Abstract: Connecting students with learning activities to promote academic engagement has been a focus of higher education over the past decade, partly driven by an increasing rate of student participation in part-time employment, and a growing concern about the quality of the student experience. Using a prospective survey design, this study selected three elements of academic engagement (homework completion, lecture attendance, and study hours) and academic disengagement (part-time work), to identify predictors of academic performance in a pathophysiology subject in 126 second year nursing students. Homework completion emerged as the strongest positive predictor of academic performance, followed by lecture attendance; however, time spent studying was not a significant predictor of academic performance. Of concern was the finding that the amount of part-time work had a significant and negative impact on academic performance. Combining all elements of academic engagement and disengagement, and controlling for age and ethnicity, the multiple regression model accounted for 34% of the variance in the academic performance of second year nursing students studying pathophysiology. Results from these findings indicate the importance of active learning engagement in influencing academic success, and provide some direction for nursing academics to design effective learning approaches to promote academic engagement of nursing students.
Abstract: Internationally, nursing faculty shortages have been reported and there is a potential for them to worsen into the next decade as existing faculty age. To, in part, address this issue, across disciplines there is clearly an international trend towards the increasing casualisation of the higher education workforce. Despite the potential impact of this two-tiered workforce structure, there has been limited examination of the discipline specific issues related to the employment of a growing number of sessional nursing staff. This paper provides a critical review of the literature related to the employment of sessional teachers in higher education. The paper advances the discourse around the role and implications of employing sessional teachers in undergraduate nursing schools. Recommendations for supporting sessional staff and further research are presented.
Abstract: Tailoring information to the needs of the learner is an important strategy in contemporary education settings. Web-based learning support, informed by multimedia theory, comprising interactive quizzes, glossaries with audio, short narrated Power Point(R) presentations, animations and digitised video clips were introduced in a first year Bachelor of Nursing biological sciences subject at a university in metropolitan Sydney. All students enrolled in this unit were invited to obtain access to the site and the number of hits to the site was recorded using the student tracking facility available on WebCT, an online course delivery tool adopted widely by many educational institutions and used in this study. Eighty-five percent of students enrolled in the subject accessed the learning support site. Students' perception of the value of a learning support site was assessed using a web-based survey. The survey was completed by 123 participants, representing a response rate of 22%. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data concerning nursing students' perception of the web-based activities: 'enhances my learning', 'study at my own pace', and 'about the activities: what I really liked/disliked'. Web-based interventions, supplementing a traditionally presented nursing science course were perceived by students to be beneficial in both learning and language development. Although students value interactive, multimedia learning they were not ready to completely abandon traditional modes of learning including face-to-face lectures. The findings of this study contribute to an understanding of how web-based resources can be best used to support students' learning in bioscience.
Abstract: Casualisation of the academic workforce has resulted in an increase in the employment of sessional teachers in Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programs. Many of these teachers are drawn from specialty clinical areas and continue to work clinically while teaching part-time. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of sessional teachers about their perceived contribution to an undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing program in a single Australian university. Twelve sessional teachers participated in semi-structured interviews as part of a larger mixed method study exploring the issues related to sessional teaching in the Bachelor of Nursing program. Three themes emerged from the data; (1) "Bringing 'reality' to the classroom", (2) "Privileging experiential knowledge", and (3) "Establishing boundaries with students". Underpinning the narratives was a strong subtext related to the theory-practice gap. Proactive strategies to facilitate the potential of sessional staff are articulated in the paper.
Abstract: Connecting students with learning activities to promote academic engagement has been a focus of higher education over the past decade, partly driven by an increasing rate of student participation in part-time employment, and a growing concern about the quality of the student experience. Using a prospective survey design, this study selected three elements of academic engagement (homework completion, lecture attendance, and study hours) and academic disengagement (part-time work), to identify predictors of academic performance in a pathophysiology subject in 126 second year nursing students. Homework completion emerged as the strongest positive predictor of academic performance, followed by lecture attendance; however, time spent studying was not a significant predictor of academic performance. Of concern was the finding that the amount of part-time work had a significant and negative impact on academic performance. Combining all elements of academic engagement and disengagement, and controlling for age and ethnicity, the multiple regression model accounted for 34% of the variance in the academic performance of second year nursing students studying pathophysiology. Results from these findings indicate the importance of active learning engagement in influencing academic success, and provide some direction for nursing academics to design effective learning approaches to promote academic engagement of nursing students.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Australian Nursing Competency Incorporated (ANCI) 2000 standards provide a standardised framework of accepted professional standards for the registered nurse. AIM: The study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the ANCI 2000 national competency standards for measuring nursing competence in new graduate nurses. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: One hundred and sixteen new graduated nurses from three metropolitan public hospitals were surveyed. The psychometric properties of the ANCI 2000 including internal consistency and construct validity were examined. RESULTS: The mean score was lowest for competency unit 6 (mean 5.96) and highest for competency unit 4 (mean 8.83). The internal reliability for the total ANCI 2000 was alpha=.93 and for the domain alpha=.81 (Domains 1 and 3), alpha=.79 (Domain 2), and alpha=.77 (Domain 4). Confirmatory factor analysis using the domains as factors confirmed the 4 factor structure although 3 factors had two items each with loadings in the .4-.5 range. CONCLUSIONS: There are inconsistencies in the psychometric properties of the ANCI 2000 which suggest that further investigation is warranted before it can be used as an instrument for the measurement of new graduate competencies.
