Lived Experiences of ICU Nurses During COVID-19.

This qualitative, phenomenological study described ICU nurses' lived experiences caring for patients with COVID-19 while trying to engage in self-care and care for their families. Eleven ICU nurses shared their individual experiences working in a hospital ICU. Watson's theory of Caring Science guided the study to ensure a holistic interpretation of the data. Six themes and fifteen subthemes emerged, which revealed that ICU nurses faced barriers to self-care. The conclusion of the data analysis was that hospital leaders need to make Caring Science evident to ICU nurses during crises by trained Caritas coaches to build resilient frontline nurses through compassion.

Quantitative evaluation of variables to student success in a mastery learning baccalaureate nursing programme.

AIM: This study evaluated the relationship of student input and throughput variables in a mastery learning baccalaureate nursing programme to licensure success. DESIGN: This study used a quantitative, correlational design. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of records of 367 graduates over a 6-year period tested the relationship of pass rate on the licensing examination to six variables: overall pre-admission grade point average, entrance assessment scores, interview scores, remediation, programme length and exit assessment using point-biserial correlations, and chi-square analysis and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall pre-admission grade point average, entrance assessment scores, interview scores and exit assessment scores were positively correlated with student success. Although remediation and programme length were not correlated with success, 87% of the students participated in remediation. Most students (95%) successfully passed the Registered Nurse licence examination on their first attempt. While specific criteria were related to student success, further research is needed to determine the role of remediation.

Can Completing a Mental Health Nursing Course Change Students' Attitudes?

Nursing program graduates rarely choose mental health nursing as a career. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine attitudes of 310 nursing students towards persons with mental illness. Students completed surveys on the first and last days of their program's psychiatric mental health nursing course. The pre- and post-test survey analysis indicated that students improved their attitude, knowledge and preparedness to care for persons with mental illness. However, students maintained little interest in working as a mental health nurse. Modifications in mental health nursing courses could be made to improve students' interest in choosing a career in mental health nursing.

Correlation among client satisfaction, nursing perception of outcomes, and organizational variables.

Client satisfaction as an outcome measure provides useful information to home healthcare managers. After a review of client satisfaction instruments in home healthcare, a study of 38 home health sites indicated that clients had a high level of satisfaction with nursing care. A correlational descriptive study compared the client satisfaction to the Community Health Nursing Outcomes Inventory. Findings suggest that client satisfaction was higher when nurses perceive meeting clients' psychosocial needs, when nurses and supervisors maintain a good working relationship, and when nurses use guidelines to direct nursing practice.

Workplace variables and their relationship to quality client outcomes in home health.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of workplace variables and client outcomes, and to propose a model of the fit between the workplace variable dimensions of nursing technology (NT) and organizational structure (OS) to predict client outcomes in home health. The researchers used a correlational, predictive, descriptive design to measure NT, OS, nurses' role clarity, client outcomes, and client satisfaction. A convenience sample consisted of 43 home health sites with 205 nurses and 325 clients completing surveys. Nurses perceived that clients had better outcomes when the three dimensions of NT fit the three dimensions of OS: (1) when clients' conditions were unstable, nurses interacted with peers; (2) when care was complex, nurses consulted with supervisors; and (3) when clients' needs varied, nurses used rules to guide clinical decisions. Findings suggested that nurses' understanding of their roles correlated to OS. Nurse managers in home health care settings can use the model constructed as a result of the research to adjust the dimensions of OS to improve client outcomes.