Using Physical Education Courses to Help Increase Well-Being of RN-BSN Nursing Students: An Exploratory Analysis of Outcomes

Background: Student health and wellness has been a growing concern over the years. Evidence is showing that behaviors and health patterns developed in college tend to hold through the years after graduation.Aim: To examine the pre-post wellness outcomes of nursing students taking a physical education course in an online accelerated Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science Nursing (RN-BSN) program at a university in the Southeast region of the United States.Methods: An online course with incorporated physical activities and tutorials was designed based on the Travis Wellness Inventory to teach about 12 different dimensions of wellness. Students completed modules that addressed different aspects of wellness. Wellness was assessed using the Wellness Inventory and pre-post outcomes were examined. Results: The results found statistically significant changes between the pre and post assessments for all dimensions of wellness outcomes. There were also significant changes between the pre and post assessments when investigating differences based on gender with females improving on all 12 dimensions and males on 4.Conclusion: Introductory Physical Education (PED101) courses may be useful in improving wellness and reducing stress and turnover for RN-BSN students.

Hoping to Pass: Randomized Trial of a One-Time Hope Intervention on Standardized Exam Passing Rates in BSN Students

BACKGROUND: National standardized nursing exams serve as critical measures of student readiness for practice and carry significant consequences for students and academic institutions. Educational interventions that can enhance a student’s performance increase the probability of academic success. Previous studies link hope to grade point average in college students and on standardized exam (SE) scores in nursing students, yet it is not clear if hope can be increased utilizing a one-time intervention in ways that produce lasting benefits for passing SEs. AIMS: Aim 1 tested the efficacy of a one-time hope intervention on increasing SE passing rates among BSN nursing students. Aim 2 examined the role of the interventions, selected state-mechanism variables, and trait characteristics in predicting SE passing. METHOD: This comparative-effectiveness trial utilized a randomized, controlled, multiple-cohort experimental design to compare a one-time 90-minute hope intervention to an attention-matched progressive muscle relaxation intervention on SE passing scores among BSN nursing students. RESULTS: Levels of hope briefly increased following the hope intervention. Both interventions demonstrated short-term improvement in state-level psychosocial indicators but did not affect SE scores. Among trait and mechanism factors, only academic self-efficacy was linked with passing SEs. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a single-session hope intervention can increase short-term hope. In this sample of 292 BSN students, there was no statistically significant long-term effect on passing SEs; however, this study may lay the groundwork for future interventions investigating booster sessions, or how to modify the intervention for struggling students.

UTILIZATION OF A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TO DEVELOP CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMMING FOR PROMOTING NURSING PRACTICE IN CAMBODIA

Background: Cambodia’s nursing profession and nursing education system continue to progress 40 years after destruction by the Khmer Rouge. The author, who has a relationship with a hospital in southern Cambodia, was asked to teach physical assessment techniques to improve patient care.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of culturally congruent physical assessment media on the knowledge-base of Cambodian nurses.Methods: This article describes two years of an on-going project designed by the author who annually recruits US based BSN nursing students to use the ADDIE model to create and record segments on physical assessment which are posted on a private You Tube channel for the limited English- speaking Cambodian nursing staff. Optional post-tests are administered by the Cambodian hospital’s nursing director.Results: Test results reflect knowledge gained on cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal physical assessment skills with means ranging from 73.55% to 95.71%. Physical assessment skills until recently were not taught in Cambodia's nursing programs. Cambodia's nursing profession is advancing and a corresponding skill set including conducting physical assessments is necessary. As a majority of the project participants did not have prior exposure to the material, a pre-test was not provided and participation in post-testing was optional. The objective was to provide useful professional educational materials at a comfortable language level for the Cambodian nurses using examples which were cultural relevant.Conclusion: The BSN students successfully developed culturally relevant educational products the Cambodian nurses the nurses found useful.

Exploring the patient experience of chronic illness through literature and film

Objective: Caring for patients with a chronic illness requires a holistic approach. To help RN-BSN nursing students in a course focusing on chronic illness see the patient as a unique individual and to foster empathy by emphasizing the person behind each patient, literature and film were used to make the patient’s lived experience of chronic illness real.Methods: Students read autobiographies or biographies and viewed film about the patient experience of chronic illness. Materials were selected based on the illness and patient issues described. Using the Socratic Seminar, students prepared questions based on weekly reading assignments; faculty prepared questions for each film, encouraging active participation and group discussion of underlying insights. Many discussions revolved around select film scenes or quotations students selected from the text and the comparison to their practice experience with similar patients in the clinical setting.Results: Satisfaction with the course was overwhelming, with all students rating every evaluative category as a “5”, strongly agreeing that the course advanced their empathy towards patients with chronic illness. Comments detailed students’ having a better understanding of how chronic illness truly affects the patient and family. The books resonated with the class more than the films, as the books had more detail and put the reader into the setting as if they were the person.Conclusions: The use of literature and film is an effective means to enhance RN-BSN nursing students’ ability to understand and empathize with a patient’s needs and was successful in helping students understand the patient experience.

School Nurses and RN to BSN Nursing Students

Many nursing schools and public schools are facing various challenges including a lack of resources. Schools of nursing strive to provide meaningful clinical experiences despite the challenge of a limited supply of quality placements. Similarly, public schools are expected to provide more nursing services at a time when many school nurses already are overloaded. For example, new state legislation placed additional responsibilities (regarding epinephrine auto-injectors and cardiac emergency response plans) on school nurses in Michigan. Establishing a partnership between the University of Michigan–Flint and the Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) allowed RN to BSN students in the community health nursing course to complete enriching clinical experiences at selected GISD schools. While gaining valuable clinical knowledge, these nursing students helped school nurses comply with the new legislation’s requirements. This partnership benefitted the nursing students, the school nurses, and the schools that served as clinical placement sites. Nursing school administrators and faculty members should consider pursuing similar clinical placement partnerships that could be advantageous for students and local communities.