"I'm not an investigator and I'm not a police officer" : a faculty's view on academic integrity in an undergraduate nursing degree

In nursing, expectations of honesty and integrity are clearly stipulated throughout professional standards and codes of conduct, thus the concept of academic integrity has even more impetus in preparing students for graduate practice. However, a disparity between policy and practice misses the opportunity to instil the principles of academic integrity, and at its core honesty, a pivotal trait in the nursing profession. This study draws upon the experience of the nursing faculty to explore how academic integrity policy of deterrence operate in nursing education. While participants deplored cheating behaviours, they expressed frustration in having to ‘police’ large numbers of students who had little awareness of the academic standards to meet policy requirements. In addition, they were cynical because of a perceived lack of severity in sanctions for students who repeatedly breached integrity. Participants expressed a moral obligation as educators to meet student learning needs and preferred to engage with students in a more meaningful way to uphold academic integrity. The ambivalence to detect and report breaches in integrity undermines the effectiveness of policy. Therefore, faculty must recognise the importance of their role in detecting and escalating cases of dishonesty and execute deterrence in a more consistent way. To do this, greater support at an institutional level, such as smaller class sizes, inclusion in decision making around sanctions and recognition of additional workload, will enable faculty to uphold policy. Although policing was not their preferred approach, the role of faculty in detecting and reporting cases of misconduct is crucial to increase the certainty of students getting caught, which is essential if policy is to be effective in deterring dishonest behaviour

Embedding international benchmarks of proficiency in English in undergraduate nursing programmes : challenges and strategies in equipping culturally and linguistically diverse students with English as an additional language for nursing in Australia

To meet the expected shortfalls in the number of registered nurses throughout the coming decade Australian universities have been recruiting an increasing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds. Given that international and domestic students who use English as an additional language (EAL) complement the number of native English speaking nursing students, they represent a valuable nurse education investment. Although university programmes are in a position to meet the education and learning needs of native English speaking nursing students, they can experience considerable challenges in effectively equipping EAL students with the English and academic language skills for nursing studies and registration in Australia. However, success in a nursing programme and in preparing for nurse registration can require EAL students to achieve substantial literacy skills in English and academic language through their engagement with these tertiary learning contexts. This paper discusses the education implications for nursing programmes and EAL students of developing literacy skills through pre-registration nursing studies to meet the English language skills standard for nurse registration and presents intervention strategies for nursing programmes that aim to build EAL student capacity in using academic English

Communication

Civilisation would not be what it is today without the various kinds of communication used to evolve as humans. Communication is the foundation of any society and the ability to communicate is basic to human functioning and well- being. Without communication, it would be impossible, for instance, to share family experiences, gain knowledge, enhance relationships and establish and maintain governmental agencies. By nature, humans are social beings, and human needs are met in collaboration with other humans. Effective communication is essential to the delivery of healthcare and is guided by relevant health information. The significance of good communication to enable the delivery of appropriate, effective and efficient care has long been recognised. This chapter discuses effective communication as an essential component of life for all people and how its role is vital in all settings were healthcare occurs

Communication

This chapter discusses the processes of communication used to exchange information and transmit meanings between people and how its role is central to interactions in all settings where health care occurs. Civilisation would not be what it is today without the various kinds of communication used to evolve as humans. Communication is the foundation of society and the ability to communicate is basic to human functioning and wellbeing. Without communication, it would be impossible, for instance, to share family experiences, gain knowledge, enhance relationships, and establish and maintain governmental agencies. By nature, humans are social beings, and human needs are met in collaboration with other humans. Human relationships involve communication that enables us to meet physical, emotional, and safety needs. Communication also assists in meeting our psychosocial needs of love, self-esteem, and belonging

Concepts of health and illness

This chapter introduces the concepts of health and illness/unwellness. An understanding of the dimensions of these concepts and knowledge of how uniquely people experience them, is particularly important when planning care that is relationship-centred. In its broadest sense, health is a complex, multidimensional concept that is personally and socially constructed by the interaction between someone’s physical self, the health choices they make, society, and the circumstances in which they live (Clendon & Munns, 2018; McMurray & Clendon, 2015). Being healthy extends beyond the structure and functioning of the body to include a person’s interpersonal relationships and social, spiritual, and cultural networks. In Australia and New Zealand’s multicultural societies, a person’s individual health is embedded in whānau/family and community health, and is affected by national and world health agendas (Baum, 2016; Clendon & Munns, 2018; McMurray & Clendon, 2015). Health is one of the most basic human concerns. Keleher and MacDougall (2016, p.3) suggest this is evidenced daily with the greeting ‘How are you?’ In planning care that is relationship-centred, it relies on skilful implementation of nursing and midwifery competencies and must be done collaboratively with the person and, where relevant, whānau/family members or significant others

Perioperative care

This chapter discusses preparing the person for surgery, supporting the person during surgery, and assisting with recovery after surgery. The treatment of a wide variety of illnesses and injuries includes some type of surgical intervention. Surgery may be planned or unplanned, major or minor, invasive or non-invasive, and may involve any body part or system. A surgical procedure of any extent is a complex event that requires physical and psychosocial adaptations for both the person and their family. The person’s recovery from a surgical procedure requires skilful and knowledgeable care whether the surgery is done on an outpatient or day surgery basis, or in a hospital as an inpatient

Spirituality

This chapter introduces spirituality, spiritual health, and spiritual care. There has been an increase in awareness of the importance of spirituality, and it is now widely recognised that spiritual health is integral to holistic health care and wellbeing from through to death (Crowther & Hall, 2015; Timmins & Caldeira, 2017). People facing the losses and limits related to injury, disease, and ageing often begin to evaluate what is important to them and consider at a deeper level the meaning and purpose of life

Thoughtful person-centred practice : documenting, reporting and conferring

This chapter describes the three methods of communication central to the professional role of nurses and midwives: documenting, reporting, and conferring. Nurses and midwives contribute to interprofessional collaborative care of patients and mothers through effective communication in undertaking their many roles as health care professionals. Interprofessional collaborative care cannot exist without good documentation, reporting, and conferring amongst all professionals involved in the continuity of care for that person (Blair & Smith, 2012; Fleming et al., 2019). Continuity of care is about person-centred care which is consistent over time and extends to discharge home into the community. Continuity of care underpins quality care and requires communication with all team members in order to achieve appropriate care management and safety (Cummings & Macdonald, 2017)

Introduction to nursing, midwifery and person-centred care

Nursing is generally held to mean caring for patients across the life span, while midwifery tends to focus on the childbearing woman with a particular emphasis on supporting healthy pregnancy and birth. Despite this difference, the two disciplines have many features in common. This text provides the foundation information in the areas where these two disciplines overlap. Although there are many commonalities, there are also differences between the disciplines in terms of their professional identity and ideology, scope of practice and the technical skills required. This text considers the broad scope of professional practice of each discipline through its central focus on the person

Thoughtful person-centred practice : reflective practice and self-awareness

This chapter introduces reflective practice, involving the use of reflection and self-awareness, in relation to thoughtful person-centred practice (see Figure U3-1 in the unit opener). Reflective practice is incorporated in the professional standards of nursing and midwifery. This chapter outlines some of the models and professional strategies that are referred to by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) (2016, 2018), the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) (2007, 2020), the Midwifery Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) (2007, 2020), and other relevant literature for increasing reflective practice through improving self-awareness. It provides practical examples as well as opportunities for you to engage in self-awareness and reflective activities