Mood states and academic performance in the objective structured clinical examination. The mediating effect of self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND: The role of self-efficacy on academic outcomes in clinical simulation evaluations is well-known. However, no previous studies have reported the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the link between mood state and academic performance in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). OBJECTIVES: This study explores the following aims: i) to determine the effects of mood states on academic performance; ii) to assess the effect of mood states on self-efficacy; and iii) to analyze whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between mood state and academic performance in the OSCE. DESIGN: This quantitative and cross-sectional study received Institutional Review Board approval. SETTINGS: A private university in Santiago, Chile. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 117 nursing students from fourth and sixth semester. METHODS: Data were collected using two questionnaires (the short version of the Profile of Mood State, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale), and the objective structured clinical examination in adult medical-surgical nursing and pediatric nursing courses. RESULTS: Mood state has a significant effect on self-efficacy ß = -0.068 p = .001. There was, however, no significant relationship between mood and academic performance (= - 0.004 p = .114). Similarly, Sobel's test indicated a non-significant mediation effect for self-efficacy-0.000544; 95 %; CI (-0.00256, 0.00148) p = .597. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study improve the understanding of students' self-efficacy and academic performance. Further investigation regarding the use of the self-efficacy construct as a mediating variable in different high-stakes evaluations and in students with varying training levels is needed.

Understanding the impostor phenomenon in graduate nursing students.

Intuitively, nurse educators know that graduate students in both master's and doctoral programs question their ability to succeed. The impostor phenomenon (IP) is an internalized sense of inadequacy and fear of being seen as a fraud in the presence of external indicators of authentic achievement, and experienced by high achieving, successful individuals. Fifty-three percent (49/93) of graduate students completed the CIPS survey, and 11 master's (regular streams & nurse practitioner) and two doctoral students participated in focus group interviews. The quantitative results showed that 88 % of participants experienced moderate to intense impostor phenomenon. Two themes emerged in the qualitative analysis: (i) experiencing the imposter phenomenon and (ii) managing feeling like an impostor. Descriptions of IP were similar across the three groups of participants. This research provides a foundational understanding of how IP is experienced by graduate nursing students.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale in Chilean College Students.

Background and Purpose: Limited culturally relevant condom self-efficacy measures have been adapted for use with Chilean college students. This study aims to culturally adapt and measure the psychometric properties of the Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale (CUSES) by use in college students in Chile. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in six stages: (a) authorization from original authors, (b) translation, (c) back translation, (d) analysis of equivalences, (e) content analysis, and (f) exploratory factor analysis and reliability assessment. Results: Of the 460 college students who completed the Chilean CUSES (Ch-CUSES), 73.9% were women and 99% were single with a mean age of 20.5. Total scale Cronbach's alpha was 0.845, and factor analysis demonstrated six dimensions with 59.1% of the total variance. The factor loading scores of 21 items ranged between 0.515 and 0.921. Conclusions: Ch-CUSES shows good psychometric properties for assessing self-efficacy for condom use in Chilean college students.

Integrating Nurse Practitioners Into Long-term Care: A Call for Action.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic exposed the devastating effects of inadequate primary care in long-term care (LTC) settings, both nationally and internationally. Deaths in LTC were compounded by the global shortage of physicians and limitations in existing funding models for these facilities. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can provide similar services as general practice physicians in LTC while meeting residents' needs in a more timely, cost-effective manner. It is critical that NPs be integrated into LTC, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This article provides relevant literature and evidence to substantiate the effectiveness of integrating NPs into the Canadian LTC and highlights the urgent need for improved funding models and policy reform.

Strategy to stay ahead of the curve: A concept analysis of talent management.

AIM: The development of nurse leaders is critical to the future of the nursing profession. Strategies to address the current loss of nurse leaders are urgently needed. The aim of this analysis is to clarify the concept of talent management as an approach by which organizations can identify, strengthen, and support emerging and current nurse leaders. BACKGROUND: The nursing profession worldwide is experiencing a shortage of nurse leaders. As nursing leaders are retiring, too few nurses are prepared to replace them. Nursing leadership is vital to effectively navigate healthcare system challenges and improve patient outcomes. Talent management moves beyond succession planning to attract, develop, and retain nursing leaders. DESIGN: Walker and Avant's model is used for concept analysis. DATA SOURCE: A literature search was accomplished using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, MEDLINE, PubMed, Business Source Premier, Canadian Major Dailies, and Management and Organization Studies. REVIEW METHODS: Keywords: talent management, succession planning, succession management, nursing, nursing leader, leadership, administration, and executive. RESULTS: Definitions for the concept of talent management are elusive in both the business and nursing literature. There is a lack of clarity with regard to the definition of talent management. CONCLUSION: The critical attributes for talent management of nursing leadership are the identification of emerging nurse leaders and engaging them in the development of their leadership competencies. The use of this concept analysis for talent management will enhance and facilitate the stability of nursing leadership positions in today's healthcare organizations.

