The use of humour in nursing education: An integrative review of research literature.

OBJECTIVES: Humour is an integral part of communication and often used in education to support learning, build relationships, lessen stress, and create a positive environment. This paper presents results from an integrative review of literature that aimed to explore how humour is used in nursing education. DESIGN: Integrative literature review. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, INFORMIT, Medline and Proquest education. REVIEW METHODS: An integrative review of published research was conducted in the above-mentioned databases during March to June 2022. A hand search in reference lists of published articles was also conducted. Search terms followed PEO (population, exposure and outcome) and included 'Faculty, Nursing', 'Nurse* Student*', 'Baccalaureate', 'Humo?r', 'Laugh*', 'Wit', 'Fun*', 'Comedy', 'Educat*', 'Teach*', 'Learn*' and 'Curricul*'. Inclusion criteria stated articles must have a research component investigating how humour is used and received by students in nursing education. The articles were peer reviewed and published after 2001. Conference abstracts, editorials and articles describing the use of humour in nursing education without research evidence were excluded. Grey literature was not included. RESULTS: The search yielded two hundred and one articles, 10 of which met the inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily qualitative (n = 9) with 1 quantitative study. Five themes were found among the articles (1) Humour builds social relationships (2) Humour aids learning/critical thinking (3) Humour and stress relief (4) Humour to focus attention and (5) Negative use of humour. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the use of humour in nursing education lowers stress, improves attention, increases focus and improved information retention. However, findings also conclude that negative humour is not conducive to learning. Research is needed to explore the use of humour in nurse education in order to develop teaching approaches that include culturally sensitive humour to enhance the student learning experience and reduce stress.

Nurses and undergraduate student nurses' experiences in collaborative clinical placement programs in acute hospitals: An integrative literature review.

OBJECTIVES: To identify, and critically review student, nurse clinician and clinical facilitator/educator experiences of collaborative clinical placement models in acute hospitals. DESIGN: An integrative review that followed Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) framework. DATA SOURCES: Studies published between 2009 and 2019 were identified via a comprehensive search of the following databases: CINAHL, OVID Medline, EMBASE, EMCARE, PsychINFO, Johanna Briggs Institute, ERIC and SCOPUS. REVIEW METHODS: The initial search located 2309 Articles. After screening and checking for eligibility 14 articles were critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist for qualitative papers, the McMaster's Critical Review Form for quantitative papers and MMAT Appraisal tool for mixed method papers. The papers were then analysed thematically. RESULTS: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria for the review (four quantitative, six mixed method, three qualitative). We identified an overarching central theme of sense of belonging and acceptance along with the following four sub themes: familiarity and continuity, confidence and competence, preparedness and lastly supervising relationships and faculty support. CONCLUSION: This review indicates collaborative clinical placement programs have a positive impact on the student experience. Further research is needed regarding experiences of clinical nurses, health organisation leaders and Faculty to better understand what will improve support of students in collaborative clinical placement programs as there were few research findings found related to these non-student participant groups. Exploring student placement experiences that include both traditional and Collaborative models would provide greater insight into the value of these programs.

Registered nurses' experience of mentoring undergraduate nursing students in a rural context: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Registered nurses in a rural context are expected to support undergraduate students during clinical placement, however, they may experience challenges that are unique to the rural context. Aim: To describe the registered nurses' experience of mentoring undergraduate nursing students on clinical placements in a rural context. Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Method: Data were collected from nine participants at two rural hospitals in Australia. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and content analysis was used to analyse data. Findings: Four categories emerged from the data: 'The challenges of mentoring', 'Supporting students and facilitating learning', 'Supporting registered nurses who mentor undergraduate nursing students' and 'The rewards of mentoring'. Conclusion: The experience of the rural registered nurse mentor is affected by limited staffing and skill mix, the generalist nature of their work, time constraints and lack of information about students. They need flexible strategies, improved communication and information about students attending clinical placements.

Enhancing nursing students' understanding of threshold concepts through the use of digital stories and a virtual community called 'Wiimali'.

Wiimali is a dynamic virtual community developed in 2010 and first implemented into our Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program in 2011. The word Wiimali comes from the Gumiluraai Aboriginal language. Wiimali and the digital stories it comprises were designed to engage nursing students and enhance their understanding of the threshold concepts integral to safe and effective nursing practice. In this paper we illustrate some of the key features of Wiimali with web links to a virtual tour of the community and a selection of digital stories. We explain how this innovative educational approach has the potential to lead to transformative learning about concepts such as social justice, person-centred care and patient safety. Consistent feedback about Wiimali attests to the positive impact of this educational approach. Students have commented on how Wiimali caused them to think differently about the concepts of community and social justice; how it brings the health-related problems of community members to life; and how the digital stories enhance their learning about person-centred care and patient safety.