Effectiveness of the new NMC mentor preparation course

This study aimed to determine whether the mentor preparation course introduced in 2006 by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and based on NMC mentor standards is meeting the needs of mentors to support preregistration students in practice. A cross-sectional survey was carried out, involving 346 mentors who successfully completed the new course. A self-administered postal questionnaire was used to collect data between December 2010 and February 2011, with a response rate of 57.5%. Overall, respondents felt adequately prepared for their role as mentors and were more confident in their ability to support preregistration students in practice. However, a significant number of respondents received little protected time away from clinical duties to complete the theoretical and practical components of the course and many indicated the need for more input on the practice assessment document used for assessing preregistration nursing and midwifery students

Utilisation of research findings by graduate nurses and midwives and their attitude towards research

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of research education on the attitudes toward research and use of research findings in practice in a sample of graduate nurses and midwives. It also examined how nurse and midwifery teachers could work collaboratively with clinical staff to enhance their use of research evidence to inform their practice. The main barriers to research utilisation and strategies that could facilitate the use of research findings in nursing and midwifery practice were also explored. The project was carried out in three phases and aspects of the theory of diffusion of innovation and the theory of planned behaviour were used as the theoretical framework to inform data collection. For the first phase, a cross-sectional survey using a self-completed postal questionnaire was sent to 340 graduates. A response rate of 56% was obtained. A large number stated that following graduation, their search and critical appraisal skills had improved, expressed positive attitudes towards research and reported using research findings in practice. The second phase explored further the extent of research utilisation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 respondents from a range of specialities. All participants claimed that they used research findings to a large extent and provided examples to support their answers. The third phase, using a structured questionnaire, explored strategies that nurse and midwifery teachers could use to help nurses and midwives to improve their use of research findings. Forty link teachers and 62 clinical managers took part. Effective strategies identified included enabling clinical staff to access and critique research papers; run research workshops on site; set up journal clubs or research interest groups and undertake joint research projects

Exploring knowledge and skills on HIV in student nurses and midwives

A cross-sectional survey design using a self-administered questionnaire was sent to a sample of 62 final-year student nurses and midwives to describe their knowledge of, skills related to, and attitudes towards, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Out of the 47 respondents who return the questionnaire, only 53% stated that they had received class instruction on the topic and 63.8% claimed to have increased their knowledge mainly from reading professional journals. Although only 32% said that they had cared for a patient or knew of a family member or another person with the disease, 91% indicated that they were willing to care for such patients. Overall, the respondents demonstrated positive attitudes towards this group of patients and a good level of knowledge about the subject, although some gaps were evident. However, a large majority stated that their skills to cater for the physical and psychological needs of this group of patients were deficient and would like further training