Committing to Mentorship: Nurse Managers’ Perceptions of their Roles in Creating Mentoring Cultures

Nursing employees are drawn to healthy work environments and the nursing unit manager plays a key role in establishing and maintaining a positive workplace culture. Employee mentoring is one strategy that has been found to contribute to healthy work environments and thus facilitates recruitment and retention of staff. However, very little research exists that explores the nurse manager’s role in creating a mentoring culture on the nursing unit. The purpose of this study was to develop a theory of nurse managers’ perceptions of their roles in creating a mentoring culture on the nursing unit. The objectives included: (a) exploring managers’ perceptions of their role in creating a mentoring culture, (b) discovering the processes of creating a culture of mentoring, and (c) exploring the organizational features supporting and inhibiting this process of developing a mentoring culture. Glaserian grounded theory methodology was utilized for this study and the core variable of “Committing to Mentorship” emerged. Knowledge of mentoring gained from this study may assist to sustain the healthcare system by creating and enhancing quality workplace environments through increasing job satisfaction and recruitment and retention of highly skilled individuals and creating positive workplace experiences for staff and students. Ultimately, the implementation of knowledge gained from this study may assist to produce positive patient outcomes and patient satisfaction by constructing and nurturing a culture of learning and safety

Mentoring perceptions of registered nurses

Mentoring has been proposed as a human resource strategy to encourage recruitment and retention of nurses in Canada. However, very little research exists related to mentoring in nursing. The purpose of this study was to describe the mentoring perceptions of acute care, clinical registered nurses based on their years of nursing practice, age, gender, and education level. A descriptive correlational design was performed on an analysis of a subset of the pre-workshop data gathered as part of the research of Ferguson, Myrick, and Yonge (2006). The conceptual framework used to structure the research questions was Benner’s Novice to Expert model (Benner, 1984; Benner, Tanner, & Chesla, 1996). The main research question related to the relationship between nursing experience level and mentoring perceptions. More specifically, what is the relationship between age, years of nursing practice, education level, gender, and mentoring perceptions including perceived costs and benefits to mentoring, willingness to mentor, mentoring functions of coworkers, and satisfaction with current mentoring relationships? This research established that age, years of nursing practice on the current unit, and education level had some impact on mentoring perceptions. Older nurses believed that the mentor played a greater psychosocial function in the mentorship than did younger nurses. Nurses with fewer years of practice on their current unit perceived fewer “costs” to mentoring, were more satisfied with their mentor, and were more willing to mentor. Previous experience as a protégé positively impacted mentoring perceptions. Nurses with prior mentoring experience were more willing to mentor. There were no significant differences between nurses with diplomas or degrees as their basic or highest level of education in nursing and mentoring perceptions. Nurses with a baccalaureate degree in another discipline perceived more “benefits” to mentoring than their diploma-prepared colleagues. No significant differences were noted when comparing gender with mentoring perceptions. The results of this study will provide healthcare organizations with a deeper understanding of mentoring perceptions and mentorships. From the knowledge acquired by this study, organizations can better encourage and endorse formal and informal mentoring in acute care environments. Retention and recruitment of registered nurses can be facilitated through support for mentoring

A scoping review of caregiver-identified priorities for support: Focus on cancer caregiving

Peer ReviewedIntroduction The vast majority of older adults living with cancer rely on informal caregivers. Caregivers often require additional support to facilitate their role. This subanalysis of scoping review results collates priorities for support identified by caregivers to older adults living with cancer. Methods Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework guides this review. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases on July 2, 2021. We selected databases based on their relevance to health and social science. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed research of any design, a sample population of caregivers to older adults (>60 years), manuscripts published in English, and the priorities for caregiver support were iden- tified by caregivers themselves. Results We screened a total of 3591 records, and 34 articles met the inclusion criteria. Six focused explicitly on cancer caregiving. In our synthesis, we quantified the identified priorities within the studies using coding and content analysis. Articles related to cancer caregiving were isolated and sub-analyzed. We identify and order five priority themes, as follows: (1) orientation to role; (2) engagement in cancer care; (3) learning about self- care; (4) access to respite; (5) finances and policy. Conclusions Researchers have previously engaged caregivers in setting priorities for support interventions. This subanalysis of scoping review results presents a synthesized list of cancer caregivers’ priorities for support. Policymakers, healthcare professionals, and non-profit organizations can use this synthesis to guide decisions when developing support inter- ventions for caregivers to older adults living with cancer

