Mary-Anne Andrusyszyn

Effects of Workplace Incivility and Empowerment on Newly-graduated Nurses’ Organizational Commitment

AIM The purpose of the present study was to test an expanded model of Kanters theory by examining the influence of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and workplace incivility on the organizational commitment of newly-graduated nurses. BACKGROUND The first years of practise represent an important confidence-building phase for newly-graduated nurses, yet many new nurses are exposed to disempowering experiences and incivility in the workplace. METHOD A predictive non-experimental design was used to examine the impact of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and workplace incivility on the affective commitment of newly-graduated nurses (n=117) working in acute care hospitals. RESULTS Controlling for age, 23.1% of the variance in affective commitment was explained by structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and workplace incivility [R²=0.231, F(5,107) =6.43, P=0.000]. Access to opportunity was the most empowering factor, with access to support and formal power perceived as least empowering. Perceived co-worker incivility was greater than perceived supervisor incivility. CONCLUSION Results offer significant support for the use of Kanters theory in the newly-graduated nurse population. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Without specific strategies in place to combat incivility and disempowerment in the workplace, attempts to prevent further organizational attrition of new members may be futile.

Computer Conferencing in Graduate Nursing Education: Perceptions of Students and Faculty

The authors report the perceptions of students and faculty who participated in a computer conferenced (CC) graduate course in nursing. Ten graduate students and three faculty members completed a course evaluation form, which included items about learning, interaction, environment, technical support, and satisfaction with CC. Responses indicated the CC medium offered a creative and flexible alternative for learning. Course participants perceived benefits such as enriched learning, meaningful interactions, opportunities for reflection, satisfaction with the technology, and the convenience of learning from a distance. These results have implications for facilitating continuing education.

Understanding interprofessional relationships by the use of contact theory

The importance and necessity of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) present challenges for educators as they determine how best to achieve IPC through interprofessional education (IPE). Simulation-based teaching has been shown to enhance students’ understanding of professional roles and promote positive attitudes toward team members; yet, empirical evidence providing direction on the conditions necessary to promote these positive outcomes is lacking. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-/post-test to examine changes in undergraduate healthcare students’ perceptions and attitudes toward IPC following their participation in an interprofessional simulation program. Allports (1954) intergroup contact theory was used to help understand the nature of this IPE workshop and its reported outcomes. Participants included students in the final year of their respective programs (n = 84) such as pharmacy technician, paramedic, nursing and occupational therapy assistant/physical therapy assistant programs. These students were engaged in simulation exercises with interactive contact opportunities. Using the interdisciplinary education perceptions scale, statistically significant increases in positive attitudes in three of four sub-scales were found. An analysis of the structure and format of the workshop suggests that this IPE initiative fulfilled the key conditions suggested by intergroup contact theory. Attention to the key conditions provided by Allports theory in the context of successful intergroup relationships may help provide direction for educators interested in planning IPE initiatives with student groups enrolled in various health programs.

Graduate Education in Nursing Leadership Through Distance Technologies: The Canada-Norway Nursing Connection

The Canada-Norway Nursing Connection was a collaborative project designed to provide an international educational experience for graduate students in nursing via distance technology. Computer-conferencing and video-teleconferencing were used to address nursing leadership content through case studies. The same technologies were employed to develop the project. The processes of planning and implementing the international linkage are described. Agreement about goals, content, context for online discussion, delivery methods, academic expectations, language support, and logistics was essential. The media proved to be effective for students to gain understandings about nursing leadership, health care, and the forces influencing the nursing profession globally. Insights from the project provided a basis for the development of a model for interactive, international graduate education that will be of value to educators dedicated to helping students gain a global understanding of nursing and health care issues.

Consortium approach for nurse practitioner education.

Consortium approach for nurse practitioner education In 1995, a 10-university consortium approach to deliver a post-baccalaureate primary care nurse practitioner programme funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health was launched throughout Ontario, Canada. A combination of traditional and distance teaching methods, in English and French, were used. A 5-year research project was initiated to evaluate the entire programme, the effect of nurse practitioners on patient and health-care system outcomes and examine practice patterns. Participants included deans and directors (n=10), regional co-ordinators (n=5) and course developers, some of whom were also course professors (n=8). This article is a report of the evaluation of the consortium programme after the first year from the perspective of groups involved in implementation and delivery. Results of qualitative analyses of participant perceptions from researcher-led focus groups and asynchronous electronic interviews provided the framework for the evaluation, and revealed the rationale for the consortium method, strengths, limitations and recommendations. Sharing ideas, resources and delivery and increased student access in remote areas were perceived as positive outcomes. Limitations included the short time period to develop programme content, identify and plan for distance education resources, and too little communication between universities and students. Researchers concluded that the consortium approach was effective for nurse practitioner education. Key factors identified for programme planning were communication, resources, curriculum and workload. Included among the recommendations was to allow sufficient time for role and course development before beginning a similar programme.

