RN-to-BSN student reports of work experiences, academic performance, and program progression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Individuals who were RN to BSN students during the COVID-19 pandemic had the unique experience of being both undergraduate students and nurses during a time of exceptional stress for the healthcare system. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore student perceptions of their work experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how working as a nurse during this time affected their academic performance and progression through their RN to BSN program. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted using Braun and Clark's six-step thematic analysis process. CONCLUSION: Students reported experiencing both challenges and adaptability in their RN to BSN program performance and progression during the pandemic. DISCUSSION: Nurse educators and nurse managers can help RN to BSN nursing students during times marked by heavy workloads and increased stress by ascertaining their needs, being flexible, and providing self-care support.

Integration of the 5As Nicotine Cessation Framework in a Primary Care Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine causes significant morbidity and mortality. Many adults who want to quit using nicotine may not be receiving adequate support from their primary care providers. If used properly, the 5As nicotine cessation guidelines may help patients address their nicotine use. LOCAL PROBLEM: Smokers screened for tobacco use at a primary care clinic were not consistently offered evidence-based interventions using the 5As at each primary care encounter. METHODS: The 5As framework was presented to providers via PowerPoint presentation and printed materials. Provider and patient behaviors were measured using data from pre- and postintervention chart reviews. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant postintervention increase in the proportion of smokers who received the 5As components (P < .001). Patients' nicotine use decreased post-intervention. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the intervention increased providers' knowledge and use of the 5As, which helped patients reduce their nicotine use.

Children's Oral Health in Nursing Education and Practice: A Call for Action.

Dental caries are preventable but remain all too common.

The Impact of Nurse Education on Heart Failure Readmissions and Patient Education.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) has become a national concern, with approximately 5.7 million adults in the United States suffering from this life-altering disease. Improved education of these patients prior to discharge helps patients manage their disease adequately and reduce symptom exacerbations. OBJECTIVE: This quality improvement initiative aimed to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving nurses' knowledge of HF discharge teaching and documentation of this education in patient charts. METHODS: This project was conducted at a Magnet-recognized acute care hospital with 39 critical care step-down beds. Twenty-nine nurses employed on the step-down unit participated in the educational intervention. Pre/post nurse knowledge and chart review data were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of patients receiving HF education from unit nurses from preintervention 77.0% (n = 81) to postintervention 96.4% (n = 138) (p < .001). There was also a statistically significant increase in the mean number of days patients were educated from 1.64 to 2.58 days (p < .001). Nurse knowledge also increased from pretest (69.7%) to posttest scores (100%) (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Providing HF educational opportunities enhanced nurse knowledge and increased their documentation of HF education in patient charts. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurse educators may use the study results to improve nurse education and practices aimed at reducing HF readmissions.

Integrating Environmental Sustainability Content Into an RN-to-BSN Program: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The link between environmental sustainability, climate change, and health outcomes makes environmental sustainability an important topic for educators to include in nursing curricula. METHOD: Students completed a sustainability in nursing learning module, over a 4-week period, during which students created blog posts based on the learning materials and clinical practice observations. The Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey questionnaire was incorporated to measure changes in student attitudes regarding sustainability. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics indicated that students had higher average scores on the posttest for all variables except one measurement. Paired t-test results revealed statistically significant differences in nine sustainability attitude items in the pretest and posttest scores. These findings suggest that the intervention likely contributed to improved attitudes about sustainability in the workplace. CONCLUSION: Results of this study are promising because the brief intervention had a significant effect on practicing nurses' attitudes about sustainability in their work environments. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(11):637-641.].

Self-care as an ethical obligation for nurses.

As members of the largest and most trusted healthcare profession, nurses are role models and critical partners in the ongoing quest for the health of their patients. Findings from the American Nurses Association Health Risk Appraisal suggested that nurses give the best patient care when they are operating at the peak of their own wellness. They also revealed that 68% of the surveyed nurses place their patients' health, safety, and wellness before their own. Globally, several nursing codes of ethics include the requirement of self-care. Often, these codes embed the responsibility to protect and promote one's own health within the clearly described obligation to provide safe patient care. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is unique in that it states explicitly that nurses must adopt self-care as a duty to self in addition to their duty to provide care to patients. One of the basic assumptions of Watson's Philosophy and Science of Caring is that caring science is the essence of nursing and the foundational disciplinary core of the profession. Watson's theory of human caring provides support for the engagement in self-care. Two important value assumptions of Watson's Caritas are that "we have to learn how to offer caring, love, forgiveness, compassion, and mercy to ourselves before we can offer authentic caring and love to others" and we also must "treat ourselves with loving-kindness and equanimity, gentleness, and dignity before we can accept, respect, and care for others within a professional caring-healing model." Embedded within several caritas processes is an outline for a holistic approach to caring for self and others that can guide nurses to improve their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Assessing student expectations and perceptions of a short-term international service-learning experience.