Caregivers to older adults require support: A scoping review of their priorities

Peer ReviewedObjectives: Canada’s population of older adults is growing, and the vast majority of older adults who are chronically ill rely on informal caregivers. This scoping review provides a collation of what caregivers have identified as priorities for support through previous research efforts. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework guides this review. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases on July 2, 2021. We selected databases based on their relevance to nursing, health and social science. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed research of any design, a sample population of caregivers to older adults (>55 years), manuscripts published in English, and the priorities for caregiver support were identified by caregivers themselves. Results: 34 articles met the inclusion criteria. These studies used various quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method study designs. We coded caregiver-identified priorities using thematic analysis and quantified the priorities based on their frequency in the literature. We present the following list of caregiver-identified priorities: (1) orientation to the caregiving role; (2) self-care and respite; (3) adapting healthcare; (4) improved supports; (5) information needs; (6) access to resources; and (7) financial assistance. Conclusion: Researchers have previously engaged caregivers in setting priorities for support. This scoping review presents a synthesized and ordered list of caregiver-identified priorities for support. Policymakers, healthcare professionals, and non-profit organizations can use evidence from this study to guide decisions when developing support interventions for caregivers to older adults

Indigenous Nursing Students’ Readiness for Practice Perceptions - Les perceptions d’étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique