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of Kember and Leung's Reflection Questionnaire.

Reflective thinking is often stated as a learning outcome of baccalaureate nursing education, and as a characteristic of a competent professional; however, no consistent method exists to assess the extent to which students engage in reflective thinking. To address this need, Kember and Leung developed and tested a self-report questionnaire based on Mezirow’s conceptualisation of levels of reflective thinking. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Reflection Questionnaire, developed by Kember and Leung. A convenience sample (n = 538) of third-year baccalaureate nursing students from four collaborative nursing programmes in Ontario was used. Ethical approval was secured from 10 sites. Second-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to test the factor structure of the Reflection Questionnaire. This research was part of a larger study on reflective thinking and is a first step in validating a four-level measure of reflective thinking, in educational environments, with baccalaureate nursing students. The results of the second-order CFA provide support for the construct validity of reflective thinking. Results of this study contribute to the evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Nurse educators can use this information when implementing the questionnaire, and learning the extent to which students are engaging in the reflective thinking process.

Resilience in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review.

BACKGROUND Resilience is a phenomenon known to buffer the negative effects of stress. Resilience is important in the lives of nursing students and nurse educators. METHOD An integrative literature review was conducted to explore the current state of knowledge of resilience in the context of nursing education. Implications from the review findings were deduced for nursing education practice and research. RESULTS Three theoretical papers and 16 empirical reports were included in the review. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) Resilience Is Important in Nursing Education, (b) Resilience Is Conceptualized as Either a Trait or a Process, and (c) Resilience Is Related to Protective Factors. CONCLUSION The findings provide data to support interventions to enhance the resilience of nursing students and nurse educators and offer a foundation for further research of resilience in nursing education.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Clinical Teachers' Use of Empowering Teaching Behaviours: Instrument Psychometrics and Application

The authors present findings of 2nd year nursing students’ (N = 352) perceptions of their clinical teachers’ use of empowering teaching behaviours (ETB) and to highlight steps undertaken to establish psychometric properties of the Empowering Teaching Behaviours Questionnaire – Student (ETBQ-S). The authors identify a) the process involved in the adoption of the ETBQ-S, b) ETBQ-S validity procedures completed prior to instrument implementation, c) results of nursing students’ responses to the ETBQ-S, d) criterion validity, and e) ETBQ-S confirmatory factor analysis findings conducted after study completion. The ETBQ-S reliably measures five facets of empowering actions that clinical teachers can employ with nursing students in practice to enhance their confidence, involve them in decision-making and goal setting, make learning meaningful, and help them to become more autonomous nurses.

The Changing Environment of Community Health Practice and Education: Perceptions of Staff Nurses, Administrators, and Educators

Historically, baccalaureate nursing programs in Canada have prepared graduates to practice in the community. Two recent trends-the move to prepare all registered nurses in degree programs and the changing climate in which community nursing is practiced-made it timely to explore the educational preparation required for community health practice. This article reports on one part of the study, i.e., on findings that explicate the nature of community health nursing practice in a western Canadian province, as it has changed during the past decade, as it is currently practiced, and as it is expected to develop in the future. What, in other words, is the nature of the community practice for which nursing students should be prepared? An action research design guided the study. Participants were recruited from all major urban, rural, and northern settings in which baccalaureate nurses practice throughout the province. The perspective of relevant people was considered important, i.e., nurses practicing in the community, administrators, and educators of future community nurses. One hundred eighteen (118) participants were interviewed in 27 focus groups. Data were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for content. Among the themes identified were those that captured changes community health nurses experienced in their nursing practice. Nurses also described how they thought practice would evolve in the years to come. These themes are discussed within a primary health care framework in which nurses can be expected to play a more active role in shaping community health nursing practice.

The effect of the lecture discussion teaching method with and without audio-visual augmentation on immediate and retention learning

This study determined whether students taught using the lecture-discussion method augmented with audio-visuals would achieve a higher mean score on an immediate post-test and delayed retention test than students presented with a lecture-discussion without audio-visuals. A convenience sample of 52 students divided into two groups voluntarily participated in the quasi-experiment. Two teaching sessions averaging 90 minutes in length were taught by the researcher. Learning and retention were measured by a 10-item multiple choice test with content validity. Immediate learning was measured with a post-test administered immediately following each of the teaching sessions. Delayed learning was measured with a retention test administered 25.5 days following the teaching sessions. Group data was analysed using an independent one tailed t-test for mean scores. Students attending the lecture-discussion with audio-visual augmentation did not achieve significantly higher mean scores on the two tests than the non-augmented group (p less than or equal to 0.05). Analysis using a paired t-test revealed that the difference in scores between the post-test and retention test for the group without audio-visual augmentation was significant (t = 2.31; p less than 0.05). Delayed retention appears to have been influenced by the use of audio-visuals. Nurse educators need to consider ways in which the lecture-discussion may be enhanced to maximise student learning and retention.