The Experience of Working Nurses Attending Graduate School During COVID-19: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study.

Introduction: There has been unprecedented uncertainty involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for working nurses. Nurses working while attending graduate school faced additional unique challenges including working extended hours while also home-schooling young children, managing a family life while also navigating pandemic-related changes affecting students' educational paths. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of working nurses attending graduate school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The central research question was: What is the lived experience of working nurses attending graduate school during COVID-19? Methods: The exploration of the lived experience of working nurses attending graduate school during a pandemic required a research methodology delving into the meaning of lived experience as it has been lived, temporally, and contextually (during a pandemic). Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore the meaning of lived experience from an interpretational stance. Results: The overall meaning of the experience was a paradigm shift of existence across the three realms of work, home, and school. The themes associated with the shift were rapid change, uncertainty, fear, and support persons. Stress was a resulting overarching theme. Conclusions: To support working nurses further their education during times of crisis, nurse leaders and educators should put processes in place to mitigate change and stress through strategic communication and supportive work environments.

Aesthetics and Technology Integration in a Community-Based Primary Care Nursing Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Reconceptualized nursing education can prepare registered nurses to practice at the full scope of licensure on interprofessional teams across care continua while enhancing the quality of health care systems. PROBLEM: Traditional nursing programs minimally address primary care competencies. Rapidly changing managed care models demand nurses develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively deliver population health, primary care, care coordination, and disease prevention/management services across care continua. APPROACH: A faculty team built an innovative concept and competency-based accelerated bachelor of science in nursing primary care-focused curriculum integrating behavioral health, aesthetic knowing, and technology. OUTCOMES: The curriculum was implemented twice, with the third cohort mid-program. Program evaluation is ongoing. CONCLUSION: A paradigm shift in nursing education may improve population-based biobehavioral wellness, disease prevention, and chronic disease management. Future research should focus on how this innovative curricular approach builds essential nursing competencies and enhances digital fluency, observation, communication, empathy, and critical thinking skills.

Lived experience of medical veterans transitioning from military service to civilian nursing education.

BACKGROUND: Many veterans take advantage of the educational benefits afforded them after service. As veterans, students in higher education are a special population with subsequent needs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of medic student veterans attending a full-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. METHOD: This study used the hermeneutic phenomenology research approach to explore the lived experiences of student veterans with military medic experience enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. RESULTS: While our study revealed diverse student experiences among these veterans, common themes included staying true to military training, normal life, and fitting in as a university student. CONCLUSIONS: Findings in this study substantiate medic student veterans attending nursing school represent a unique cohort which can benefit from customized services from the university.

The experiences of new graduate nurses hired and retained in adult intensive care units.

BACKGROUND: It is a common practice that new graduate Registered Nurses are hired into adult intensive care units as initial entry into practise. There exists a practice readiness gap between nursing curricula and actual clinical practise expectations at adult intensive care settings; this has led to negative consequences and subsequent nurse turnover, a concern nationwide. Nonetheless, some new graduate nurses survived their initial transition and continue to practise in adult settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses who were hired into adult intensive care as a new graduate and survived their transition from novice to competent, starting the third year of practise. METHODOLOGY: The study used the hermeneutic phenomenology research approach. FINDINGS: Data analysis revealed the overall meaning of the experience: coming to terms with being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The six themes associated with being comfortable with being uncomfortable were: confidence and uncertainty, gaining experiences and forever learning, intuitive knowing and intuition, difficult and stressful, being courageous and assertive, and the team and support people. CONCLUSION: New graduate nurses can survive to become competent adult intensive care nurses. This study reveals the need to promote exposure to a variety of clinical situations early, to promote resilience and self-care, and to foster unit teamwork and mentoring to ensure successful transition and overall retention of new nurses hired into in adult intensive care.

Developing professional competence among critical care nurses: An integrative review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Professional competence is the ability to base clinical decisions on prior experiences with particular clinical situations. METHODS: An integrative review of the literature using the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl. The guiding question was: What is the extent and nature of the published literature on intensive care nurses developing professional competence? RESULTS: This review analysed 21 peer-reviewed articles obtained from electronic databases. The three main domains of professional competence were managing situations, decision-making and teamwork. Three instruments, the Critical Care Competency Assessment instrument, the Self-Assessment Competence Tool, and the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale (intensive care unit), measure professional and/or clinical competence. Demographic factors are experience, education, age, figure tow near here certification status, gender and location. CONCLUSION: Perception of self-competence, seeing beyond the technical aspects of care to the patient, and perceptions of and bonding with intensive care patients and their families are other facets of professional competence that warrant further study.

Online responses to the ending of the one-child policy in China: implications for preconception care.

AIM: A critical analysis of online public postings in response to the news about the ending of China's one-child policy was conducted. The specific study aims were to 1) identify the dominant public discourse in response to the news about the ending of the one-child policy and the beginning of the new two-child policy, and 2) explore implications for preconception care from the public discourse. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data sources were 10 top-ranked, online news media sites in China, including one Hong Kong-based media site. Selected online sites announced the news about the ending of the one-child policy on 29 October 2015. Online postings associated with the first news release of each online media site before midnight of 29 October were collected and analyzed. Critical discourse analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Three main discourse concepts were identified. The online postings referenced the concepts of cost, generation, and timing with regard to the ending of the one-child policy and the beginning of the new two-child policy. Each concept represents an aspect of the public's view of preconception care, particularly interconception care, in China. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the change in the family planning policy may not result in a huge surge in the population in a short period of time, as some may opt not to have a second child. Nonetheless, there is an urgent need to incorporate interconception care into various health initiatives, as it is a time-sensitive choice for many couples to have a second child.