OBJECTIVES: Despite nursing students' need for cultural education, few studies have measured what students expect from international service-learning experiences and how their perceptions of the actual experience compare to these expectations. To increase understanding of global nursing experiences, the purpose of this study was to examine the similarities and differences between nursing students' anticipated (pre-travel) personal and professional developmental expectations and reported (posttravel) personal and developmental outcomes. DESIGN: This study employed a mixed descriptive research design. Quantitative data was secured through survey methodology. Written responses to open-ended questions provided qualitative data for analysis. SAMPLE: Between 2012 and 2017, 43 undergraduate and graduate nursing students at a Midwestern university completed surveys and narratives about their participation in an international service-learning course in Kenya. RESULTS: Students' anticipated learning was achieved through their international experiences. Participants also experienced personal growth, professional development, cultural competency enhancement, and transformation from the educational experience. They also described how their experiences would change their personal and professional lives. CONCLUSION: The depth and breadth of the growth and learning described by students is consistent with the expectations of high-impact educational practices.

Measuring the Gap Between Students' Expectations and Experiences in an RN-to-BSN Nursing Program.

With the nursing profession requiring a more educated workforce, RN-to-BSN program enrollment has increased. Therefore, many nursing schools have expanded these programs and incorporated online learning components. The purpose of this study was to explore student expectations and perceptions of a Midwestern university's RN-to-BSN program. A modified SERVQUAL tool was used to measure student perceptions of six quality dimensions: empathy, assurance, responsiveness, reliability, website content, and e-learning quality. Results showed that the expectation-perception gap was greatest for responsiveness (-0.506) and least for website content (-0.156). Results from this and future gap analyses will be used to develop quality improvement measures.

Student Expectations of an RN-to-BSN Program: A Qualitative Analysis of Student and Faculty Perspectives.

The expansion of RN-to-BSN (registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing) education is addressing the need for nursing workforce development. However, little is known about what RNs expect from their RN-to-BSN education experience. Lack of understanding of student expectations could lead to student-perceived gaps in service quality. The aim of this study was to explore students' expectations of the RN-to-BSN program compared with the faculty's perceptions of what students expect. A descriptive qualitative research study using structured interviews was conducted at a school of nursing in the Midwest region of the United States. Student and faculty reports revealed the common themes of workload, flexibility, coursework, and support. Congruencies were noted in the areas of workload and coursework, and differences were identified in the areas of flexibility and support. Conducting a gap analysis can be a worthwhile endeavor for educators seeking to understand the needs of their student population. Acknowledging RN-to-BSN student expectations and addressing gaps between their expectations and reality early in the program could improve student perceptions of program quality.

School Nurses and RN to BSN Nursing Students.

Many nursing schools and public schools are facing various challenges including a lack of resources. Schools of nursing strive to provide meaningful clinical experiences despite the challenge of a limited supply of quality placements. Similarly, public schools are expected to provide more nursing services at a time when many school nurses already are overloaded. For example, new state legislation placed additional responsibilities (regarding epinephrine auto-injectors and cardiac emergency response plans) on school nurses in Michigan. Establishing a partnership between the University of Michigan-Flint and the Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) allowed RN to BSN students in the community health nursing course to complete enriching clinical experiences at selected GISD schools. While gaining valuable clinical knowledge, these nursing students helped school nurses comply with the new legislation's requirements. This partnership benefitted the nursing students, the school nurses, and the schools that served as clinical placement sites. Nursing school administrators and faculty members should consider pursuing similar clinical placement partnerships that could be advantageous for students and local communities.

Comparison of two breast carcinomas: ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular carcinoma in situ.

The incidence of breast carcinoma in situ is increasing, yet poorly understood. Diagnosis and management of two types of carcinoma in situ are addressed. Nurses are in key positions to educate and support patients for informed decisions about their treatment.

Evidence-based practice: collaboration between education and nursing management.

AIM: To examine practicing nurses' attitudes and knowledge of evidence-based practice. BACKGROUND: Health care providers acknowledge that health care decisions should be grounded in current evidence. Limited evidence documents practicing nurses' attitudes and knowledge regarding evidence-based practice. METHODS: A descriptive survey was administered to 286 practicing nurses. Demographics of educational preparation, area of practice, years in practice, age and gender were collected. RESULTS: The largest number of respondents held an associate degree (30.6%) or baccalaureate degree (29.5%). Thirty-seven per cent reported over 15 years experience in nursing. Forty-three percent reported 61-100% of their practice was evidence based. Fifty percent reported an ability to determine the validity of evidence, and 58% rated an ability to apply findings to individual cases positively. Administrative support of evidence-based practice was reported by only 5.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses voiced agreement that their practice was evidence-based; however, they reported only an average ability to retrieve or critically analyse evidence. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The findings support the need for an educational intervention for practicing nurses regarding evidence-based practice. Role modelling and collaboration of nurse managers and educators will promote transition of evidence into clinical practice.