Stories of being a new nurse academic at a nursing education institution.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to explore and discover the best moments of being a new nurse academic at nursing education institutions. AIM: The purpose of this study was to define, discover and learn about the experiences of being a new nurse academic. DESIGN: A qualitative design with inspiration from Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was used. METHOD: Purposive and snowball sampling was used. Data collection was done using semi-structured individual interviews. Data were analysed using Giorgi's method. The COREQ guidance was used for reporting of this study. RESULTS: Four themes were identified. (1) The emphasis was their transition from clinical setting into the world of academics, which was challenging, overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. (2) Participants were fulfilled and influenced to achieve more. (3) Participants expressed what they wished for. (4) Participants shared recommendations for job security, employment and retainment of new nurse academics.

Selection process for admission to an academic nursing programme - A meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Student nurse selection has been a topic of debate for years. Poor nursing care has been attributed to uncaring attitudes, lack of motivation and poor training and mentoring. Student nurse selection requirements and the steps involved in the process have been a revolving debate. Internationally, the recruitment and selection process are being refined to align with recommendations from the Francis Inquiry to include a values assessment. OBJECTIVE: To select, review and interpret evidence-based studies on student nurse selection; and develop and provide recommendations for nurse educators when selecting first-year student nurses as a holistic, integrative process fitting with caring and providing quality care. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were used during data collection: Ebscohost, ScienceDirect, SAGE, Cinahl and Sabinet (SAePublications). Qualitative articles published in English or Afrikaans reporting on student selection processes and experiences were included in the data collection process. REVIEW METHODS: Qualitative articles were systematically identified using the STARLITE principles. The articles were critically appraised for quality by employing the CASP method. RESULTS: Fourteen articles were included. Thirteen of the articles were published in English. One PhD thesis was included, a seminal work conducted on student nurse selection in South Africa. Data analysis revealed three main themes: a reliance on the interview, alternative selection methods, and attributes as criteria for nursing selection. Within these themes, many different methods of student selection emerged. The benefits and challenges of these methods were identified, and a holistic admission process was ultimately most successful in selecting the correct student nurse. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate there are many different student nurse selection processes. A holistic admission process is needed to select the best student nurse that displays caring attributes and provides quality nursing care.