Abstract: The healthcare workplace can be a stress-laden environment for new graduates and job performance indicators are an important sign of developing confidence and expertise that will lead to improved patient outcomes. What is not evident from nursing studies is whether new graduate nurse competencies relate to the frequency of their use. This study sought to determine the relationship between perceived nursing competence and self-assessed frequency of use by new graduate nurses. Three cohorts (n = 116) of new graduate nurses undertaking year-long transition to graduate practice programs responded to a questionnaire that utilised the 2001 ANCI competencies and the Nurse Competency Scale and a Visual Analogue scale to self assess their perceived competence and the relative frequency of use for specific competence items. Results indicate that a relationship exists between perceived competence and frequency of use and that research competency scores are substantially lower than all other categories of competency. Implications for education and practice indicate that assessment of nurse competency for the new graduate nurse should focus on the development of generic nursing competencies rather than current expectation of advanced and workplace specific nurse competencies.
Abstract: AIM: This paper is a report of a study to investigate whether the Australian National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses demonstrate correlations with the Finnish Nurse Competency Scale. BACKGROUND: Competency assessment has become popular as a key regulatory requirement and performance indicator. The term competency, however, does not have a globally accepted definition and this has the potential to create controversy, ambiguity and confusion. Variations in meaning and definitions adopted in workplaces and educational settings will affect the interpretation of research findings and have implications for the nursing profession. METHOD: A non-experimental cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 116 new graduate nurses in 2005. The second version of the Australian National Competency Standards and the Nurse Competency Scale was used to elicit responses to self-assessed competency in the transitional year (first year as a Registered Nurse). FINDINGS: Correlational analysis of self-assessed levels of competence revealed a relationship between the Australian National Competency Standards (ANCI) and the Nurse Competency Scale (NCS). The correlational relation between ANCI domains and NCS factors suggests that these scales are indeed used to measure related dimensions. A statistically significant relationship (r = 0.75) was found between the two competency measures. CONCLUSION: Although the finding of convergent validity is insufficient to establish construct validity for competency as used in both measures in this study, it is an important step towards this goal. Future studies on relationships between competencies must take into account the validity and reliability of the tools.
Abstract: Students who speak English as a second language (ESL) face considerable challenges in English language universities, but little is known about the relationship between English-language acculturation and academic performance. A prospective, correlational design was used to validate the English Language Acculturation Scale (ELAS), a measure of the linguistic aspect of acculturation, and to determine the relationship between English-language acculturation and academic achievement among 273 first-year nursing students. Exploratory factor analyses demonstrated that the ELAS was a valid and reliable measure (alpha = .89). When ELAS scores were examined in relation to students' grades, students with the lowest ELAS scores also had the lowest mean subject grades, highlighting the need to place greater emphasis on identifying English-language acculturation among ESL students.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Depression is increasingly a focus of attention in the management of heart disease. Clinicians in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are well placed to assess and facilitate management of symptoms of depression, yet the timing and interpretation of measurements remain unclear. METHODS: We administered the Hare-Davis Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) in a usual care, outpatient CR program in a metropolitan setting. As part of routine assessment and monitoring of outcomes in a 6-week outpatient CR program, we administered the CDS at entry, at completion of the 6-week program, and at 12 months. RESULTS: Data were available on 151 patients for the 3 measurement points. At baseline, the mean CDS score was 76.07 (+/-22.38), which dropped at 6 weeks to 64.85 (+/-21.69) but increased slightly at 12 months to 69.79 (+/-24.36). The changes in these scores were statistically significant for all measurement points (P < .03). The trend of change for the CDS was reflected in the subscale scores, which dropped at 6 weeks but increased slightly at 12 months. DISCUSSION: Findings demonstrate a positive impact of CR on CDS scores at 6 weeks and 12 months, although there was a trend for increased scores at 1 year. This observation requires further investigation and underscores the importance of longitudinal studies.
