Barbara J. Patterson

Evidence for teaching practice: the impact of clickers in a large classroom environment.

As the number of nursing students increases, the ability to actively engage all students in a large classroom is challenging and increasingly difficult. Clickers, or student response systems (SRS), are a relatively new technology in nursing education that use wireless technology and enable students to select individual responses to questions posed to them during class. The study design was a quasi-experimental comparison with one section of an adult medical-surgical course using the SRS and one receiving standard teaching. No significant differences between groups on any measure of performance were found. Focus groups were conducted to describe student perceptions of SRS. Three themes emerged: Being able to respond anonymously, validating an answer while providing immediate feedback, and providing an interactive and engaging environment. Although the clickers did not improve learning outcomes as measured by objective testing, perceptions shared by students indicated an increased degree of classroom engagement. Future research needs to examine other potential outcome variables.

Flipped Versus Traditional Instruction and Achievement in a Baccalaureate Nursing Pharmacology Course

&NA; The researchers used a quantitative pretest‐posttest nonequivalent control group quasi‐experimental design to determine if there is a significant difference in content knowledge acquisition between traditional and flipped classroom methods. Analysis revealed that the flipped classroom approach was significantly different for three unit exams. The results did not show a significant difference in the means for the final exam. Knowledge gains on tests and students’ positive responses support the use of the flipped classroom method.

Evidence for Teaching: What Are Faculty Using?

ABSTRACT The benefit of engaging in evidence‐based teaching practice (EBTP) is to identify and implement best practices in nursing education. Unfortunately, nursing education has made little forward movement in identifying the evidence upon which faculty base their teaching practices. A national online survey of 295 nurse educators from 86 programs revealed the evidence they use in their teaching practices as well as the facilitators and barriers to EBTP.The majority of participants indicated they used quantitative and qualitative research (94 percent) but also considered written course evaluations, conference information, class feedback, and student comments as evidence. Participants identified personal beliefs as the most frequent facilitator to EBTP with 25 percent indicating their institution as a barrier. As EBTP offers a guide to establishing best practices in nursing education, building a science of nursing education is the responsibility of all nurse educators.

Student outcomes of distance learning in nursing education: an integrative review.

Distance learning offers a distinctive environment to educate nursing students. While there is a significant body of evidence in the literature related to course, program, and faculty outcomes of distance education, little attention has been given by researchers to evaluate student outcomes, with the exception of student satisfaction. There is a need to evaluate and translate findings related to student outcomes in distance learning into educational practice. Integrative reviews offer one strategy to contribute to evidence-based teaching practice initiatives. A search of available published qualitative and quantitative research on student outcomes of distance learning from 1999 to 2009 was conducted using a number of databases. Astin’s Input-Environment-Output conceptual model provided a framework for this review. Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Bothcognitive and affective student outcomes emerged. The cognitive outcomes were student learning, learning process, and technology proficiency. Affective outcomes included personal and professional growth, satisfaction, and connectedness. Implications, recommendations, and future research are discussed.

Getting In and Getting Out Whole: Nurse-Patient Connections in the Psychiatric Setting

As a strong component in patient healing, interpersonal connection in the psychiatric/mental health setting can threaten nurses’ health. Participant observation on four behavioral health and addiction units revealed a process of connecting with patients’ emotional pain, delineating strategies applicable to nurses’ multiple world views and practice styles. Findings from 12 nurses highlighted connectedness as a process and personal decision that, with self-awareness and individualized self-protective/self-separating strategies, can enhance patient healing as well as nurse satisfaction and growth. The evolved model may help nurses ease emotional labor, combat compassion fatigue, enhance performance, and preserve their self in todays complex acute care setting.

Competencies for Leaders in Nursing Education

AIM The study purpose was to identify and describe the competencies that educators need to be leaders in nursing education. BACKGROUND Leadership is inherent within the role of the nurse educator; however, many lack formal education in leadership and are underprepared to fully embrace the faculty leadership role. there exists a dearth of research on the competencies necessary for leaders in nursing education. METHOD Fifteen leaders in nursing education were interviewed. Data were analyzed using an inductive iterative process. trustworthiness was established. FINDINGS Four competencies emerged: articulate and promote a vision for nursing education, function as a steward for the organization and nursing education, embrace professional values in the context of higher education, develop and nurture relationships. CONCLUSION Leadership is an essential component of the nurse educator role. The findings provide evidence to support best practices in nursing education and to advance the science of nursing education.

Risk Taking Among Diabetic Clients

Diabetic clients must make daily decisions about their health care needs. Observational and anecdotal evidence suggests that vast differences exist between the kinds of choices diabetic clients make and the kinds of chances they are willing to take. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a diabetic risk-assessment tool. This instrument, which is based on subjective expected utility theory, measures risk-prone and risk-averse behavior. Initial findings from a pilot study of 18 women clients who are on insulin indicate that patterns of risk behavior exist in the areas of exercise, skin care, and diet.

Joining Forces: The Status of Military and Veteran Health Care in Nursing Curricula

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 23 million veterans living in the United States. In 2012, the Joining Forces initiative highlighted the need to enhance nursing education for the military and veteran population. With the drawdown of 2 long, large-scale conflicts, a young cohort of veterans presented new challenges in health care. Although not necessarily a traditional vulnerable population, given their emergent health care needs, they are vulnerable. Purnells Model for Cultural Competence provided a framework for this exploratory descriptive study. A national on-line survey of 123 nursing programs that pledged to support Joining Forces responded as to how they addressed the initiatives, curricular content, and facilitators and barriers to the process. The findings suggest that some schools/colleges of nursing have exceeded the initiative goals, some who have implemented little, whereas most are in the process. Respondents shared approaches used to enhance courses and curricula. Faculty who were veterans were a strength to program enhancement. The majority felt that incorporating this content was important, although lack of time and a content-laden curriculum were common barriers. Nurse educators have an ethical obligation to teach culturally sensitive care. Making the pledge was only the first step.

Leading nurses: emotional intelligence and leadership development effectiveness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence (EI) and leadership development education program involving 20 nurse leaders at nursing homes. Also, it investigates the relationship between EI and transformational leadership. Design/methodology/approach Three research questions are posed. Correlation analysis and t-tests were conducted to answer the questions posed. Findings The findings of this paper indicate that the EI educational development was effective, while the personal leadership development was not. The data also showed a positive significant relationship between EI and transformational leadership. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited by the small sample size; thus, a causal relationship between EI and leadership could not be investigated. Additionally, the sample was not randomly selected because of the commitment needed from the participants. Furthermore, the paper was focused on nurse leaders in nursing homes, so it may not be generalizable to other populations. Practical implications With the increasing need for nursing home facilities and the limited training generally provided to nurses who move into managerial roles in these facilities, it is critical for organizations to understand the effectiveness of educational programs that exist. Moreover, the findings of this paper may provide information that would be useful to others who wish to develop EI and/or leadership education for nurses. Originality/value While much research exists on EI and transformational leadership, little of this research focuses on nurses in nursing home facilities. Thus, this paper fills a gap in the literature.

Peer Review: The Science of Nursing Education Depends on It

: In my three years as editor of the Research Briefs section of Nursing Education Perspectives, I have worked with many stellar reviewers and have learned a significant amount about peer review.