Australian clinician's views on interprofessional education for students in the rural clinical setting
- Authors: Jacob, Elisabeth , Barnett, Tony , Missen, Karen , Cross, Dorothy , Walker, Lorraine
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Research in Interprofessional Practice and Education Vol. 2, no. 2 (2012 2012), p. 219-229
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- Description: Background: Collaboration between education providers and clinical agencies to develop models that facilitate cross-disciplinary clinical education for students is essential to produce work-ready graduates. Methods and Findings: This exploratory study investigated the perceptions of and opportunities for interprofessional education (IPE) from the perspectives of 57 clinical staff from three regional/rural health services across Victoria, Australia. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews, and focus group discussions with staff from 15 disciplinary groups who were responsible for clinical education. Although different views emerged on what IPE entailed, it was perceived by most clinicians to be valuable for students in enhancing teamwork, improving the understanding of roles and functions of team members, and facilitating common goals for patient care. While benefits of IPE could be articulated by clinicians, student engagement with IPE in clinical areas appeared to be limited, largely ad hoc, and opportunistic. Barriers to IPE included: timing of students’ placements, planning and coordination of activities, resource availability, and current regulatory and education provider requirements. Conclusions: Without the necessary resources and careful planning and coordination, the integration of IPE as a part of students’ clinical placement experience will remain a largely untapped resource.
Australian registered and enrolled nurses: Is there a difference?
- Authors: Jacob, Elisabeth , Sellick, Kenneth , McKenna, Lisa
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Nursing Practice Vol. 18, no. 3 (2012), p. 303-307
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- Description: Australian registered and enrolled nurses: Is there a difference? There are two categories of nurse registered to practise in Australia, the degreeâ€educated registered nurse and the certificate/diploma trained enrolled nurse (EN). While it is argued that the roles of the two categories of nurse in Australia are different, recent changes to the educational preparation and supervision requirements of ENs have narrowed these differences. This paper examines the existing literature to determine the perceived differences and similarities between registered and ENs in Australia. Differences identified included registration requirements, educational preparation, supervisory requirements and role expectation. Further research needs to be undertaken to examine the educational preparation of registered and ENs in order to obtain a greater understanding of role expectations on graduation. Supervision processes also require reviewing to demonstrate differences between indirect supervision and independent practice for ENs.
Building capacity for the clinical placement of nursing students
- Authors: Barrett, Anthony , Cross, Dorothy , Jacob, Elisabeth , Shahwan-Akl, Lina , Welch, Anthony , Caldwell, Alison , Berry, Robyn
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 15, no. 2 (2008), p. 55-61
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Cultural desire need not improve with cultural knowledge : A cross-sectional study of student nurses
- Authors: Isaacs, Anton , Raymond, Anita , Jacob, Elisabeth , Jones, Janet , McGrail, Matthew , Drysdale, Marlene
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education in Practice Vol. 19, no. (2016), p. 91-96
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- Description: Cultural desire is considered to be a prerequisite for developing cultural competence. This study explored cultural desire among student nurses towards Aboriginal peoples and its association with participation in a one-semester unit on Aboriginal health through a cross-sectional survey. Our main outcome, cultural desire, was measured using two items level of agreement with Aboriginal health being an integral component of the nursing curriculum and an expressed interest in Aboriginal health. 220 (74.58%) student nurses completed the survey. Completing the Aboriginal Health and wellbeing unit did not influence students' opinions on inclusion of the unit as part of the nursing curriculum (odds ratio OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.43-1.29) or their overall cultural desire (mean difference = -0.69, 95% CI -1.29 to -0.08, p = 0.026). Students who completed the unit reported a higher understanding of Aboriginal health (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.35-4.08) but lower interest levels in the subject (OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.84). Further research is necessary to explore how and when cultural desire might develop in nurses who are trained in cultural competence particularly in the contexts of post-colonial disparities and political conflict. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
Developing advanced rural nursing practice: A whole new scope of responsibility
- Authors: Cant, Robyn , Birks, Melanie , Porter, Joanne , Jacob, Elisabeth , Cooper, Simon J.
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 18, no. 4 (2011), p. 177-182
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- Description: Rural registered nurses' experiences of advanced clinical nursing practice were explored whilst they were enrolled in an advanced primary care course of study. Thirty-two nurses employed in rural health services in Victoria, Australia, studied advanced practice nursing by distance education with a clinical component. At course conclusion, focus groups and a quantitative on-line survey were conducted to explore outcomes. Nurses reported positive self-perceptions of their educational preparation with scores of >7/10 for competence, confidence, preparedness for advanced practice and job satisfaction. Focus group discussions concurred with positive survey results. The course was valuable in developing skills and knowledge, enabling more holistic patient care. The main themes that emerged related to the advancement of the nurse as a professional, and enhancement of patient care. Within their scope of practice, nurses assessed, diagnosed and treated minor patient illness presentations either independently or collaboratively with medical advice. The context of rural health services dictated practice and levels of autonomy. Nurses perceived the new role reduced an overload of medical work, whilst increasing patients' access to care. As a result of the course 24% of participants reported a change in their work role. Nurses employed in rural health services reported positive potential for advanced collaborative practice in rural health care, in association with medical professionals. Defined role boundaries, role responsibilities and dedicated advanced practice positions will be required to achieve implementation of the role. © 2011 Royal College of Nursing, Australia.
