Facilitators and Barriers to Developing a Research Program: A Focused Ethnography of New Tenure-Track PhD-Prepared Nursing Faculty.

BACKGROUND: Creating a research program is a critical requirement for new PhD-prepared tenure-track nursing faculty in Canada. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to present key findings of new faculty members focusing on facilitators and barriers to development of their research program. METHOD: We conducted focused ethnography research examining the experience of 17 new faculty members from across Canada. RESULTS: The following themes were identified: teaching release, preparation from PhD program, intense feelings, supports and processes, mentoring, obtaining grants, and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for practice include identifying ways to facilitate faculty retention as they develop their research program. This research will be of interest to deans of nursing and new faculty members.

Experiences of new tenure-track PhD-prepared faculty: a scoping review.

The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the state of the literature concerning the experiences of new PhD-prepared tenure-track faculty, with a keen interest in nursing faculty. Effective recruitment and retention strategies for new nursing academic faculty need to be found and implemented. A literature review based on Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework for scoping reviews was undertaken. Using the PRISMA protocol, a systematic literature search was conducted in seven databases of studies published in English. Based upon inclusion criteria and relevance, 13 studies out of 90 papers were included in this study. Themes identified from the studies were transitioning to academia, developing a research program, balancing work and life, and perceived inequity. The research was predominately American and Canadian based. Several gaps in the literature were identified. Further research is critical to make recommendations to key stakeholders for recruitment and retention strategies.

Code poverty: An adaptation of the social-ecological model to inform a more strategic direction toward nursing advocacy.

The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore how nurses can be strategically poised to advocate for needed policy change in support of greater income equality and other social determinants of health. We adapted Bronfenbrenner's social-ecological model to highlight how four broad pervasive subsystems shape the opportunities that nurses have to engage in advocacy at the policy level. These subsystems include organizations (the microsystem), professional bodies (the mesosystem), public policies (the exosystem), and societal values (the macrosystem). On the basis of this adapted model, we recommend changes among modifiable elements of the microsystem and mesosystem that can help position nurses (ecologically and collectively) to advocate for public policy change and use examples from a Canadian context to illustrate these points. We believe that the ideas arising from this model can be widely used where policy action on the social determinants of health is needed to inform, guide, and frame change efforts and advocacy work.

Nurse Educators' Experiences With a Faculty Navigator Program: A Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in studies examining formal mentorship programs designed for ongoing faculty support. METHOD: A mixed-methods explanatory research design was used to examine nurse educators' experiences of a navigation-based mentoring program in a baccalaureate nursing program in Western Canada. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the means of three subsets of the Capabilities of Nurse Educators (CONE) questionnaire. Interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods. RESULTS: The findings highlight the positive effects the faculty navigator program had on faculty's confidence and development as educators. The most significant finding was the in-time relational support that faculty navigators provided to prevent new faculty from feeling alone in their new role. CONCLUSION: The faculty navigator program is effective for its setting. This program could be expanded to facilitate stronger learner-centered approaches to teaching in various settings with faculty of varying expertise. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(10):587-590.].

Awakening Canadians to ageism: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Making fun of growing older is considered socially acceptable, yet ageist humour reinforces negative stereotypes that growing old is linked with physical and mental deterioration, dependence, and less social value. Such stereotypes and discrimination affect the wellbeing of older people, the largest demographic of Canadians. While ageism extends throughout professions and social institutions, we expect nurses-the largest and most trusted group of healthcare professionals-to provide non-ageist care to older people. Unfortunately, nurses working with older people often embrace ageist beliefs and nursing education programs do not address sufficient anti-ageism content despite gerontological nursing standards and competencies. METHODS: To raise awareness of ageism in Canada, this quasi-experimental study will be supported by partnerships between older Canadians, advocacy organizations, and academic gerontological experts which will serve as an advisory group. The study, guided by social learning theory, will unfold in two parts. In Phase 1, we will use student nurses as a test case to determine if negative stereotypes and ageist perceptions can be addressed through three innovative e-learning activities. The activities employ gamification, videos, and simulations to: (1) provide accurate general information about older people, (2) model management of responsive behaviours in older people with cognitive impairment, and (3) dispel negative stereotypes about older people as dependent and incontinent. In Phase 2, the test case findings will be shared with the advisory group to develop a range of knowledge mobilization strategies to dispel ageism among healthcare professionals and the public. We will implement key short term strategies. DISCUSSION: Findings will generate knowledge on the effectiveness of the e-learning activities in improving student nurses' perceptions about older people. The e-learning learning activities will help student nurses acquire much-needed gerontological knowledge and skills. The strength of this project is in its plan to engage a wide array of stakeholders who will mobilize the phase I findings and advocate for positive perspectives and accurate knowledge about aging-older Canadians, partner organizations (Canadian Gerontological Nurses Association, CanAge, AgeWell), and gerontological experts.