Abstract: Most of the attrition from nursing courses occurs in the first year of study. Devising university strategies to reduce attrition requires an understanding of why students leave. The aim of this study was to explore whether students who leave a nursing course in the first semester leave for the same or different reasons than students who leave in the second semester of study. Seventeen students who had left the course were interviewed by telephone: seven in the first semester and ten in the second. In the first semester, students who leave consider themselves unprepared for university, have competing roles outside university and develop a strong dislike of the nursing course. They decide quickly that the course is unsuitable and leave. Those who leave in second semester would prefer to stay but events in their life create a crisis where they can no longer cope with university studies. These students hope to return to nursing whereas students who leave in the first semester are unlikely to consider returning. Attempts to retain students in the first semester may be futile as these students may be unsuited or uncommitted whereas there is greater scope to retain those who leave in the second semester.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The adoption of health-enhancing behaviours is essential to reduce the likelihood of recurrent coronary events. AIMS: This study assessed the magnitude of health behaviour change 6 months following a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and examined differences between cardiac rehabilitation attendees and non-attendees. METHODS: One hundred and six first AMI patients (males n=76, Australian-born n=71) participated in a 6-month follow-up of a descriptive longitudinal survey. Data on non-smoking behaviour, weight normalisation, adequate physical activity, low dietary fat intake, medication adherence and cardiac rehabilitation attendance were collected. The magnitude of change in health-enhancing behaviours from baseline to follow-up was calculated. RESULTS: Whilst there was an overall increase in health-enhancing behaviours at the 6-month follow-up (P<0.001), nonsmoking behaviour, low dietary fat intake and medication adherence were more likely to be achieved than adequate physical activity and weight normalisation. Attendees at cardiac rehabilitation were more likely to report positive lifestyle change (P=0.001) and feeling healthier (P=0.040) than non-attendees. CONCLUSION: The wide variation in the adoption of health-enhancing behaviours at the 6-month follow-up suggested that participants were selective about which behaviours they changed. Cardiac rehabilitation personnel need to emphasise the importance of undertaking all health-enhancing behaviours in order to maximise their multiplicative benefits.
Abstract: With globalization and intensified migration, an attitude of awareness and acceptance of both similarities and differences among people-known as universal-diverse orientation (UDO)-is a positive benefit that students may bring to a nursing program. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study measured students' UDO using the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale-Short Form (M-GUDS-S). Among 816 nursing students, those born in a non-English-speaking country had higher M-GUDS-S scores (P < 0.001), and those who spoke both English and non-English at home had consistently higher scores in all three M-GUDS-S subscales. However, those who never spoke English at home had low scores in the "Comfort with Differences" subscale if they had lived in Australia for only a few years. Nursing students from a non-English-speaking background could potentially enrich cross-cultural educational experiences for all students, but students who have recently settled in Australia may need support to feel a sense of connectedness.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Despite the quantity of information available to women about risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), many women do not perceive this risk. AIM: This paper seeks to identify factors in the published literature that influence women's risk perception of heart disease, and how these perceptions influence health outcomes. METHOD: A literature search from 1985 to 2006 using the CINAHL, Medline, Embase and PsycINFO electronic databases was undertaken. The keywords used were 'perceived risk', 'cardiac risk factors', 'cardiovascular disease', 'risk misconception', and 'heart disease', combined with 'women' and/or 'gender'. Additional data was obtained by manual searches of bibliographies of articles identified in the electronic searches, and Internet searches. FINDINGS: Until the late 1980s, CVD was perceived as a disease which primarily affected men, as few large clinical trials recruited women. This resulted in a lack of data documenting the relationship between known risk factors and gender. Until recently, health professionals have not focused on disseminating gender-specific information about CVD risks to women, causing women to underestimate their risk of developing CVD even when risk factors are clearly evident. Furthermore, women are less likely than men to recognise the signs and symptoms of CVD, delay in seeking treatment, and fail to adopt healthy lifestyles, all of which increase the incidence of mortality and morbidity in a disease that is largely preventable. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need for health professionals to 'bridge the gap' between perceived and actual risk of CVD in women, and to develop educational programs that specifically target women.
Abstract: AIM: This paper reports a study examining the influence of age, ethnicity and part-time employment on nursing students' academic performance for second year pathophysiology and nursing practice subjects. BACKGROUND: Age and ethnicity are known to be significant predictors of academic achievement among nursing students. The endemic nursing shortage has increased the impetus to diversify, resulting in more mature-age students and students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups in nursing programmes. There is increasing pressure for nursing students to participate in part-time employment whilst undertaking higher education, and this may affect their academic performance. METHODS: A prospective, quantitative survey design was used to collect data from a regional university in Australia over a 2-year period from 2001 to 2002. A total of 267 nursing students were included in the study. FINDINGS: More than three-quarters (78%) of second year students were participating in paid employment, with the majority in nursing-related jobs. Of those working, half did so more than 16 hours per week during the semester. Students who were not in paid employment had the highest academic achievements in both pathophysiology and nursing practice. Age was positively related with academic performance, but hours of part-time employment and ethnicity were negatively associated with academic performance, with the amount of time spent in paid employment being the strongest predictor of academic performance in both pathophysiology and nursing practice. CONCLUSION: Working more than 16 hours per week had a detrimental impact on the academic performance of nursing students. More importantly, this study shows that nursing-related employment is not advantageous to students' academic performance, even for a nursing practice-based subject. If the current practice of employing nursing students in clinical settings is to continue, this experience needs to be aligned to the academic curriculum if it is to be beneficial to students' knowledge and skill acquisition.
Abstract: The complex nature of phenomena investigated by nurses demands the use of a multifaceted approach to develop nursing knowledge. Triangulation offers a rigorous methodological framework by which to achieve this aim. The authors describe the historical and philosophical underpinnings of triangulation and outline considerations in relation to applying it in contemporary nursing research.
