Diane F. Hunker

Facilitating student retention in online graduate nursing education programs: A review of the literature

Online education, a form of distance education, provides students with opportunities to engage in lifelong learning without the restrictions of time and space. However, while this approach meets the needs of employed nursing professionals, it poses some challenges for educators. Student retention is one such challenge. Student retention rates serve as measures of program quality and are reported to accrediting bodies. Therefore, it is imperative that administrators and program faculty implement comprehensive programs to ensure student retention. This review of the literature was designed to identify strategies to improve student retention in online graduate nursing education programs. The review includes 23 articles that address models, research, and best practices supported in nursing and higher education. The findings indicate that student retention in online programs is a multidimensional problem requiring a multifaceted approach. Recommendations for facilitating retention in online nursing programs include ensuring social presence and program and course quality, and attentiveness to individual student characteristics.

Facilitating Scholarly Writer Development: The Writing Scaffold

UNLABELLED PROBLEM OF INTEREST: Nursing faculty at a private, medium-sized university noted that students in their online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, hybrid Master of Science in Nursing, and online Doctor of Nursing Practice programs displayed varying scholarly writing abilities. PURPOSE This article proposes an evidence-based comprehensive support framework, or scaffold that can be used in nursing education to facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities in students. PRACTICE IMPLICATION The writing scaffold is recommended for use by nursing faculty to facilitate the development of scholarly writing abilities within nursing, across nursing program levels, and across disciplines.

Developing as a scholarly writer: The experience of students enrolled in a PhD in nursing program in the United States

Graduates of doctoral nursing programs are expected to disseminate knowledge through scholarly writing, yet faculty teaching doctoral nursing students in two specific programs in western Pennsylvania in the United States noted students enter their doctoral programs with varying writing skills. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to uncover the lived experience of developing as a scholarly writer. Data were collected through the use of a demographic questionnaire and personal interviews with 10 students enrolled in their first semester of coursework in a traditional, rather than online, 60-credit PhD in nursing program at a large state university in western Pennsylvania. All interviews were recorded and transcribed and served as rich data sources. Data were analyzed using a systematic approach consistent with hermeneutic phenomenology. Themes uncovered included (a) coming to know about scholarly writing, (b) shifting thinking in order to write scholarly, (c) giving birth: the pain and the pleasure of scholarly writing, and (d) putting all the pieces together into the final product. Findings from this study can help faculty to understand the experiences of nursing student scholarly writing development. Recommendations based on the findings include a collection of teaching strategies that can be used to facilitate scholarly writer development across all levels of nursing education.

Is difficult childbirth related to postpartum maternal outcomes in the early postpartum period

Unplanned, adverse events during labor or delivery may generate a negative response during the early postpartum period, resulting in disruption of usual functioning and mood. High levels of maternal depressive symptoms are associated with parenting, infant attachment, behavioral problems and cognition (Beck 2002). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of adverse events in labor or delivery and depressive symptoms, functional status and infant care at 2-weeks postpartum. The secondary aim was to explore the role of social support as a possible moderator in the relationship between adverse birth events and maternal outcomes. A secondary analysis of data (n = 123) was performed using data collected in a prospective, observational study examining the effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy. Adverse events did not significantly predict depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 1.34, p = .536), functional status (R2 change = .001, p = .66), or infant care (R2 change = .004, p = .48) at 2-weeks postpartum when controlling for depression during pregnancy, antidepressant use at delivery, education level, age, and parity. Social support had significant effects on depressive symptoms (p = .02), functional status (p = .014), and infant care (p < .001) but did not moderate the effect of adverse events when predicting depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 1.01, p = .045), functional status (R2 change = .009, p = .056) and infant care (R2 change < .001, p = .92). Adverse events did not predict maternal outcomes at 2-weeks postpartum. Social support was related to depressive symptoms, functional status and infant care, but did not moderate the effects of adverse events.

