomes and demanded professional competencies are attained. The challenge faced by these leaders is unprecedented. However, there is opportunity in crisis for leaders. This article details how the leadership at one institution leveraged transformational change theory to support faculty, staff, and students during this time of rapid change. Additionally, the article discusses the use of transformational change theory and the ongoing institutional commitment to meeting curricular goals and objectives while maintaining a commitment to being student focused.

Nursing student experiences of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden transition to remote learning. These circumstances presented many challenges for higher education faculty and students around the world but especially for nursing education programs which are traditionally conducted in a face-to-face learning environment that includes hands-on experiential learning. METHODS: Guided by Meleis' Transition Theory, a qualitative descriptive design was utilized to explore prelicensure nursing students' experiences of the transition to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester. Participants were recruited from one baccalaureate program in the Pacific Northwestern United States. Interviews were conducted and transcribed using a web conferencing platform. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological reduction. RESULTS: Eleven students participated. Interviews revealed four overarching themes: technological challenges, academic relationship changes, role stress and strain, and resilience. CONCLUSION: The sudden transition to remote learning resulted in a number of challenges for nursing students. Despite these challenges, students demonstrated a remarkable sense of resilience and perseverance. Faculty have an opportunity to address student stressors and design remote courses in such a way to facilitate student engagement and community building.

COVID-19 updates: Real-time epidemiology for BSN community/public health nursing course.

Teaching nursing students about epidemiology is often a daunting task, with many lacking the knowledge and application of and interest in epidemiological elements. Baccalaureate science nursing (BSN) essentials state that BSN nursing students need educational applications for health promotion and disease prevention for effective population-based communities. The COVID-19 pandemic data have allowed for real-time analysis and synthesis of live application of data which meets the specific requirements on current and future epidemiological problems. Nursing students can monitor weekly trends through disease surveillance and application to the surrounding community, providing for effective critical thinking and clinical judgment. Comparing weekly changes in data assists in developing interest on applying this information for practice. Discussion about background evidence, valid national, regional, and local websites, specific implementation steps, and overall student reflection feedback will be discussed.

COVID-19 Disruption of Nursing Education and the Effects on Students' Academic and Professional Confidence.

BACKGROUND: In spring 2020, the novel coronavirus prompted a sudden shift in nursing education. This study evaluated students' perceptions of their ability to adjust to these challenges. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of students (n = 286) in BSN programs throughout the United States was conducted via email to examine 3 areas of student confidence (academic success, NCLEX-RN success, and patient care delivery) and to determine how these were affected by the abrupt transition to remote learning. RESULTS: Variables, including alignment of remote instruction styles with learning styles, ease of transition to distance learning, and educating children at home, were significantly associated with students' confidence in their ability to be successful academically, on NCLEX-RN, and in patient care. CONCLUSIONS: With potential for ongoing challenges due to the coronavirus, faculty need to identify and support students at greater risk of experiencing difficulties and threats to success, thereby preventing attrition and ensuring preparation of a diverse workforce.

Presence in Teaching-Learning: Insights From the Movie Patch Adams and Others.

As social distancing seems to have become the new normal in the ongoing struggle to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this column focuses on the challenge of presence in the teaching-learning endeavor that often is lived in virtual settings. When presence is defined as being in the same place at the same time as another, suggesting that presence is essential to teaching-learning would certainly run counter to the recommended practice of social distancing. However, the question must be asked if it is essential for the teacher and learner to be in a particular place at the same moment for presence in teaching-learning to be known. Clarity of the meaning of presence in the teaching-learning endeavor is pursued through considering insights gained from the movie Patch Adams. Further, insights from the humanbecoming paradigm are explored to provide new ways of moving onward in teaching-learning.

Adapting a community health nursing course to an online format.

As COVID-19 spread through the United States in March 2020, universities were forced to move to online learning to minimize COVID-19 transmission. Students in nursing programs represent several generational cohorts with varying learning styles and comfort with technology. This move to an online format required faculty and students to use digital tools from video conferencing, remote testing, online classes, and an unfolding case study. Community Health Nursing is an important capstone course in the Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing curriculum. Community health nursing focuses on the care of populations. Communication skills, analysis of data from various sources, collaboration with peers, and planning and evaluation of interventions are essential competencies of community health nursing. This article describes strategies to teach the core competencies online and how two group activities were formatted for online delivery: development of a public service announcement and a debate. The faculty employed an approach to online teaching that preserved the activities and fostered student engagement through the use of various online strategies.

Clinical Reasoning: Adapting Teaching Methods During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Meet Student Learning Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of health care, including nursing education. Senior nursing students saw the elimination of in-person clinical opportunities in the final months prior to graduation as health care facilities restricted access to essential personnel in an effort to minimize transmission of the virus and conserve personal protective equipment. METHOD: To fulfill course requirements, faculty created a COVID-19 assignment that implored students to research the most current infection control recommendations for COVID-19 and to describe the impacts of the virus on nursing care, patients, families, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public safety. RESULTS: The COVID-19 assignment fostered clinical reasoning and encouraged personal reflection with application to practice. Students reported that the assignment greatly enhanced knowledge and awareness of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: This assignment was beneficial for transition to practice in the midst of a pandemic, and it can be easily replicated for any future emerging health care topic that may affect nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(1):48-51.].

Preparing for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on a Nursing Simulation Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: This article describes one school's process to maintain their undergraduate nursing simulation program during campus closure and clinical placement suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: After the campus closure, faculty replaced clinical hours with simulation using virtual clinical education such as telehealth with standardized patients (SPs), virtual simulations using commercial products, and virtual faculty skills instruction. RESULTS: Using virtual clinical education and SP-based telehealth simulations provided an alternative for 50% of the required direct patient care hours. Virtual simulation accounted for 18,403 clinical hours completed by 244 students. CONCLUSION: Preparation for emergencies that force campus and clinical site closures should include processes to provide virtual simulation and remote simulations with SPs to replace clinical hours. Planning for the impacts of COVID-19 on the operation of this school of nursing highlights the importance of having a detailed plan to address campus closure due to emergencies. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(1):52-55.].

Planning and implementing a practice/academic partnership during COVID-19.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing programs were challenged to continue educating students at practice sites, and educational institutions limited or eliminated face-to-face education. The purpose of this article is to report on a university and community college nursing program and an academic medical center that implemented an academic-practice partnership with the goal of creating opportunities to continue clinical experiences for nursing students during the pandemic. Principles and implementation of this successful partnership provide direction for other nursing programs and practice settings that may continue to have challenges in returning students to clinical and keeping them in clinical as the pandemic continues.

COVID-19: Planning and Postpandemic Partnerships.

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has highlighted the need for strong partnerships between educators and healthcare professionals to facilitate the reopening of schools. School nurses are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap because of their role as a healthcare professional in the educational setting. Past research identifies the effectiveness of collaborative efforts to serve students by community partners, school system personnel, and school nurses. However, partnerships have been episodic and reactive rather than ongoing and proactive. The circumstances of COVID-19 present an opportunity for school nurses to promote collaboration and planning as an ongoing practice. Recommendations for school nurses to form ongoing public health and school system partnerships, as well as with teachers, parents, and school nursing colleagues, are presented.