Utilization of an Online Education Module and Standardized Patient Simulation Experience to Improve Nursing Student Learning Outcomes With Heart Failure Patients.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this experimental study was to examine whether nursing students' participation in an online comprehensive heart failure educational module enhances their knowledge and ability to apply heart failure education skills in a simulated standardized nurse-patient interaction. Findings suggest that students who received a heart failure educational module scored significantly higher on both an exam of heart failure knowledge and a simulated nurse-patient interaction. The results suggest that large gains can be made in nursing education by using innovative teaching strategies that move beyond normal classroom/lecture teaching techniques.

Initial evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program.

BACKGROUND: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars (RWJF NFS) program was developed to enhance the career trajectory of young nursing faculty and to train the next generation of nurse scholars. Although there are publications that describe the RWJF NFS, no evaluative reports have been published. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the first three cohorts (n = 42 scholars) of the RWJF NFS program. METHODS: A descriptive research design was used. Data were derived from quarterly and annual reports, and a questionnaire (seven open-ended questions) was administered via Survey Monkey Inc. (Palo Alto, CA, USA). RESULTS: During their tenure, scholars had on average six to seven articles published, were teaching/mentoring at the graduate level (93%), and holding leadership positions at their academic institutions (100%). Eleven scholars (26%) achieved fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, one of the highest nursing honors. The average ratings on a Likert scale of 1 (not at all supportive) to 10 (extremely supportive) of whether or not RWJF had helped scholars achieve their goals in teaching, service, research, and leadership were 7.7, 8.0, 9.4, and 9.5, respectively. The majority of scholars reported a positive, supportive relationship with their primary nursing and research mentors; although, several scholars noted challenges in connecting for meetings or telephone calls with their national nursing mentors. CONCLUSIONS: These initial results of the RWJF NFS program highlight the success of the program in meeting its overall goal-preparing the next generation of nursing academic scholars for leadership in the profession.

Demographic diversity, value congruence, and workplace outcomes in acute care.

Nursing scholars and healthcare administrators often assume that a more diverse nursing workforce will lead to better patient and nurse outcomes, but this assumption has not been subject to rigorous empirical testing. In a study of nursing units in acute care hospitals, the influence of age, gender, education, race/ethnicity, and perceived value diversity on nurse job satisfaction, nurse intent to stay, and patient satisfaction were examined. Support was found for a negative relationship between perceived value diversity and all outcomes and for a negative relationship between education diversity and intent to stay. Additionally, positive relationships were found between race/ethnicity diversity and nurse job satisfaction as well as between age diversity and intent to stay. From a practice perspective, the findings suggest that implementing retention, recruitment, and management practices that foster a strong shared value system among nurses may lead to better workplace outcomes.

Enhancing nursing knowledge using high-fidelity simulation.

The use of high-fidelity simulation as an accepted substitute for traditional clinical learning experiences in nursing education has gained acceptance over the past decade, as evidenced by the California Board of Registered Nursing now allowing up to 25% of student clinical learning to occur in simulation laboratories. However, little research evidence has documented the efficacy of these simulated learning experiences, particularly on objective outcomes such as examination performance. Therefore, this study examined the effects of high-fidelity simulation participation on knowledge acquisition in 104 undergraduate nursing students. Students who participated in high-fidelity simulation scenarios scored significantly higher on examinations than students who did not. These findings provide beginning evidence that high-fidelity simulation can be an effective substitute for traditional clinical experience. More importantly, the findings may help boards of nursing more effectively regulate the use of high-fidelity simulation in the future.

Work-related burnout, job satisfaction, intent to leave, and nurse-assessed quality of care among travel nurses.

OBJECTIVE: This research study examines work-related burnout, job satisfaction, nurse-assessed quality of care, and intent to leave in travel nurses, a population that has not been studied previously. BACKGROUND: Travel nurses are frequently used to supplement nursing staff in acute care hospitals, especially in times of shortage--understanding their satisfaction with the job may further illuminate the problem of nurse job dissatisfaction in general. METHODS: Ordinary least-squares regression analyses were used to examine the influence of nurse and workplace characteristics on work-related burnout, job satisfaction, intent to leave, and perceived quality of care. RESULTS: Quality of care and job satisfaction were significantly influenced by whether a hospital held Magnet designation. As the number of patients cared for increases, there was a significant increase in work-related burnout. Work-related burnout was also significantly lower for nurses working in California. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that different workplace characteristics influence the perceptions of quality of care provided at a hospital facility and the degree to which a nurse is either burned out or satisfied with his/her job.