Effective Mentoring of Novice Nurses during a Healthcare Crisis

Novice nurses are entering the workforce at an unprecedented time during a pandemic. Nursing mentorship is important in helping the transition of novice nurses into the nursing profession. The healthcare crisis presented by a pandemic makes this even more integral as new entrants enter the workforce at an unprecedented time. This has now brought to fore the need to critically reflect on how are novice nurses being supported to make the transition into the nursing workforce during a stressful time in healthcare. This paper discusses the nursing mentorship process and applies the theoretical framework of authentic leadership to explore the importance of novice nurses embracing the self to combat the challenges of entering the nursing workforce during a pandemic. This discussion paper promotes authentic leadership as an effective complement to the nursing mentorship process to better help novice nurses’ transition into their nursing role during challenging times of a healthcare crisis. Recommendations are given to enhance the nursing mentorship culture by co creating an authentic environment that allows nurse mentors and novice nurses to embrace the self through self-awareness and self-development. Nursing mentorship is integral to the success of novice nurses’ transition into their professional role and into the complex healthcare environment at unprecedented times when healthcare providers have to quickly adapt and develop readiness to perform professional roles due to the health crisis and demands created by a global pandemic

Early Mobility for Critically Ill Patients: Building Staff Commitment Through Appreciative Inquiry

BACKGROUND: Immobility contributes to many adverse effects in critically ill patients. Early progressive mobility can mitigate these negative sequelae but is not widely implemented. Appreciative inquiry is a quality improvement method/change philosophy that builds on what works well in an organization. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether appreciative inquiry would reinvigorate an early progressive mobility initiative in a medical intensive care unit and improve and sustain staff commitment to providing regular mobility therapy at the bedside. Secondary goals were to add to the literature about appreciative inquiry in health care and to determine whether it can be adapted to critical care. METHODS: Staff participated in appreciative inquiry workshops, which were conducted by a trained facilitator and structured with the appreciative inquiry 4-D cycle. Staff members\u27 attitudes toward and knowledge of early progressive mobility were evaluated before and after the workshops. Performance of early progressive mobility activities was recorded before and 3 and 10 months after the workshops. RESULTS: Sixty-seven participants completed the program. They rated the workshops as successfully helping them to understand the importance of early progressive mobility (98%), explain their responsibility to improve patient outcomes (98%), and engender a greater commitment to patients and the organization (96%). Regarding mobility treatments, at 3 months orders had improved from 62% to 88%; documentation, from 52% to 89%; and observation, from 39% to 87%. These improvements were maintained at 10 months. CONCLUSION: Participation in the workshops improved the staff\u27s attitude toward and performance of mobility treatments. Appreciative inquiry may provide an adjunct to problem-based quality improvement techniques

Developing Content for an Interprofessional Training on Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR): Key Informant Interviews of Healthcare Professionals, Researchers and Cancer Survivors

Background: Growing numbers of cancer survivors are receiving healthcare through primary care practitioners, who often lack cancer-specific expertise to effectively treat survivors’ concerns. Addressing that gap, this study aimed to develop content for a training on fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), a common concern in survivorship. Methods: Grounded in naturalistic inquiry, 42 key-informant interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Participants were healthcare professionals, researchers, and cancer survivors Results: Results included themes ranging from: rich conceptualizations of FCR, opportunities and challenges for addressing FCR in healthcare settings, interventions to address FCR, and important information to include in a training on FCR. Conclusions: This paper provides content for an interprofessional training and highlights the importance of developing trainings for interprofessional teams, given identified barriers that physicians face in addressing FCR and other psychosocial concerns of survivors in primary care

Impact of an Interprofessional Primary Care Training on Fear of Cancer Recurrence on Clinicians’ Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, Anticipated Practice Behaviors, and Attitudes Toward Survivorship Care

There are an estimated 15.5 million cancer survivors in the United States, with numbers projected to increase. Many cancer survivors are receiving survivorship care in primary care settings, yet primary care providers report a need for additional training on addressing medical and psychosocial concerns of cancer survivors. This paper presents findings from a pilot study on the effectiveness of a novel training for interprofessional primary care providers on the clinically significant issue of fear of cancer recurrence. The on-site training was provided to a total of 46 participants, including physicians (61%), physician assistants (11%), nurse practitioners (7%), nurses (17%), and social workers (4%) in six different primary care practices. The average number of years of professional experience was 18.8, with standard deviation of 10.9. Results of paired-sample t tests indicated that the training increased knowledge and self-efficacy of providers in identifying and addressing FCR. The training was well-received by participants, who had high confidence in implementing practice behavior changes, although they also identified barriers. Results suggest the feasibility of a brief training for continuing education and have implications for models of care delivery in cancer survivorship

Impact of an Interprofessional Primary Care Training on Fear of Cancer Recurrence on Clinicians\u27 Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, Anticipated Practice Behaviors, and Attitudes Toward Survivorship Care

There are an estimated 15.5 million cancer survivors in the United States, with numbers projected to increase. Many cancer survivors are receiving survivorship care in primary care settings, yet primary care providers report a need for additional training on addressing medical and psychosocial concerns of cancer survivors. This paper presents findings from a pilot study on the effectiveness of a novel training for interprofessional primary care providers on the clinically significant issue of fear of cancer recurrence. The on-site training was provided to a total of 46 participants, including physicians (61%), physician assistants (11%), nurse practitioners (7%), nurses (17%), and social workers (4%) in six different primary care practices. The average number of years of professional experience was 18.8, with standard deviation of 10.9. Results of paired-sample t tests indicated that the training increased knowledge and self-efficacy of providers in identifying and addressing FCR. The training was well-received by participants, who had high confidence in implementing practice behavior changes, although they also identified barriers. Results suggest the feasibility of a brief training for continuing education and have implications for models of care delivery in cancer survivorship

Using a Nursing Salon to Identify and Develop an Initiative for Family Caregivers of Older Adults

The purpose of the Aging Well Nursing-Interprofessional Salon was to explore current local community healthcare issues for older adults and to develop innovative strategies that support and enhance their health. An initiative emerged from the salon that focuses on identifying caregivers to ensure their awareness of available support resources. We are in the process of developing a pilot plan that includes collaboration of PhD and doctorate of nursing practice students, nursing faculty, and community agencies that support older adults