The U.S. is facing a mounting nursing faculty shortage. The size of one key group of potential faculty members, new nursing PhD graduates, is declining. The first step to programmatic and policy development to increase the number of PhD faculty is understanding recent and future trends in nursing PhD graduates and enrollments. This study aimed: 1) to analyze 10-year observed trends in the number of nursing PhD graduates, enrollments, and programs; 2) describe the geographical distribution of nursing PhD programs; and 3) forecast enrollment and graduation trends nationally and regionally. Data were from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Annual Survey from academic years 2012–13 to 2021–22. From 2012–13 through 2021–22, the number of nursing PhD programs remained stable, and graduation rates increased by 13.9 %, though enrollments decreased by about 14.5 %. Forecasted trends suggest that both enrollments and graduates will decrease in the next ten years, with some regional variation. Overall, fewer PhD-prepared nurses may impact the capacity to educate more nurses in bachelor's and master's programs and limit input into future research and policy advancements. Recommendations include education about the nurse PhD role, programmatic changes and student financial support, and increasing diversity and multidisciplinarity in nursing.
Telehealth is now a necessary component of health care delivery, and its use among health care professionals was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nurse practitioner (NP) programs generally incorporate telehealth competencies within their curriculum, preparing NPs to effectively deliver telehealth and improve health outcomes.
We developed and implemented a telehealth blueprint to enhance telehealth content within our clinical Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program guided by the Four Ps of the Telehealth Framework planning, preparing, providing, and performance evaluation.
The Four Ps for Telehealth Framework assisted us in scaffolding content across the 3 years of the DNP program. Telehealth competencies were delivered through multiple modalities: online modules, experiential and clinical learning, and discussions of challenges related to telehealth. Students overwhelming reported that they were prepared to use telehealth technology upon graduation.
The Four Ps for Telehealth Framework was used to successfully integrate telehealth content into our DNP curriculum.
Satisfactory scholarly writing is identified as a barrier to successful completion for students enrolled in graduate nursing programs. In this semester-long activity, students work collaboratively to develop and apply strategies including PICO(T) question development, appraisal of primary and secondary literature, and literature matrix development to enhance their professional writing. Students' demonstration of inquiry and scholarly writing improved throughout the semester. This innovative teaching approach to fostering scholarly writing development is an effective way to prepare students for dissemination.
Professional development is an expectation for nurses and is part of lifelong learning. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education identify professional development as a core competency for nursing students.
At an urban pre-licensure nursing program, most students reported meeting with their academic advisor once a year or less and did not receive professional development opportunities from their advisor.
A centralized Professional Nursing Advisor role was created to provide access to professional development opportunities for nursing students in a sustainable, consistent approach.
Outcomes included a centralized approach to communicate with students regarding professional development and more consistent professional development offerings. Lessons learned include the need to educate all stakeholders regarding the new advising role.
The Professional Nursing Advisor role can be effective in providing consistent professional development opportunities to nursing students. Next steps include further alignment to professional competencies.
Undergraduate nursing students are at risk of exposure to clinical related critical incidents. The impact on nursing students and the use of coping mechanisms and processes to make meaning of these distressing experiences are poorly understood.
The aim of this study was to provide a theoretical understanding of the processes that undergraduate nursing students use to make meaning of clinical related critical incidents.
Following the constructivist grounded theory method, a purposive sample was used to recruit 15 students enrolled in a Canadian university baccalaureate nursing program. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews over 12 months. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using constant comparison and concurrent data collection and coding.
Three theoretical categories emerged from the data to explain the processes used by nursing students to make meaning of their critical incidents: distress, identity shift, and moving forward. The processes described were characterized by an overarching category of “Pushing Through.”
The resulting theory of “Pushing Through” can be used as a lens for students and nurse educators to navigate making meaning of clinical related critical incidents. This theory highlights the significance of students' self-understanding as they explore and assemble individualized strategies and coping skills. Educators who teach in the clinical setting should prioritize the development of a trauma-informed learning environment by establishing connections and transparent expectations with learners.
Growing awareness of social inequities and injustices in education highlights the urgent need to address harmful mechanisms, policies, and norms within health education curricula and systems.
This study examines inclusivity and exclusivity content in four fundamental nursing textbooks and contributes to the broader discourse on fostering equitable health education.
A Directed Qualitative Content Analysis on 32 chapters from four fundamental nursing textbooks was systematically conducted. Seven codes within inclusivity and exclusivity themes were deductively developed from the literature. Inclusivity codes included equity language and contextualized race-based prevalence. Exclusivity codes included normalizing Whiteness in assessment, stigmatizing and negative descriptors, race-based prevalence without context, cisgenderism, and othering. Two trained analysts independently reviewed the chapters, assigning texts to these codes. Discrepancies were resolved by team consensus.
A total of 118 inclusivity instances: equity language (n = 109) and race-based prevalence with context (n = 9). Exclusivity codes were more prevalent (n = 642), including normalizing Whiteness (n = 398), stigmatizing descriptors (n = 106), cisgenderism (n = 59), and othering (n = 32).
The study highlights inclusive language in fundamental nursing textbooks but reveals significant exclusive language perpetuating negative generalizations, including marginalized identities and race prevalence without context. This content undermines person-centered care and hinders understanding the complex interplay between intersectionality, social justice, and social determinants of health.
Nursing education has seen a shift towards simulation-based education (SBE) to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Maryland's Clinical Simulation Resource Consortium (MCSRC) aimed to enhance SBE utilization; however, noted a decline in SBE usage post pandemic, prompting an investigation into nurse administrators' perspectives on replacing clinical hours with SBE.
This descriptive quality improvement study was informed by Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four academic nurse administrators from various pre-licensure nursing programs in Maryland. The data collected were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Nurse administrators who value SBE as a safe learning space are integral when building and maintaining infrastructure to support simulation usage. Identified barriers related to faculty buy-in, workload, and inadequate human resources to deliver high-quality simulations can hinder sustained adoption of clinical simulation.
This study highlights the necessity of continuous faculty training in SBE and dedicated resources to support simulation infrastructure. Recommendations include sustained investment in faculty development, creating specialized roles for simulation champions, and fostering collaborations to strengthen simulation integration. The findings emphasize the pivotal role of nurse administrators in navigating challenges and maximizing SBE's potential to replace clinical hours in nursing education, urging ongoing support and strategic planning for successful integration.
The movement toward competency-based education (CBE), endorsed by AACN, has highlighted the need for nursing programs to engage in curriculum revisions. Best practice Writing Across the Curriculum instructional strategies may play a key role in revising courses to meet CBE criteria.
Faculty may not feel prepared to modify or develop courses to meet the CBE standards detailed in the AACN 2021 Essentials and may not recognize how Writing Across the Curriculum strategies can be utilized to meet CBE requirements.
Evidence-based Writing Across the Curriculum strategies can be easily incorporated into courses to enhance students' critical thinking abilities, clinical skills, and leadership proficiencies.
Writing Across the Curriculum strategies can be used during course revisions to address CBE. Nursing faculty should be familiar with best practices for incorporating writing into nursing assignments to allow students to demonstrate competency of learned knowledge.