Competency-Based Education in RN to BSN Programs.

BACKGROUND: The call for nursing education reform has never been louder. National organizations recognize the urgent need to prepare nursing students to practice competently, moving away from traditional teaching and curricula and to competency-based education (CBE) strategies to prepare future nurses for independent clinical practice. PROBLEM: The 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials do not account for the competencies achieved in registered nurse (RN) associate degree and diploma programs. This presents a challenge for RN to bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program administrators and faculty when designing curricula to meet the new Essentials. APPROACH: The Essentials crosswalk created by the National RN-Baccalaureate Faculty Forum serves as a foundational guide for the development of the template models discussed in this article. CONCLUSION: This article provides a template of instructional models for implementing CBE in RN to BSN programs.

Leadership, Teamwork, and Collaboration: The Lived Experience of Conducting Multisite Research Focused on Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Competencies in Academia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore facilitators and barriers to conducting a multisite national study in nursing academia unsupported by grant funding. BACKGROUND: Scholarship focused on the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies stimulates opportunities for research and collaboration among nurse educators and clinicians. Twelve members of the QSEN Academic Task Force collaborated on a multisite study of the effectiveness of a QSEN teaching strategy and published the findings. METHOD: A descriptive phenomenological reflective approach using Kim's critical reflective inquiry model was used to explore the lived experiences of the original study investigators. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological reduction. RESULTS: Findings revealed seven facilitators and one overarching barrier to conducting academic research projects of this scope. CONCLUSION: Participants found that strong leadership, a commitment to teamwork and collaboration, and a shared interest were critical to conducting a successful national study across academic settings.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Just Culture in Nursing Programs: A Multisite Study.

BACKGROUND: While just culture is embraced in the clinical setting, just culture has not been systematically incorporated into nursing education. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess prelicensure nursing student perceptions of just culture in academia. METHODS: Following a quantitative, descriptive design, the Just Culture Assessment Tool for Nursing Education (JCAT-NE) was used to measure just culture across multiple (N = 15) nursing programs. RESULTS: The majority of JCAT-NE respondents (78%) reported their program has a safety reporting system, 15.4% had involvement in a safety-related event, and 12% submitted an error report. The JCAT-NE mean total score was 127.4 (SD, 23.6), with a statistically significant total score decline as students progressed from the beginning (133.6 [SD, 20.52]) to the middle (129.77 [SD, 23.6]) and end (122.2 [SD, 25.43]) of their programs (χ[2] = 25.09, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study are a call to action for nursing education to emphasize the tenets of just culture, error reporting, and quality improvement.

Using Systems Thinking to Implement the QSEN Informatics Competency.

There is an urgent need to improve the use and usability of the electronic health record (EHR) in health care to prevent undue patient harm. Professional development educators can use systems thinking and the QSEN competency, Informatics, to educate nurses about such things as nurse-sensitive indicators in preventing medical errors. This article presents teaching tips in using systems thinking to champion communication technologies that support error prevention (betterment). [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2019;50(9):392-397.].

Constructive Feedback Teaching Strategy: A Multisite Study of Its Effectiveness.

AIM: The study purpose was to describe students' perceptions of feedback after participating in a teaching strategy designed to foster a view of feedback as an opportunity for improvement. BACKGROUND: Although delivering and receiving constructive feedback are essential to the role of the professional nurse, feedback has been identified as a trigger for incivility in academia and practice. METHOD: Twelve nurse educators from the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Academic Task Force, located at nine schools of nursing across the nation, implemented a presentation about giving and receiving constructive feedback in junior and senior courses. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-three students submitted a total of 985 posts or essays in response to viewing the presentation; seven themes were identified. CONCLUSION: Viewing this teaching strategy enabled nursing students to develop an awareness of the opportunity that constructive feedback presents for professional development, self-improvement, teamwork and collaboration, and patient safety.