Entry criteria versus success in undergraduate nursing courses
- Authors: Jacob, Elisabeth , Chapman, Ysanne , Birks, Melanie , Al-Motlaq, Mohammad
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Institutional Research Vol. 16, no. 2 (2011), p. 54-62
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- Description: Students enter nursing degree programs through a variety of pathways. This article reports on a study that investigated the success and experience of these students. The aim was to determine any linkages between the pathway of entry in a preregistration nursing course and the academic achievements of these students. To achieve this aim, a descriptive correlational design was used to gather information from students enrolled in four different streams of a Bachelor of Nursing program over a 12-month period that were then compared with their academic records. Results suggest that students from different entry pathways can succeed at university provided they are supported and encouraged.
Expanding the clinical placement capacity of rural hospitals in Australia: Displacing Peta to place Paul?
- Authors: Barnett, Tony , Walker, Lorraine , Jacob, Elisabeth , Missen, Karen , Cross, Dorothy , Shahwan-Akl, Lina
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 32, no. 5 (2012), p. 485-489
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- Description: In order to identify opportunities to build capacity for clinical placements, we mapped and described the organisation of student placements at three hospitals, each with multiple education providers, in rural Victoria, Australia. Using a cross-sectional, mixed method design, data were collected by survey, interviews and discussion with student placement coordinators representing 16 clinical health disciplines.Teaching and supporting students was regarded as an important part of the service each hospital provided and a useful staff recruitment strategy. There were peaks and troughs in student load over the year, though this was less marked for medicine and dentistry than for nursing and allied health disciplines. Whilst placements were managed largely on a discipline basis, each hospital had taken steps to communicate information about student placements across disciplines and to identify opportunities for interprofessional education (IPE).Placement capacity could be increased by sharing placement data within hospitals, smoothing the utilisation patterns across the year, capitalising on opportunities for IPE when there is concurrent placement of students from different disciplines, and through better employment of underutilised clinical areas. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Exploration of nursing degree students’ content expectations of a dedicated Indigenous health unit
- Authors: Jacob, Elisabeth , Raymond, Anita , Jones, Janet , Jacob, Alycia , Drysdale, Marlene , Isaacs, Anton
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 23, no. 3 (2016), p. 313-319
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- Description: Mandatory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health units are included in all nursing education programmes in Australia to improve students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes towards Indigenous people in order to help address health inequities. This research explores content expectations of nursing students required to undertake Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health studies as part of a Bachelor of Nursing Degree at a rural university campus. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to examine students’ opinions of course content of an Aboriginal health and wellbeing unit. Two hundred and ninety-four students across the three years of the degree were asked to complete the anonymous survey. Two hundred and forty-six students (83.6%) completed the survey. One hundred and thirty-nine students had completed, and 107 students were yet to undertake the unit. Qualitative content analysis of an open-ended survey question was used to interrogate the data. Four themes emerged from the data: cultural competence, disease implications and management, nursing care and other issues. Content expectations were consistent for students who were yet to undertake (pre) or had completed (post) the unit. Content expectations included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture (pre 30.4%–post 29.8%), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues (pre 20.0%–post 23.7%) and understanding nursing care related issues (pre 15.7%–post 17.1%). Data findings were significant for enhancing the current unit. Students express the need for a safe learning environment in which to challenge beliefs and opinions. Course facilitators need to be sensitive to student populations and include content relevant to the programme being studied. Cultural immersion experiences may improve confidence in nursing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. © 2015 Australian College of Nursing Ltd
Influence of perceptions and stereotypes of the nursing role on career choice in secondary students : A regional perspective
- Authors: Raymond, Anita , James, Ainsley , Jacob, Elisabeth , Lyons, Judith
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 62, no. (2018), p. 150-157
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- Description: Background: This study examined the influence that perceptions and stereotypes of the nursing role had on future career choice of rural secondary students. Objective: The study was undertaken to identify a method of attracting final year secondary school students to an undergraduate nursing degree at a rural University. Design: A mixed method study using a pre–post-interventional design. Setting: The rural campus of an Australian university. Participants: 71 secondary students attending a secondary school career development program at a rural Australian university. Method: Semi structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis of open-ended survey questions. Results: The research supports the importance of being aware of young people's impressions about nurses and nursing as a career, to ensure the successful implementation of targeted recruitment. Conclusion: Targeted recruitment strategies can increase students’ awareness of the wide variety of pathways within nursing, rather than leaving awareness to what family, friends or career advisers tell them, or how nurses are portrayed on television, movies and the media. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Interprofessional clinical education: clinicians' views on the importance of leadership
- Authors: Missen, Karen , Jacob, Elisabeth , Barnett, Tony , Walker, Lorraine , Cross, Dorothy
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian: Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia Vol. 19, no. 4 (2012), p. 189-195
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- Description: The current shortage of health professionals necessitates new approaches to clinical education that can expand the number of undergraduate students undertaking clinical placements without increasing the burden on clinical staff or placing patients at risk. Interprofessional education has the potential to help increase clinical capacity whilst enriching students’ clinical experience. This paper reports on a project which investigated the potential for interprofessional education to increase undergraduate clinical placement capacity in clinical settings. The project utilised an exploratory descriptive methodology to obtain the views of health care professionals about the use of interprofessional education in clinical education at three rural health facilities in Victoria, Australia. Participants (n = 57) had a key role with each health care facility in coordinating and facilitating undergraduate clinical placements. This paper examines the clinicians’ views about the central role that leadership plays in actioning interprofessional education in the clinical setting. Whilst interprofessional education was regarded favourably by the majority of participants, data indicated that leadership from education providers, health services, and regulatory authorities was crucial to enable interprofessional education to be implemented and sustained within the clinical learning environment. Without leadership from each of these three spheres of influence, interprofessional education will continue to be difficult to implement for undergraduate students and compromise their exposure to an important aspect of the working life of health care professionals. Such a failure will limit graduates’ readiness for collaborative and cross-disciplinary practice.
