The Lived Experience of International Graduate Nursing Students Engaged With the US Educational System.

BACKGROUND: Strategies are needed to address social and cultural challenges faced by international students pursuing education at American universities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of graduate international nursing students enrolled in a graduate nursing program. METHOD: This descriptive phenomenological study explored the experiences of twelve international graduate nursing students. RESULTS: Through the use of Colaizzi's (1978) method of qualitative data analysis, five emergent themes were identified: Experiencing Cultural Differences, Taking on the New Role, Navigating Challenges, Reaping Benefits, and Unfulfilled Wishes. Within these themes, unique ideas of 'wanting to do good for their home country', strategies students used for 'cultural adjustment', and 'unmet or conflicting expectations' were present that have implications for nurse educators and program administrators. CONCLUSIONS: Future recommendations for faculty include front loading professional writing support for students, exploring opportunities for increased intercultural interactions in and out of the classroom, and workshops to increase faculty cultural awareness. The theme of 'unfulfilled wishes' provides a rich understanding of goals that international students bring to the learning environment. Additional research studies are needed to explore the experiences of international nursing students in other fields and after they return home to their native country.

Self-Reported Patient Safety Competence among Nursing, Respiratory Care, and Nuclear Medicine Technology Students.

AIMS: Having a culture of safety in an organization is necessary for providers to feel comfortable reporting and discussing medical errors so that solutions can be devised to decrease their occurrence. The purpose of this study was to describe self-reported patient safety competence among nursing, respiratory care, and nuclear medicine technology students. DESIGN: A descriptive study was conducted in a public university. All junior- and senior-level students in nursing, respiratory care, and nuclear medicine technology were asked to complete the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) to assess their perceptions of safety education in the classroom and clinical settings. RESULTS: Significant differences were found among the groups. Nursing and nuclear medicine students reported higher safety competence. Females reported a higher level of competency than males. There were no significant differences between junior- and senior-level student self-reported safety competencies. Findings will be used to make curricular changes to enhance safety education for healthcare professionals.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Safety and Communication Issues in the Clinical Setting.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to describe nursing students' perceptions of safety issues and communication in clinical settings. METHOD: A descriptive study of nursing students' perceptions of safety and communication in clinical settings was conducted at a state university in the northeastern United States. Study participants consisted of 196 junior- and senior-level undergraduate nursing students in a baccalaureate program. RESULTS: One third of the students reported thinking that mistakes are held against them. In addition, they reported fear of communicating an error and fear of asking questions if something does not seem right. The majority reported they never encountered a near-miss event and would not report an error that and not harm the patient. Students also responded that actual errors and near misses are not consistently reported. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate educators have an opportunity to enhance nursing curricula with strategies to foster and embrace a culture of safety. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(5):287-290.].

Fostering Student Success: Turning Off Practice Assessment Rationales to Improve Proctored Assessment Scores.

Preparing students with opportunities to practice critical thinking skills is essential to success on the National Council Licensure Examination. This pilot study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of turning off practice assessment answers and rationales on a standardized examination. A retrospective study compared students' scores when rationales were turned on and turned off. Eighty-one percent of the students were able to achieve the benchmark when the answers and rationales were turned off as compared to 71 percent when turned on. Faculty can utilize these findings to inform remediation strategies.

Using active engagement to teach leadership.

The current health care climate requires nurses to demonstrate leadership competencies. Incorporating leadership strategies into nursing continuing education is accomplished through methods such as role-play and clinical simulation activities. Simulation helps nurses to care for multiple patients, effectively delegate, consider quality and safety issues, and communicate effectively with health care team members.