Introduction: Despite being well prepared by baccalaureate nursing institutions, senior students often express trepidation and a lack of confidence with respect to their upcoming nursing role. The literature has long explored readiness for practice struggles of new graduate nurses, however, no studies of which we are aware have addressed Indigenous senior nursing students’ perspectives on this topic. By understanding the readiness for practice perceptions of Indigenous nursing students and facilitating the successful transition from student to nurse, nursing education programs can honor the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2015) Calls to Action related to: 1) increasing the number of Indigenous professionals working in the healthcare field and 2) ensuring the retention of Indigenous healthcare providers in Indigenous communities. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore baccalaureate Indigenous nursing students’ perceptions of their readiness for practice. Procedures: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted with a convenience sample of 26 senior baccalaureate nursing students in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada using the Readiness for Practice Survey. Results: Readiness for practice perceptions of Indigenous nursing students in this study are similar when compared with nursing students from the extant literature. With regards to Indigenous students’ perceived clinical problem solving skills they believed they used evidence to make clinical decisions and they were confident in their ability to problem solve. They also felt confident identifying actual or potential safety risk to patients. Students were least comfortable knowing what to do for a dying patient. When considering student learning perspectives, students believed simulation activities assisted them in being prepared for clinical practice. The least effective learning strategy they perceived was reflective journal writing. The majority of participants were satisfied in choosing nursing as a career, however, they were less confident in their readiness for entering the nursing profession. Students were comfortable asking for help and communicating with patients and family members. Participants did not feel overwhelmed with ethical issues and believed they had opportunities to practice skills more than once. Participants specified the nursing skills they were most uncomfortable performing were electrocardiogram or telemetry monitoring and interpretation, responding to an emergency or code blue, and performing tracheostomy care and suctioning. Students indicated their level of comfort in caring for two, three, and four patients and students became less confident as the number of patients they cared for increased. When asked what could have been done to help students feel more prepared to enter the nursing profession, participants had several suggestions including additional anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and medical surgical theory courses particularly in upper years of the program, increased clinical hours, opportunities to practice psychomotor skills, and opportunities for mentorship both within school and after graduation. Conclusion: The results of the study provide insight into Indigenous students’ readiness for practice experiences and provides knowledge on supports needed to assist graduates’ transitions into their nursing careers. Strategies to enhance Indigenous nurse readiness for practice can assist in creating a representative workforce and ultimately provide culturally safe, quality care for Indigenous individuals and communities. Résumé Introduction : Malgré leur bonne préparation par des établissements d’enseignement qui offrent le baccalauréat en sciences infirmières, les étudiantes finissantes expriment souvent de l’inquiétude et un manque de confiance concernant leur futur rôle d’infirmière. Les écrits ont largement examiné les difficultés de la transition vers la pratique des infirmières nouvellement diplômées; cependant, à notre connaissance, aucune étude n’a abordé les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières à ce sujet. En comprenant les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique et en facilitant la transition d’étudiante à infirmière, les programmes en sciences infirmières seront en mesure de respecter les appels à l’action (et recommandations) de la Commission de la vérité et réconciliation du Canada (2015) : 1) de voir à l’accroissement du nombre de professionnels autochtones travaillant dans le domaine des soins de santé; et 2) de veiller au maintien en poste des Autochtones qui fournissent des soins de santé dans les communautés autochtones. Objectif : Le but de cette recherche est d’examiner la perception d’étudiantes autochtones au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières quant à leur préparation à la pratique. Moyens : Une étude descriptive exploratoire a été menée avec un échantillon de convenance de 26 étudiantes finissantes en sciences infirmières en Saskatchewan, au Canada, par le biais du sondage Readiness for Practice ou préparation à la pratique. Résultats :Les perceptions des étudiantes autochtones en sciences infirmières de cette étude, quant à leur préparation à la pratique sont similaires à celles des autres étudiantes en sciences infirmières, rapportées dans les nombreux écrits. Concernant leur perception par rapport à leur capacité à résoudre des problèmes cliniques, les étudiantes autochtones rapportaient utiliser des faits pour prendre des décisions cliniques et se disaient confiantes par rapport à leur capacité de résoudre des problèmes. Elles étaient également sûres de pouvoir identifier les risques potentiels ou réels pour la sécurité des patients. Les étudiantes étaient moins confiantes en leur capacité de fournir des soins et du soutien aux patients en phase terminale. Quant à leurs perceptions des moyens d’apprentissage, les étudiantes croyaient que les activités de simulation les préparaient pour la pratique clinique. Selon elles, la stratégie d’apprentissage la moins efficace était la tenue d’un journal réflexif. La majorité des participantes étaient satisfaites de leur choix de carrière en sciences infirmières; cependant, elles étaient moins confiantes concernant leur capacité à intégrer la profession. Les étudiantes étaient à l’aise de demander de l’aide ainsi que de communiquer avec les patients et les membres de leurs familles. Les participantes ne se sentaient pas dépassées par les problèmes éthiques et croyaient avoir eu des occasions de pratiquer leurs habiletés à plusieurs reprises. Les participantes ont précisé que les activités avec lesquelles elles se sentaient le moins à l’aise étaient de superviser et interpréter des électrocardiogrammes ou de la télémétrie, de répondre à une situation d’urgence ou un code bleu et d’effectuer les soins et l’aspiration de trachéotomies. Les étudiantes ont indiqué leur niveau de confort à s’occuper de deux, trois ou quatre patients, et se sentaient de moins en moins à l’aise lorsque le nombre de patients dont elles prenaient soin augmentait. Lorsqu’on leur a demandé ce qui aurait pu être fait pour les aider à se sentir mieux préparées à intégrer la profession, les étudiantes ont offert plusieurs suggestions, y compris : cours théoriques additionnels en anatomie, physiologie, pharmacologie et médecine-chirurgie , particulièrement en fin de programme; augmentation des heures cliniques; plus d’occasions de pratiquer les habiletés psychomotrices; et, du mentorat avant et après l’obtention du diplôme. Conclusion : Les résultats de l’étude offrent un aperçu de la perception d’étudiantes autochtones quant à leur préparation à la pratique et de nouvelles connaissances sur le soutien nécessaire afin de faciliter la transition des diplômées vers leur carrière en sciences infirmières. Les stratégies pour améliorer la préparation à la pratique des infirmières autochtones peuvent aider à créer une main-d’œuvre représentative et, ultimement, offrir des soins culturellement sécuritaires et de qualité aux personnes et aux communautés autochtones

Pilot study: nursing students' perceptions of the environment in two different clinical models

Sherpa Romeo green journal. Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) applies.Purpose: This pilot study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of a modified Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (m-DREEM) tool used to evaluate the effects of different pedagogical approaches in a clinical learning environment on nursing students' learning perceptions. Methods: A sample consisting of 130 nursing students in two different models of clinical education was surveyed. Results: This pilot study demonstrated that m-DREEM yields a high internal consistency. This tool can be used to evaluate nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment on the basis of five sub-scales: students' learning perceptions, facilitators, academic self-perception, atmosphere, social self-perception, and mentorship. Conclusion: A definitive and inferential relationship between sub-scales and clinical models, namely, block and non-block dispersed models, could not be determined because of the small sample size of the block clinical model. Hence, further research should be performed.Ye