Desiree Hensel

Constructing Maternal-Child Learning Experiences Using Clinical Simulations

Clinical simulations are gaining more attention in the field of maternal-child health and allow nursing programs and service organizations to assess competency of students and staff in key patient safety situations. Nursing and midwifery programs, orientations, and yearly reaccreditation modules commonly include simulation on postpartum hemorrhage, placenta abruption, shoulder distocia, and other high-risk, low-incidence emergency events. This article describes the use of simulations by educators and managers as teaching or professional development strategies.

Longitudinal study of stress, self-care, and professional identity among nursing students

This longitudinal study describes the factors associated with the acquisition of a professional identity over the course of prelicensure education among 45 baccalaureate nursing students. At every time point, personal spiritual growth practices and the students’ perceptions of their caring abilities predicted sense of fit with the profession. Even as there is a growing emphasis of quality and safety education, caring and spirituality remain central to nurses’ professional identities on entry to practice.

Changes in stress and nurse self-concept among baccalaureate nursing students.

This pilot studys purpose was to investigate the relationship between stress and nurse self-concept. Specifically, it examined whether enrollment in a wellness course affected stress levels and self-concept acquisition among sophomore baccalaureate nursing students (N = 52). The findings showed that early in the curriculum these students had a fairly well developed sense of professional self-concept but made gains in facets of leadership and communication over the course of the semester. Students demonstrated high levels of stress that remained unchanged over the semester, regardless of self-concept acquisition. This study concluded that enrollment in a wellness course was insufficient to prepare nursing students to manage stress as they transition to professional roles, and it was possible that undergraduate education perpetuated the internalization of stress as part of a nurses professional identity. Future studies are needed to determine effective ways to teach stress management and best design nursing curricula to reduce stressors.

Characteristics that perinatal nurse managers desire in new nurse hires.

BACKGROUND Nursing leaders have proposed that nurses must have the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies to work in complex health care systems. Using the QSEN framework, this study explored what characteristics perinatal nurse managers desired most in new nurses. METHODS This study used a survey design and a convenience sample of perinatal nurse managers working in Indiana hospitals (N = 46). RESULTS Managers were more likely to hire nurses with experience, positive references, and excellent attendance. Of the QSEN competencies, managers looked most for teamwork and collaboration, followed by safety and patient-centered care. CONCLUSION In addition to the traditional qualities desired in new nurses, the QSEN competencies are gaining importance among perinatal managers.

Building partnerships using student role models for neonatal resuscitation simulation.

BACKGROUND Although the use of simulation in schools of nursing is becoming common, its use in clinical practice is still emerging. This project explored how students could contribute to the clinical unit by supporting learning among experienced registered nurses who are new to simulation. METHODS This quasi-experimental pilot study used a convenience sample of all perinatal nurses who participated in a neonatal resuscitation program renewal course in the fall quarter at a Midwestern U.S. hospital (N = 88). Satisfaction and confidence in learning were compared between groups of nurses who watched a simulation DVD with either instructors or students as team members before participating in a neonatal resuscitation scenario. RESULTS The participants viewed the simulation as a positive experience. There was no significant difference in satisfaction or confidence with the simulation between the two groups. CONCLUSION There may be opportunities for student nurses to make positive contributions to staff education on clinical units through simulation.

Learning outcomes with visual thinking strategies in nursing education

BACKGROUND There is a need to develop innovative strategies that cultivate broad cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills in nursing curricula. The purpose of this project was to explore transferable skills students gained from Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). METHOD This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 55 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in an entry level healthy population course. The students participated in a 1h VTS session led by a trained facilitator. Data came from the groups written responses to a question about how they would use skills learned from VTS in caring for patients and in their nursing practice. RESULTS Content analysis showed students perceived gaining observational, cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills from the VTS session. CONCLUSIONS VTS is a unique teaching strategy that holds the potential to help nursing students develop a broad range of skills. Studies are needed on optimal exposure needed to develop observational, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Research is also needed on how skills gained in VTS translate to practice.

Interprofessional education at a pediatric optometry clinic

To create safer systems and improve patient outcomes, leaders in health care have emphasized the need to improve lines of communication among all providers through interprofessional education (IPE). While some schools of nursing have begun IPE initiatives between nursing and medical students using tools such as TeamSTEPPS, the Institute of Medicine recommends that to best address the population’s health promotion and disease prevention needs, IPE models should include a wider variety of professionals. Leaders in nursing also called for educators to radically reshape prelicensure clinical education from a predominantly acute-care, hospital-based model to one that is centered around common health problems and includes a variety of care settings. The need to transform pediatric clinical education is especially urgent. Children comprise approximately a quarter of the nation’s population, but 17% have less than optimal health. Nurses, skilled in the care of children, can help improve care outcomes, but this care is increasingly happening in settings outside acute care. Inpatient pediatric units have been running at 73% capacity for several years, while at the same time visits to other outpatient care settings have increased by 26%. Experts in pediatric nursing affirm that children’s health preferred future is dependent on the delivery of health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and healthy development where children live, learn, and play. Thus, aligning pediatric clinical education to the points where families access care is important. Vision care is an important aspect of pediatric health promotion. Healthy People 2020 sets 3 objectives for improvingvision in children: increasing thenumberofpreschoolers who receive vision screening by 10%, reducing blindness and visual impairment in children and adolescents by 10%, and increasing the use of personal protective eyewear in hazardous situations among children and adolescents by 10%. Nurses often perform initial screenings and make referrals; thus, achieving Healthy People 2020 pediatric vision care objectives requires strong collaborative efforts between eye care specialists and nursing.

Using Q Methodology to Assess Learning Outcomes Following the Implementation of a Concept-based Curriculum

The use of a concept-based curriculum in nursing education is increasing, but assessing its impact remains challenging. This project discusses how Q methodology was used to evaluate our prelicensure program’s outcome of creating practitioners who were ready to practice in diverse environments before and after a concept-based curricular revision. The successes and challenges of the revision are discussed.

Differences in drinking patterns between female nursing and nonnursing students

This study compared the drinking patterns of 123 female nursing students with those of 185 female students of other majors enrolled beyond the freshman year at a large public university. High-risk drinking patterns did not vary significantly between the 2 groups, suggesting that students’ drinking patterns reflected the norms of their institution. Prevention strategies geared at campus culture and that target students still enrolled in prerequisites may be needed to reduce alcohol abuse in nursing students.

Outcomes of a Bystander Intervention Community Health Service-Learning Project.

The purpose of this article is to describe the integration of a college bystander intervention service-learning project into an entry-level community clinical course in a prelicensure program and its outcomes. Two years of data from 118 students showed that students helped improve campus safety while growing as professionals and gaining leadership and health promotion skills. Approximately one-third of the students described a specific incident in which they intervened in an ambiguous situation.