An Integrative Review of Mentoring Novice Faculty to Teach.

BACKGROUND: Novice nursing faculty require support and guidance as they transition from clinical practice to teaching in an academic faculty. Mentoring is an important part of faculty development during the transitional experience. Currently, the learning needs of novice nursing faculty and the effects of formal mentorship programs are not well understood. METHOD: An integrative literature review was conducted from five electronic databases. The articles included in the review described primary research studies focused on formal mentorship programs that supported novice faculty in developing their teaching expertise and identified their learning needs. RESULTS: The review yielded eight studies that explored different aspects of the mentoring experience. Socialization to Academia and Navigating Mentorship were two key themes developed from the data. CONCLUSION: Included studies described mentoring programs and a clear need for some type of formalized orientation and mentorship process or program to enhance novice nursing faculty transition to the academic setting and role. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(4):203-208.].

Gamification in nursing literature: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: Gamification is an increasingly popular instructional strategy in nursing. The purpose of this integrative review is to explore gamification as it has been applied in nursing literature. This integrative review seeks to ask the question - What aspects of gamification have been explored in nursing literature and what aspects require further exploration? METHOD: Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Methodological Issues in Nursing Research, 52(5), 546-553 integrative review framework guided this review. Seventeen articles were reviewed and a quality appraisal tool (developed by Hawker, S., Payne, S., Kerr, C., Hardey, M., & Powell, J. (2002). Appraising the evidence: Reviewing disparate data systematically. Qualitative Health Research, 12(9), 1284-1299) was also used to evaluate the articles. RESULTS: Following the data analysis stage outlined in Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review framework, six themes emerged: construct conceptualization; relationship between engagement, satisfaction, and knowledge retention; knowledge translation, motivation, role of technology, and gamification elements. CONCLUSION: Gamification is of interest to the nursing profession. More study is needed to better ascertain the relationship between gamification and several of the main themes identified in this review.

Exploring the Professional Responsibility Concern Process: An Alberta Perspective.

BACKGROUND: Registered nurses are pivotal in the analysis, recognition, and reporting of patient safety issues before harm occurs to patients. Little has been written about the relationship between the professional responsibility of reporting safety concerns and the processes that exist. PROBLEM: More needs to be known about how nurses can best report factors in work environments that impact patient safety. Learning more about processes that exist amidst literature that illuminates the issues related to reporting and patient safety culture is needed. Also, best practice or key exemplars depicting how professional responsibility has been implemented are needed. Limited has been written exploring professional responsibility concern processes in Canada and internationally. APPROACH: We completed a case study exploration comprising a public facing Web site scan of information about professional responsibility-like processes across Canada, as well as an extensive literature search exploring factors that are linked with nurse reporting of patient safety concerns. CONCLUSION: Themes from related literature identify patient safety culture, leadership qualities, communication, positive nurse factors, speaking up, and whistle-blowing as important aspects that facilitate, or are related to, the ability for nurses to express professional responsibility concerns. Alberta has a well-developed system of reporting such concerns; however, the lack of research and literature on these topics requires additional focus in nursing internationally.

Balancing the seen and unseen: Nurse educator as role model for critical thinking.

Critical thinking is an important indicator of student learning and is an essential outcome of baccalaureate nursing education. The role of nurse educators in the development of students' critical thinking has been overlooked despite the importance of their actions to facilitate critical thinking in nursing education. We used a constructivist grounded theory approach within a larger mixed methods triangulation study to explore how nurse educators revealed their critical thinking in practice. From the grounded theory approach, a model emerged from our research, outlining the important aspects of nurse educators' critical thinking and how it is revealed in the clinical setting. The important categories of this model include: a) fostering the student-educator relationship; b) role modeling critical thinking; c) mobilizing and operationalizing resources; as well as d) balancing factors that impact nurse educators' critical thinking. Our findings inform what is known about nurse educators' critical thinking and how it can be implemented in nurse educators' teaching practice. Given our findings, we offer recommendations for future nursing education practice and research, including the need to apply our findings in additional settings and further develop nurse educators' awareness of their own critical thinking.

