Challenges in the assessment of nursing students in clinical placements: Exploring perceptions among nurse mentors.

AIM: The aim was to explore how nurse mentors experience the assessment of nursing students in clinical placements at hospitals and in municipal health care. DESIGN: The study is qualitative with an explorative and descriptive design. METHODS: Based on an interview guide, we conducted 19 individual qualitative interviews and four focus group interviews with nurse mentors from various levels and fields of nursing education at a Norwegian university. RESULTS: Feedback in and on action was an integrated part of the formative assessment. In the summative assessment, where the university lecturer also participates, the nurse mentors perceived their role as passive. A disturbing finding was that divergent views on the student's competence sometimes occurred in these situations, thus challenging the credibility of the student assessment. Perceptions of nursing values and concerns embedded in nursing practice as collective criteria appear to have an impact on the mentors' assessment of the nursing students.

The operating room as a learning arena: Nurse anaesthetist and student nurse anaesthetist perceptions.

AIM: To examine which competencies mentors and student nurse anaesthetists perceive as important in a clinical anaesthesia education practice. BACKGROUND: Mentoring during clinical placement in the operating room can be challenging from the viewpoint of both a nurse anaesthetist and their students. The operating room is a work environment with many restrictions, and the nurse anaesthetist's work requires prompt decisions and actions. Simultaneously, the mentor is tasked with guiding and supporting the student. METHOD: A qualitative approach including two focus group interviews was used. The analysis was conducted using systematic text condensation. The COREQ checklist for qualitative studies was applied. RESULT: The analysis yielded two main categories, including two sub-categories for each. The first, "Mentoring in the operating room," contained sub-categories "Application of knowledge and expectations" and "Mentoring experiences," and the second, "Creating a good climate for learning," contained sub-categories "Impact on mentoring: human factors" and "Impact on mentoring: obstacle factors." The mentor's knowledge of human relationships and learning strategies emerged as an important factor with the potential to influence the students' learning and self-confidence. Another valuable consideration was the ability to give constructive feedback, from the perspective of both. However, production pressure was a negative factor for effective knowledge transition. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to give constructive feedback and having an awareness of one's own attitude-which should ideally be positive and inclusive-are crucial mentoring skills. Mutual expectations must be clearly communicated before the clinical placement period, including learning assumptions, a progression plan and learning outcomes. This will facilitate the planning and help to direct the optimal course of learning. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study highlights that an awareness of the student's vulnerability and the mentor's pedagogical competence and learning strategy are crucial factors to take into account.

Norwegian Nurse Anesthetist Perceptions of Professional Development and the Influence of Production Pressure.

Professional development is often connected with making improvements that affect patient experiences, needs, and safety. Competency maintenance, professional development, and updating skills and knowledge are demanded at workplaces, especially hospitals. The aim of this study was to examine Norwegian nurse anesthetist perceptions of professional development and research in the workplace. A qualitative method was used, which included individual interviews with a strategic sample of 14 nurse anesthetists working in anesthesia departments. A grounded theory approach was used for analysis. From the data analysis, 1 main category, "climate of professional development and research," and 2 subcategories," professional development and production" and "professional development and management," were elicited. The results show that nurse anesthetists want to maintain their knowledge so they can deliver goodquality care for the patient. The current emphasis on production seems to be a negative factor for a good climate of professional development and research. Attitudes among managers and nurses were other factors that emerged as affecting the professional environment. Both nurse anesthetists' and anesthesia department managers have the potential to improve and increase knowledge, encourage motivation, and facilitate sufficient organization so that greater focus will be given to professional development and research in nurse anesthesia.

Health-promoting collaboration in anesthesia nursing: a qualitative study of nurse anesthetists in Norway.

Perceived stress of nurse anesthetists and their work environment has been the focus of several previous studies. This article presents a study of different factors that may contribute positively or negatively to the work environment of nurse anesthetists in Norway. It focuses on factors that nurse anesthetists perceive as health promoting at work and indicates how a healthy work environment can be created. A qualitative method was used, which included interviews with a strategic sample of 14 nurse anesthetists working in anesthesia departments. The data were collected in 2008. A grounded theory approach was used as the method of analysis. From the data analysis emerged 1 core category, Collaboration for better or worse-the fate of nurse anesthetists at the workplace. There were also 3 categories, Management as organizer of conditions, Well-being in an operating theater, and Clarity of role, and a number of subcategories. Collaboration through teamwork emerged as a crucial factor in the work environment of nurse anesthetists, while management was considered an important factor for creating a healthy work environment. Production pressure and communication difficulties were perceived as negative for the work environment. Management should therefore be actively involved and oriented toward creating favorable conditions for collaboration.