Forces of magnetism for nursing education.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Mary-Anne Andrusyszyn.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In this qualitative, descriptive study, the process of achieving change in knowledge and attitudes through Master's education in nursing is examined. Twenty-two recent graduates from three Ontario universities participated in semi-structured, taped interviews. Participants recounted personal and professional changes they attributed to completing a Master's program in Nursing and their experience of the process of change. After responding to questions about differences they perceived in themselves, participants reviewed Mezirow's (1991; 1994) 11 stages of perspective transformation and discussed whether these phases resonated for them. Some felt that the stages described their experience accurately; others reported their experience of the process was not as dramatic as Mezirow's description implied. Several who had taken degree completion baccalaureate programs perceived their baccalaureate experience to be more congruent with Mezirow's transformation process than the change process in their Master's program. At the Master's level, the majority felt the changes were evolutionary, not revolutionary. Most reported that rather than undergoing a perspective transformation, they were building on values and attitudes from the baccalaureate level. This study contributes to understanding the processes of change experienced by students in graduate education in nursing.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a restorative intervention on undergraduate nursing students' capacity to direct attention. METHOD: Kaplan and Kaplan's attention restoration theory, which describes and links concepts of directed attention, attention fatigue, and restorative environments, formed the theoretical basis for this research. A convenience sample consisted of 33 students randomly assigned to nonintervention and intervention groups. The intervention was a 1-hr walk in natural surroundings. Both groups completed study instruments prior to and following the intervention. FINDINGS: Intervention group students scored higher on a measure of quality of life at posttest (p < .05). Differences in a measure of perceived attention were not observed between groups over time. Both groups improved on other measures of attention; however, the results did not provide support for the hypotheses. CONCLUSION: Students were a highly functioning group participating in many activities they considered restorative, prior to the study.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the effect of classroom simulation on third-year baccalaureate nursing students' self-efficacy in health teaching. Bandura's self-efficacy model provided the conceptual framework. A nonprobability, convenience sample of 22 students completed the self-efficacy questionnaire before and after the simulation workshop sessions. Students' overall self-efficacy scores increased significantly (p = 0.001) following the two sessions of role-playing case studies, suggesting more perceived confidence in performing health teaching. Recommendations include continuing the use of simulation as a teaching-learning method, applying simulation as a strategy to enhance other learner behaviors, and cultivating faculty's use of simulation in their teaching.
The effect of nurses' confidence to counsel patients at risk of stroke in selected health promotion areas: smoking cessation, exercise and nutrition was examined. Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy and Knowles' adult learning theories provided the theoretical underpinnings for the study. This was a quasi-experimental design in which neuroscience nurses (N = 23) from a quaternary hospital completed questionnaires prior to, immediately after, and 2 months post completion of a self-directed learning manual (SDL). The researcher-designed manual was designed to enhance learning about the risk factors for stroke and the importance of stroke prevention. Along with reflective activities and pre-post test, strategies for counseling high-risk, stroke-prone individuals in the areas of smoking cessation, exercise, and nutrition were also integrated. The Health Promotion Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale (Tresolini, Saluja, and Stritter, 1995), consisting of 10 self-efficacy subscales relating to self-confidence in knowledge and ability to counsel in health promotion areas, was used to capture the nurses' self-report of self-efficacy. Using a 5-point Likert Scale, nurses also rated their amount of agreement or disagreement about health promotion counseling in practice. Overall, self-efficacy levels for both knowledge and counseling increased significantly (p < .01) from pre-to immediately post completion of the manual, and decreased slightly at two-month follow-up. This pattern was evident in all health promotion areas measured except for knowledge in exercise (p = .015). Nurses' attitudes about aspects of health promotion practices correlated significantly (p < 05) at two-month follow-up with all health promotion areas. Results of this study support the usefulness of a self-directed learning manual as a teaching strategy for health promotion counseling of individuals at risk of stroke.