Nurse educators' critical thinking: A mixed methods exploration.

Nurse educator's critical thinking remains unexamined as a key factor in the development of students' critical thinking. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to understand how nurse educators reveal their critical thinking in the clinical setting while supervising students. DESIGN: This study uses a single-phase triangulation mixed methods design with multiple data gathering techniques. PARTICIPANTS/SETTINGS: Participants for this study are clinical nurse educators from a large Western Canadian baccalaureate nursing program who teach 2nd or 3rd year students in medical-surgical settings. METHODS: Participants for this study completed a demographic survey, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), participant observation in a clinical practice setting, and semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: The results from the California Critical Thinking assessments (CCTST and CCTDI) show that participants are positively inclined and have a moderate to strong ability to think critically, similar to other studies. Participants find it difficult to describe how they reveal their critical thinking in the clinical setting, yet all participants use role modeling and questioning to share their critical thinking with students. When the quantitative and qualitative results are compared, it is apparent that the confidence in reasoning subscale of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test is higher in those educators who more frequently demonstrate and voice engagement in reflective activities. Dispositions associated with critical thinking, as measured by the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, are more easily observed compared to critical thinking skills. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a beginning exploration of nurse educators' critical thinking-in-action. Our mixed methods approach uncovers a valuable approach to understanding the complexity of nurse educators' critical thinking. Further study is needed to uncover how nurse educators' can specifically enact their thinking abilities to support student learning in the clinical setting.

Process Matters: Successes and Challenges of Recruiting and Retaining Participants for Nursing Education Research.

Researchers who study nursing education encounter difficulty when trying to recruit and retain nurse educator participants. Researchers would benefit from knowing more about effective and ineffective sampling strategies and methods to increase the efficiency of the research process. This article outlines the struggles and successes encountered with a mixed methods study that examined nurse educators' critical thinking. Specific examples are interwoven with current literature to uncover some important insights and future recommendations for researchers in nursing education.

An Integrative Review of the Concealed Connection: Nurse Educators' Critical Thinking.

BACKGROUND: The role of nurse educators in the development of students' critical thinking has been overlooked despite the emphasized need for effective teaching methods. METHOD: An integrative review was performed to examine both quantitative and qualitative research published from 2000 to 2015 related to nurse educators' critical thinking. RESULTS: Many barriers and facilitators existing on individual, interpersonal, and contextual levels affected nurse educators' critical thinking. Various tools have been used to measure nurse educators' critical thinking. This review also highlighted the continued lack of a consensus definition of critical thinking and the limited presence of conceptual models to guide the use of critical thinking in nursing education. CONCLUSION: Continued examination of nurse educators' critical thinking is needed, given the limited number of studies that have been completed. Much needs to be explored further, including conceptualizations of critical thinking and confirmation of emerging themes identified in this review. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(11):648-654.].

Nurse educators' critical thinking: reflection and measurement.

The critical thinking abilities and dispositions of nurse educators are integral to facilitating the critical thinking of nursing students. This descriptive, exploratory study, which was completed as part of a Master's Degree, measures and describes nurse educators' critical thinking. Using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), quantitative measurements were obtained from 11 full-time nurse educators conveniently sampled from a baccalaureate nursing program in Western Canada. Using the CCTDI, these educators scored highest in the inquisitiveness sub-scale. The results from the CCTST showed nurse educators scored highest in the skill of inductive reasoning. Both instrument total scores indicated these nurse educators' have a moderately high inclination and ability towards critical thinking. Six of the 11 nurse educators also participated in an interview, which captured their varied descriptions of critical thinking; factors that positively and negatively influence their critical thinking; and common approaches they utilize to facilitate critical thinking. The nurse educators who were interviewed preferred to describe critical thinking rather than define it. As well, the interviews highlighted that personal factors related to each nurse educator and conditions within their environment contributed to the facilitation of critical thinking.