Nursing students perceptions of death and dying: A descriptive quantitative study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are frequently present during the dying process as a support for the dying person and the family. Experiencing death in this capacity can cause emotional and psychological stress to the nursing staff as they work to help others. Nursing students as the upcoming generation of nurses, need the knowledge and self-awareness to support others through these often traumatic events. Many students may not have experience with death or dying and when combined with lack of knowledge will be a great barrier once students graduate. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine how sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate nursing students enrolled in one University setting perceive the concept of death and dying. DESIGN: A descriptive quantitative study was designed to explore the various perceptions that sophomore, junior, and senior nursing students have about death and dying. RESULTS: The Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying scale showed students have a positive attitude toward caring for dying patients. The Death Attitudes Profile-Revised scale indicated the presence of all profiles, though most students identified with Neutral Acceptance profile. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students often fear caring for clients with death or dying. Additional targeted education along with end of life care simulations can improve students improve their attitudes and beliefs to better care for patients.

Exploratory factor analysis of the Just Culture Assessment Tool for nursing education.

BACKGROUND: Just culture has been identified as a vital component of safety culture by national and international organisations. In a just culture, emphasis is not placed on blaming individuals for errors but rather on examining personal and system processes that can best support safety and prevent reoccurrence. Although those in the practice arena have worked to implement the concepts of just culture, the same is not true in nursing education, leaving nursing students lacking the pre-requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes to implement just culture in practice on graduation. AIMS: Assessment of this phenomena is the essential first step to align nursing education with practice in promoting just culture as a mechanism for patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to further refine the Just Culture Assessment Tool-Nursing Education through exploratory factor analysis. METHODS: The Just Culture Assessment Tool-Nursing Education was adapted from the Just Culture Assessment Tool, an instrument created for the practice setting. Validity and reliability were established for the Just Culture Assessment Tool-Nursing Education in a study of 800 nursing students to assess their perceptions and understanding of just culture with their nursing programmes. Using the previously conducted data, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Factor analysis supports six subscales, similar to that of the Just Culture Assessment Tool. However, individual items were loaded into different subscales. All subscales demonstrated good reliability. Factor analysis supported further refinement of two items to improve the instrument's ability to capture data. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of just culture differ between experienced providers and nursing students; nursing students have less experience with reporting errors. Factor analysis of Just Culture Assessment Tool-Nursing Education items demonstrated these differences, supporting modification of items by the instrument developers. An 'if' statement for students to consider their possible actions rather than experience was added to two items to better capture data from nursing students when completing the assessment.

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.

Development and Validation of the Just Culture Assessment Tool for Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety efforts in practice have focused on creating a just culture where errors can be identified and reported, and system remedies created to prevent reoccurrence. The same is not true of nursing education where student experiences with error and the sequelae that follow focus on individual performance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to adapt the Just Culture Assessment Tool (JCAT) used in practice settings into a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate just culture in academic settings. METHODS: A 27-item instrument was adapted for academia. Content validity was established. Reliability was determined in a pilot study with 133 prelicensure nursing students. RESULTS: The scale content validity index (CVI) was calculated at 1. The reliability of the instrument is strong (α = .75). CONCLUSIONS: The CVI and pilot study findings support the use of the JCAT for Nursing Education as a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate student perception of just culture in academia.

Comprehensive Review of Nutrition Components for Occupational Health Nurses-Part 2.

This article, the second in a two-part series, reviews and examines the components of clinical nutrition. In Part 2, the authors discuss nutritional components of fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. A resource guide is provided for the occupational health nurse to assist in the implementation of employee education in the area of healthy nutrition. The intent of the articles is to acquaint and inform the occupational health nurse on the current guidelines for healthy eating so she or he can better appraise their employee population, thus creating a healthier workforce. The information provided is not all-inclusive on the topics discussed but it provides a foundation for a better understanding of the requirements for healthy eating.

Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Components for Occupational Health Nurses-Part 1.

This article, the first in a two-part series, reviews and examines the components of clinical nutrition. In Part 1, the authors introduce the concept of nutrition and the role it plays in supporting healthy employees, current guidelines, and recommendations for determining healthy eating and the nutritional component of carbohydrates. In Part 2, the components of fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water, and a resource guide are provided for the occupational health nurse to assist in the implementation of employee education in the area of healthy nutrition. The intent of the articles is to acquaint and inform occupational health nurses on the current guidelines for healthy eating so they can better appraise their employee population, thus creating a healthier workforce. The information provided is not all-inclusive on the topics discussed, but provides a foundation to understand the requirements for a healthier workforce.

Millennial's perspective of clicker technology in a nursing classroom: A Mixed methods research study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education is facing challenges and a shift in paradigm within the nursing classroom. Educators need to explore innovative strategies that engage students. Clickers are one tool that can enhance participation, protect anonymity, and promote learning of concepts. METHODS/DATA SOURCES: This mixed methods study evaluated nursing student's perceptions of clicker technology during lecture. This study uses a 9-item questionnaire to explore perceived levels of student perception of the technology of clickers in a nursing classroom. PARTICIPANTS: The sample consisted of ninety-nine sophomore and senior level nursing students. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the use of clickers helped them to develop a better understanding of the subject matter when compared to traditional lecture based class. CONCLUSION: The findings portray a positive correlation of learning and an enhanced pedagogical approach for nursing students.

A Review of Four Health Procedures That School Nurses May Encounter.

The school nurse plays a vital role in providing care and meeting the health needs of students in the school setting. Students attend school with chronic conditions and complex medical problems such as quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy. It is the responsibility of the school nurse to provide appropriate assessment, early intervention, and care for children in the school environment. The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the knowledge and skills the school nurse needs to care for students with central venous lines, gastrostomy tubes, altered urinary elimination, and tracheostomies.

A phenomenological study of millennial students and traditional pedagogies.

BACKGROUND: The Millennial generation comprises the majority of learners in the traditional university setting. Nurse educators identify problems developing teaching strategies in education that undergraduate Millennial nursing students find engaging and meaningful. The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of Millennial students participating in traditional pedagogies and its significant implications for nursing education. METHOD: This interpretive phenomenological study recorded the lived experiences of Millennial nursing students' experiences in traditional classrooms. One on one interviews with 13 Millennial students were conducted. Data collection and analysis aligned with van Manen's method. RESULTS: There are five themes that emerged from the data: physically present, mentally dislocated; unspoken peer pressure; wanting more from the professors; surface learning; and lack of trust. The essence focuses around the central theme of belonging, while students identified the most significant challenge in a classroom was disengaging professors. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for faculty to engage nursing students through a method of shared responsibility of educational approach are given. Blended teaching pedagogies that offer traditional and active methods are recommended.