This qualitative, descriptive study examined changes in perspective experienced by 22 recent graduates of Master's in Nursing programs from three Ontario universities. Participants responded to semi-structured, taped interviews and recounted personal, practice, and attitudinal changes they could attribute to completing a Master's program in Nursing. Among outcomes were personal ones including greater self-confidence, credibility, and acuity of critical thinking. Deeper and broader world-views of the profession and health care were evident. All participants valued evidence-based practice, reporting greater use of multiple information sources. Participants communicated with other professionals on more equal terms and some described a multicultural function, translating knowledge between staff nurses and members of other disciplines. Pride in nursing and its potential for shaping health care was a recurring theme. More professional opportunities became available following Master's studies. The outcomes of this study contribute to understanding the effects of graduate education in nursing.
Graduate students have high ambitions and desire excellence in their work. Creating learning opportunities that capture this drive and help them achieve and exceed their goals is a challenge for educators. This article describes two teaching approaches, group process and an adaptation of Bensusan's escalator model, which were used in a graduate nursing course to help students learn about curriculum development. Students participated as a faculty group, submitting successive iterations of their work as they developed hypothetical curricula. Benefits students identified from course faculty's critiques of their submissions included experiencing enhanced self-direction, self-esteem, and mutual respect among students and between students and course faculty, as well as authentic curriculum development in a safe, caring, and supportive context. This article discusses the strengths and limitations of this pragmatic and productive learning approach to preparing future nurse educators for their role as curriculum developers.
A pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental, control group design and Bandura's theory of self-efficacy were used to examine the influence of computer conferencing on fourth-year baccalaureate nursing students' self-efficacy for professional nursing competencies and computer-mediated learning (CML) during a final clinical practicum. Descriptive analysis was also used to explore themes regarding strengths and challenges of online learning. The convenience sample included 42 direct-entry students (control group: n = 27; online intervention: n = 15). Within both groups, there was a significant difference in self-efficacy for nursing competencies from pretest to posttest. However, between-group posttest scores were not significantly different. Computer conferencing enhanced learning, and students' self-efficacy for CML increased at posttest. Strengths of CML included connection, support, learning, and sharing. Challenges involved time and Internet access. Insights gained may assist educators in curriculum development when considering how CML strategies support clinical courses and strengthen learning communities.
Over the next several decades the number of older Canadians will rise dramatically. This shift will have implications for the demand for health-care professionals, particularly nurses, educated to work with an aging population. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of gerontological content in Canadian undergraduate nursing curricula. Earthy's Survey of Gerontological Curricula in Canadian Baccalaureate Nursing Programs was used to collect data from a convenience sample of Canadian nursing schools and faculties with baccalaureate programs. Data were analyzed using descriptive and frequency statistics. Gerontological content was found to be integrated into the majority of programs, but only 8% of clinical hours had a focus on the nursing care of older adults and only 5.5% of students chose geriatrics for their final clinical practical prior to graduation. Implications include the need to develop faculty expertise, the potential for interdisciplinary gerontology education in the health sciences, and the need to address ageism in the nursing profession.
Recruitment and retention of qualified nursing staff are vital to safe patient care and require the expertise of clinical educators to facilitate the nurses' professional development. However, organizational redesign has challenged clinical educators with role ambiguity, job stress, and decreased job satisfaction. This study used Kanter's Structural Theory of Organizational Behavior to examine the relationships between clinical educators' perceptions of empowerment, job tension, and job satisfaction. High levels of workplace empowerment were significantly related to low levels of job tension. In addition, the combination of high levels of empowerment and low levels of job tension was predictive of high levels of job satisfaction. Implications for staff development administrators are discussed.
BACKGROUND: The impact of a restorative intervention using the natural environment on capacity to direct attention and issues that contribute to attention fatigue for diploma-prepared nursing students (Post-RN students) enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program was examined. METHODS: This study used a quasi-experimental comparison group design. Subjective (Attentional Functional Index) and objective (Finding A's Test and Symbol Digits Modalities Test) measures were employed. RESULTS: Thirty-two students at two universities participated. Results of the split-plot analysis revealed a within-subject effect on the Attentional Functional Index (p < .05), a significant within-subject effect on the Finding A's Test (p < .05), and a significant within- and between-subject effect on the Symbol Digits Modalities Test (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Recognizing and managing attention fatigue throughout the school year may enhance Post-RN students' abilities to direct attention and contribute to an enhanced academic experience.