Providing Mentorship and Support for ADN-BSN Students Enrolled in a Partnership Model.

ABSTRACT: In response to the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing report goal to increase the proportion of baccalaureate degree nurses to 80 percent, a plan known as the "Partnership Model" was implemented to allow students accepted into community college programs to enroll concurrently in university courses. The plan enabled students to complete a cost-effective baccalaureate degree and associate degree in nursing simultaneously. All 66 students participating in spring 2019 were encouraged to complete a survey to evaluate support and stressors associated with the program. Results from 54 respondents were used to improve the Partnership Model experience.

A Nursing Partnership to Accelerate Academic Progression.

Associate degree nursing faculty in a Midwestern state reported that their students were being excluded from many clinical experiences and that their graduates were not being hired in Magnet® or Magnet-seeking hospitals. University and community college faculty formed a partnership to promote academic progression. Barriers of residency requirements, financial aid, and accreditation were overcome. Students complete all BSN prerequisites, take ADN and BSN courses simultaneously, graduate with both degrees, and take the national licensure examination. This is a viable model allowing nursing students to remain in their home town, thus decreasing costs and increasing the number of BSN-prepared nurses in rural areas.

Concept Evaluation Using the PDSA Cycle for Continuous Quality Improvement.

As concept-based nursing education gains popularity, there is little literature on how to sustain quality after initiation of the curriculum. Critical appraisal of concepts in a university program revealed varying definitions, attributes, and exemplars resulting in student confusion. The Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle for continuous quality improvement was used for concept evaluation. The goals of the evaluation project were: 1) to develop common definition and attributes for concepts and 2) to develop horizontal and vertical leveling of exemplars to build on prior student learning. The continuous quality improvement process can be used to prevent "concept creep" and ensure internal consistency of concept definitions, attributes, and exemplars.

Senior student nurse proficiency: A comparative study of two clinical immersion models.

This study focused on identifying the best clinical learning model that would support nursing practice readiness following each immersion experience. Practicum preceptors completed surveys in which evaluated student preparation/readiness by assessing clinical knowledge, technical skills, critical thinking, communication, professionalism, management of responsibilities, and overall performance. The study results yielded no statistical significance when comparing both models. Future research is needed to analyze the impact of clinical hours offered in the senior immersion experience along with the curriculum content differences among various models of clinical experiences in undergraduate nursing programs to ensure practice readiness of nursing graduates.

Baccalaureate outcomes met by associate degree nursing programs.

In a statewide study of nurse educators from nationally accredited ADN programs, 42 of 109 baccalaureate outcomes were reported met in their programs. Those outcomes clustered in 3 areas: information management and application of technology, professionalism and professional values, and generalist nursing practice. The 67 outcomes that were not met were in the categories of liberal education, organizational and systems leadership, evidence-based practice, healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments, interprofessional collaboration, and population health. This research provides important evidence from which to construct an outcomes-based associate degree to baccalaureate curriculum.

From daunting task to new beginnings: bachelor of science in nursing curriculum revision using the new essentials.

Undergraduate curriculum revision is a daunting task, particularly when new accreditation criteria clearly call for substantive changes in how baccalaureate generalist nurses are educated. Using the nine essentials of The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) and the 109 Essential outcomes, the University of Kansas School of Nursing undergraduate faculty employed three phases of change: (a) understanding, (b) analysis, and (c) design to create an innovative curriculum. Theoretical influences from E. M. Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory, W. Bridges' (2009) work with transitions, and concepts of ownership guided the revision process. Strategies, such as gap analysis, nominal group technique, and word clouds, facilitated faculty transition from the ending of the old curriculum to ownership and beginning of the new curriculum. Inductive methods of faculty perceptions of ideal graduate characteristics and clustering of themes in the 109 Essential outcomes produced five themes: (a) communication/professional development, (b) evidence-based practice, (c) leadership/management, (d) nursing across the lifespan, and (e) population-based health care. A Q-Sort of the Essentials placed all 109 essential outcomes under each of these categories. Essential outcomes within these categories were then interpreted as data points and used as the basis for course design and accompanying credit allocation. A variety of research, theory, and interpersonally sensitive approaches yielded an innovative curriculum reflecting the Essentials and "new beginnings" for the undergraduate faculty.

You can help your clients change.

Nurses are in an excellent position to assist clients to change behaviors that will improve their health. The client is the expert on what to change and which method will work best. Matching your approach to the client's stage of change will motivate the client to move along the continuum of change.