Nursing students' perceptions of and experiences coping with stress in clinical practice.

Objectives Clinical practice is a major component of nursing education wherein significant learning takes place. Nursing students experience stress in clinical practice which can have a negative impact on their learning. Guided by Lazarus and Folkman's theory of stress and coping, this study explored nursing students' perceptions of and experiences with coping with stress in clinical practice. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten undergraduate nursing students. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results The themes of: Learning about self, Knowing self, Value of social support, and Relationships with clinical instructors reflect participants' descriptions of coping with stress. Students cognitive and behavioral strategies, including reflection, help them understand their stress and decide how to reduce its effects. Conclusions Supportive and respectful relationships are essential for a student to learn and cope effectively with stressful situations. Implications for improving the clinical instructor's role to enhance students' coping with stress in clinical practice are discussed.

Learner-centred teaching in a non-learner-centred world: An interpretive phenomenological study of the lived experience of clinical nursing faculty.

BACKGROUND: With the growing complexities in the contemporary health care system, there is a challenge of preparing nurses for the practice demands. To this end, learner-centred teaching has emerged in many nursing curricula in Canada and evidence indicates its effectiveness in developing the essential practice skills in nursing students. It is important to examine the experience of the clinical faculty members who implement learner-centred teaching, as doing so would provide an insight to the factors that may hinder the implementation of learner-centred teaching in the practice settings. OBJECTIVE: This phenomenological study aimed to address two research questions: what does learner-centred teaching mean to clinical nurse faculty? What is the lived experience of clinical nursing faculty who incorporate learner-centred teaching? METHODS: Ten clinical nurse faculty members who had at least two years of clinical teaching experience volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide and audio recorder. Additional data sources included a demographic survey and a reflective journal. RESULTS: Multiple sub-themes emerged from this study from which three significant themes were consolidated: diversity of meanings, facilitators of LCT, and barriers to LCT. However, an overarching theme of "learner-centred teaching in a non-learner-centred world" was coined from participants' accounts of their experiences of barriers in incorporating LCT in the practice settings. CONCLUSION: A collaborative effort between faculty and the stakeholders is paramount to a successful implementation of learner-centred teaching in practice settings.

Graduate Students' Experiences: Developing Self-efficacy.

The nurse educator shortage continues without an increase in the numbers of graduate prepared nurses. Studies identified challenges in recruitment of nursing graduate students. No studies explore the experiences of nurses during graduate education. The framework used was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The population for this study included 15 nurse educators with a master's or doctoral degree currently teaching in an undergraduate or graduate program in a western Canadian city. In semi-structured interviews, participants shared their experiences. Two themes emerged from the data: i) the hurdles of learning and ii) being a graduate student. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of faculty members' experiences as graduate students. Understanding these experiences will help graduate faculty understand how graduate students develop self-efficacy throughout their graduate programs. Moreover, findings of this study will help graduate students succeed in a graduate program. Finally, issues related to recruitment and retention are addressed.

Failing Clinical Practice & the Unsafe Student: A New Perspective.

Students who fail clinical courses is a long standing issue in nursing education. Although faculty intuitively "know" a student is in clinical difficulty, the research literature is limited to delineating and describing characteristics of these students. A retrospective analysis of students' files in which there was at least one clinical failure was conducted to identify clinical failure indicators. Files included students who were successful, required to withdraw, or voluntarily withdrew. This study integrates these characteristics in a manner not discussed in the literature. Two themes emerged that characterize student practices: (i) How students are in practice and (ii) Aspects of practice. A third theme surfaced as clinical teachers responded to these students by labelling the practice unsafe and increasing vigilance. A model was developed that shows the relationship between these characteristics and unsafe student practice.

The meaning of being a nurse educator and nurse educators' attraction to academia: A phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: The nursing faculty shortage affects the number of nurse graduates. Understanding the meaning of being a nurse educator and what attracts nurses with graduate degrees to academia, are important considerations in addressing the recruitment and retention of faculty. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of being a nurse educator and how nurse educators' understand their attraction to academia. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The sample population included 15 nurse educators with a master's or doctoral degree, currently teaching in an undergraduate or graduate nursing program in a western Canadian city. METHOD: Data were collected through 15 face-to-face semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. FINDINGS: The meaning of being a nurse educator and how nurse educators understand their attraction to academia illustrates, from the perspective of the participants, how they give meaning to being a nurse educator and how they understand their attraction to academia. Six subthemes emerged: (1) opportunities, (2) wanting to teach, (3) seeing students learn, (4) contributing to the profession, (5) the unattractive, and (6) flexibility. CONCLUSION: The faculty shortage is a complex issue, one that will persist into the foreseeable future. Understanding how nurse educators experience academia and how the meaning of these experiences attract them to academia, will facilitate the development of creative strategies to recruit and retain qualified nurse educators.