Exploring The effects Of An online asynchronous mindfulness meditation intervention with nursing students On Stress, mood, And Cognition: A descriptive study

BACKGROUND Nurses returning to school while working, raising families, and maintaining other roles, can experience stress, mood changes and cognition disturbance that negatively impact their academic success. OBJECTIVES To explore the effect of an online mindfulness meditation intervention with distance nursing students on stress, mood and cognition. DESIGN A 24 week descriptive study. SETTINGS An 8 week online intervention was offered to all undergraduate and graduate nursing students, of three nursing programs of a middle-sized university in mid-Atlantic US. PARTICIPANTS A total of 26 nursing students completed the study. METHODS An 8 week online, asynchronous mindfulness intervention was provided through the learning management system with a 16 week follow-up. OUTCOMES MEASURES Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Attention Network Test (ANT). RESULTS Stress was significantly reduced (F(2,24)=4.163, p=.019). A decreasing trend for anxiety was noted with significant difference between time points (F(1,23)=6.889, p=.015) when practice frequency was weekly to daily. Cognition: ability to shift attention, attention selection, concentration, and accuracy improved. CONCLUSION Findings from this study may illuminate the usefulness of a mindfulness based stress reduction program offered to distance nursing students. Further studies are needed to better demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Understanding the Scholarly Writing Development of Nurses Enrolled in U.S. Clinical Doctoral Programs

PROBLEM Faculty teaching nurses enrolled in clinical doctoral programs need to understand the process of student scholarly writing development so that students can be prepared to share knowledge and communicate effectively in scholarly formats. METHODS A hermeneutic phenomenological study that sought to understand the scholarly writing development of nurses enrolled in a clinical doctoral program was conducted. FINDINGS Findings from interviews with six Doctor of Nursing Practice students revealed three themes: learning throughout life, influence of emotions, and getting through the gate. CONCLUSION Based upon these findings, recommendations for further development of doctoral student writing are suggested so that students can disseminate their knowledge in a scholarly manner, improve practice, and contribute to the profession.

Developing Executive Nurse Leaders: Exemplar for Using Information Technology to Bolster Professional Role Development of BSN-DNP Students

Background: Universities are offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) track to meet the demands of complex health systems by preparing nurses to lead change. Curriculums developed for the adult learner may benefit from adding supplemental resources to prepare nurses with limited leadership experience for their future roles. Objective: Support the development of executive leadership skills of BSN-DNP students. Methods: Faculty at a Western Pennsylvania university used the existing learning management system (LMS) to create a nursing leadership site. Practice competencies described by professional organizations were used as the framework for identifying best practice resources. Results: A supplemental site serving as a repository of information for students was successfully developed. Students were encouraged to access the site to augment their learning on professional competencies. Conclusions: Developing an online support site via the university LMS was a creative solution for providing supplemental professional development content to best prepare future nurse executive leaders. Implications for Nursing: Faculty teaching in streamlined academic programs can provide additional content based on professional standards to students using innovative and interactive methods. Promoting further development of executive leadership skills may bolster program strength and influence future nurse leaders.

Online Adjunct Faculty Support: An Innovative Use of a Learning Management System.

Adjunct faculty are being used more frequently to meet the instructional and practice experience needs of growing nursing program cohorts. While most adjunct faculty tend to have clinical expertise, many lack formal training in online instruction. This article describes how faculty used technology to develop and implement a faculty support site to provide ongoing orientation and encourage informal mentoring relationships for online adjunct faculty.

Uncovering the Golden Veil: Applying the Evidence for Telephone Screening to Detect Early Postpartum Depression.

ABSTRACT Postpartum depression (PPD) is often detected later than symptom onset, or even undetected, because of lack of prompt or adequate screening. An evidence-based PPD screening protocol using a telephone-based format within a primary care practice was developed to identify symptoms and initiate treatment between 2 and 3 weeks postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used, with positive screens referred for provider and support services, and then tracked for follow-through. Fifty-two percent of women screened positive. Sixty-four percent accepted both provider and support referrals, with 89% follow-through with provider referrals and 78% follow-through with support referrals. Outcomes support early screening for PPD using a telephone-based format to effectively identify symptoms and acceptance of referrals by participants.