Peer learning a pedagogical approach to enhance online learning: A qualitative exploration
- Authors: Raymond, Anita , Jacob, Elisabeth , Jacob, Darren , Lyons, Judith
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 44, no. (2016), p. 165-159
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- Description: Abstract Background Flexible online programs are becoming increasingly popular method of education for students, allowing them to complete programs in their own time and cater for lifestyle differences. A mixture of delivery modes is one way which allows for enhanced learning. Peer learning is another method of learning which is shown to foster collaboration and prepare healthcare students for their future careers. This paper reports on a project to combine peer and online learning to teach pharmacology to nursing students. Objectives To explore undergraduate nursing student opinions of working in peer groups for online learning sessions in a pharmacology course. Design A qualitative study utilising a self-reported questionnaire. Setting A rural campus of an Australian university. Participants Second year nursing students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing Program. Methods A hard copy questionnaire was distributed to all students who attended the final semester lecture for the course. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions was used to identify themes in the written data. Results Of the 61 students enrolled in the nursing subject, 35 students chose to complete the survey (57%). Students reported a mixed view of the benefits and disadvantages of peer online learning. Sixty 6% (66%) of students liked peer online learning, whilst 29% disliked it and 6% were undecided. Convenience and ease of completion were reported as the most common reason to like peer online learning, whilst Information Technology issues, communication and non-preferred learning method were reasons for not liking peer online learning. Conclusion Peer online learning groups’ acted as one further method to facilitate student learning experiences. Blending peer online learning with traditional face-to-face learning increases the variety of learning methods available to students to enhance their overall learning experience.
Rural nursing in the Australian context
- Authors: Francis, Karen , Jacob, Elisabeth
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: The Rural Nurse: Transition to Practice p. 95-108
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Scope of practice for Australian enrolled nurses: evolution and practice issues
- Authors: Jacob, Elisabeth , Barnett, Anthony , Sellick, Kenneth , McKenna, Lisa
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Contemporary Nurse Vol. 45, no. 2 (2013), p. 155-163
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- Description: Significant changes to the scope of practice for enrolled nurses have occurred in Australia over the past decade. These changes, which are largely a consequence of staff shortages and economic pressure, have resulted in increased role confusion and overlap between enrolled and registered nurses in Australia. This paper presents a brief history of the enrolled nurse in Australia followed by an overview of the current situation and emerging trends in the education and employment of these nurses. Definitions and approaches to scope of practice are described and emerging issues within Australia raised and discussed. A review of the literature found the number of enrolled nurses and the roles they perform have changed significantly in Australia following the introduction of the enhanced scope of practice. Further research is required to better define and delineate between the different nursing roles and to explore broader frameworks to analyze, describe and define these roles. Read More: http://pubs.e-contentmanagement.com/doi/abs/10.5172/conu.2013.45.2.155
The evaluation of a successful collaborative education model to expand student clinical placements
- Authors: Barnett, Anthony , Cross, Dorothy , Shahwan-Akl, Lina , Jacob, Elisabeth
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education in Practice Vol. 10, no. 1 (2010), p. 17-21
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- Description: Worldwide, universities have been encouraged to increase the number of students enrolled in nursing courses as a way to bolster the domestic supply of graduates and address workforce shortages. This places pressure on clinical agencies to accommodate greater numbers of students for clinical experience who, in Australia, may often come from different educational institutions. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a collaborative model of clinical education that would increase the capacity of a health care agency to accommodate student placements and improve workplace readiness. The project was undertaken in a medium sized regional hospital in rural Australia where most nurses worked part time. Through an iterative process, a new supported preceptorship model was developed by academics from three institutions and staff from the hospital. Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with key stakeholders and clinical placement data analysed for the years 2004 (baseline) to 2007. The model was associated with a 58% increase in the number of students and a 45% increase in the number of student placement weeks over the four year period. Students reported positively on their experience and key stakeholders believed that the new model would better prepare students for the realities of nursing work.