Does Synergy Exist in Nursing? A Concept Analysis.

AIM: The aim is to analyze the concept of synergy, particularly as the concept applies to teamwork, and determine if the concept has utility in improving the work environment for nurses. Tackling nursing shortages that result from a poor work environment is a priority for many nurse leaders. Producing synergy among teams may be an effective strategy in enhancing the work environment. However, the understanding of synergy and the ability to produce synergy among teams has been seldom highlighted or discussed within nursing literature. Walker and Avant's approach was used to guide this concept analysis of synergy. SOURCES: Literature searches involved databases (PsycInfo, Medline, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL], and Scopus), Internet search engines (Google), and hand searches. CONCLUSION: The analysis suggests that synergy is an outcome of the successful collaboration of the following three attributes: group cohesion, the pursuit of a common goal, and the achievement of a positive gain, considerably more than what was thought possible by the group. The foundation for this accomplishment requires an underlying feeling of special importance, the acknowledgment of each member's role, and open communication and dialogue among members. Nursing leaders would benefit from a broader understanding of synergy, and the mindful application and utility of synergy as an outcome of effective teamwork among nurses.

Challenges of implementating a doctoral program in an international exchange in Cuba through the lens of Kanter's empowerment theory.

The literature in international education focuses primarily on the experiences of western students in developing countries, international students in western universities, the development of an educational program in a developing country, or internationalization of curricula in western universities. There is little in the literature that addresses the challenges students and participating faculty face when implementing a graduate program in a developing country. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the challenges of implementing a doctoral program in an international exchange through the lens of Kanter's theory of empowerment. Recommendations to address these challenges will be made.

Job satisfaction in nursing: a concept analysis.

TOPIC: Concept analysis and job satisfaction in nursing. PURPOSE: In this article, Walker and Avant's concept analysis methodology is used to examine and clarify the phenomenon of job satisfaction in nursing. SOURCES: Published literature. CONCLUSION: A review of the published nursing literature suggests that job satisfaction is an affective reaction to a job that results from the incumbent's comparison of actual outcomes with those that are desired, expected, and deserved. In health care, specifically nursing in a hospital setting, job satisfaction can be measured and identified. Job satisfaction is compromised of three attributes: autonomy, interpersonal relationships, and patient care.

Grade inflation: should we be concerned?

Grade inflation is defined as an increase in grade point average without an associated increase in overall student ability. The literature supports the idea that grade inflation is rampant throughout higher education. Shoemaker and DeVos described the scope of the problem in higher education in general and note the lack of existing empirical information in nursing education. Given the perceived problem in faculties of nursing, the widespread nature of the issue of grade inflation across universities and colleges, and the lack of empirical data, understanding the nature of grade inflation is important. This article will discuss a study designed to investigate the extent to which grade inflation is an issue within a western Canadian faculty of nursing. Recommendations related to grade inflation are discussed.

Unravelling the unknowns of reflection in classroom teaching.

BACKGROUND: The use of reflection in education has emerged as an effective means of connecting theory with practice. However, the literature reveals limited empirical work on the conceptualization of reflection. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand more fully the meaning and use of reflection in teaching, and how reflection contributes to the development of teaching expertise in the classroom. Ethical approval. The study received ethical approval from the Faculty of Nursing Ethical Review Committee, University of Manitoba. Issues related to confidentiality of information, and power relationships between the investigators were addressed. Students were reassured that no data were collected about them during participant observations in the classrooms. METHODS: The investigators were the sources of data. Data were collected using five different methods over the course of two academic years, including written autobiographies, critical incident journals, classroom observations, debriefing following classroom observations and research team meetings. FINDINGS: The data were analysed using content analysis, and four themes were identified (i) making connections, (ii) developmental aspects, (iii) influence of context on reflection, and (iv) influence of emotions on reflection. Study limitations. The interpretation of the findings of this study should be used with caution given the qualitative design and small number of participants. CONCLUSION: Participation in the study increased the awareness of the investigators' personal use of reflection. The process of studying our own use of reflection allowed us to step outside the performance treadmill to better understand, accept and reshape what we do over and over in the classroom. This study supports an examination of one's experiences as a means of understanding reflection and its use in the classroom.