Gender stereotypes influence both women and men who work as nurses as well as individuals considering nursing as a profession. The aim of this study was to explore male and female nursing students' ...experiences and perspectives regarding gender-defined roles as well as how they view their future professional roles.
The study used a descriptive qualitative design. A convenience sample included 72 full-time second- and third-year undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected in 2017 using a self-administered qualitative questionnaire consisting of 11 essay-type questions. As an additional data collection method, a drawing method was applied. The data were analysed by content analysis separately for the male and female perspectives.
Altogether, eight themes emerged, with half explaining the male and the other half the female students' perspectives. Students choose nursing for altruistic, opportunistic and organisational reasons. Among the female students, another reason "family and social incentives" was also identified. Female students' vision of their future professional role included altruism and positive representations of 'being a nurse', whereas the male students' vision included management and leadership, and technical aspects of nursing.
Both male and female nursing students face the limits of their own gender roles, yet they are prepared to challenge these gender-based perceptions. Tackling stereotypes and raising public awareness, using gender-inclusive language and strategies for recruitment, ensuring gender diversity in nursing teams and revising the nursing curriculum where appropriate, are just some of the implications that arise to help overcome gender differences.
Abstract
Background
Working in a culturally diverse environment entails a moral and professional responsibility to provide culturally competent care. This has been recognised as an important measure ...to reduce health inequalities, improve the quality of care and increase patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to assess the level of cultural competence in nursing students a decade after the introduction of transcultural nursing content into the nursing curriculum in Slovenia.
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional design with 180 s-year nursing students as a convenience sample was used. Cultural competence was assessed using the Cultural Competence Assessment Tool (CCATool) via an online survey. IBM SPSS facilitated statistical analysis, using descriptive statistics and inferential methods, including the chi-square test. Non-parametric tests (Mann Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H and Wilcoxon signed-rank) were used for non-normally distributed data (Shapiro-Wilk test, p < 0.05). The significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results
The results indicate that students demonstrate a high level of cultural competence, although there is room for improvement in terms of cultural sensitivity, as determined by coding the CCATool. The results also show a remarkable contrast between their self-assessed scores and the objective scores obtained from CCATool coding of the statements in each subscale (p < 0.005). In addition, significant differences (p = 0.002) are found in subscale “Cultural Knowledge” particularly between students who have lived abroad for more than 6 months and those who have not. The latter group has a higher score in the CCATool, indicating greater cultural knowledge.
Conclusions
The study suggests that the presence of transcultural elements in the Slovenian nursing curriculum is associated with higher self-reported levels of cultural competence among nursing students, although the present research design does not allow for causal interpretations. This competence is of immense importance in preparing students for their future professional environment. However, it is crucial to further refine the nursing curriculum, especially through greater integration of transcultural content in all health disciplines. In addition, the introduction of innovative teaching and learning approaches can better prepare students to deal with the diverse cultural experiences they will encounter in their nursing careers.
The core competencies in disaster nursing, nurses' roles in disaster management and the potential barriers are assessed with a view to developing disaster nursing in Slovenia. Despite training and ...experience, many indicators show nurses are deficient in skills involving emergency and disaster-preparedness competencies. Nurses report little familiarity with disaster-planning skills, the implementation of disaster guidelines and assessment of patients subject to a disaster circumstance. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted based on data collected through an online survey. 118 registered nurses from different clinical settings in Slovenia participated in the study. Data were collected according to the Slovenian version of the Disaster Nursing Core Competencies Scale (Sl-DNCC-Scale). The scale was limited to a 7-point Likert response format (from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). The results show the registered nurses perceive the core competencies of disaster nursing to be important to their preparedness for disaster situations (median = 161; range 74-189). Registered nurses who work in nursing homes and nurse managers are more aware of the importance of acquiring the listed competencies for unexpected events (p = 0.011 and 0.060 respectively) and the importance of their active role in disaster management (p = 0.027 and p = 0.004, respectively). To effectively deal with a disaster, nurses must be well prepared for unexpected events and more actively involved in disaster management. This study demonstrates that nurses regard the core disaster nursing competencies as important and greatly needed in various healthcare facilities. Future studies in this area should focus on ways to implement these competencies in nursing education.
Abstract
Background
In recent years, complex and rapidly changing healthcare settings have placed high demands on nursing graduates, who must effectively assume new professional roles with a wide ...variety of competencies. However, in an ever-altering environment it is impossible to teach students everything. This means that assessing nursing students’ perceptions of their ability to practise their competencies and assume their professional roles is critical for faculty to further develop the nursing education curriculum and to assist healthcare organisations in supporting the transition of graduates. The aim of the study was to explore newly graduated nurses’ perceptions of their new professional role and professional competency associated with this role.
Methods
A qualitative study using the focus group method. The purposive sample included 18 nursing graduates with an average of 29 years, most of whom were female. The average time that had elapsed since graduation was 1.5 years. Four face-to-face focus group interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed to identify themes and subthemes.
Results
Three main themes describing newly graduated nurses’ perceptions were found: (1) significance of the transition period; (2) commitment to the nursing profession; and (3) perceived needs and challenges to professional competency.
Conclusion
The transition from a safe academic environment to turbulent clinical practice is shaped by both graduates’ expectations and reality. The results of the study indicate a high level of commitment to the profession immediately after graduation and point to groups of competencies that need greater emphasis in the nursing curriculum. Although the responsibility for adequately preparing and supporting nursing students for their new professional roles rests with faculty and healthcare organisations, the responsibility for professional development should also lie on the students themselves.
Background: Measurements of nursing students’ cultural awareness are needed to evaluate education that intends to improve nurses’ cultural competency skills. The purpose of this study was to assess ...the level of cultural awareness held by undergraduate nursing students. Method: A nonexperimental, cross-sectional design was applied to a purposive sample of 149 undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected based on the Cultural Awareness Scale (CAS). Results: The results show that the nursing students had a moderately high level of cultural awareness for all CAS subscales (M = 194.0). However, no statistically significant differences were seen between the students’ demographic (gender and age) and other data (year of study and religion) related to the overall CAS score (p > .05). Discussion: Building on the satisfactory results obtained from this study, in the future, both the transcultural nursing contents as well as various strategies for teaching cultural competencies should be carefully evaluated.
Precise epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of immigrant women admitted to gynecology or obstetrics departments are rarely explored. The aim of this retrospective observational study was to ...analyze the epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of immigrant female patients hospitalized between 2012 and 2017 in one maternity hospital in south-west Slovenia. Clinical data retrieved from hospital electronic information system were used to analyze these characteristics. In the mentioned period, 605 immigrant women were hospitalized, most of them originating from countries of the former Yugoslavia (60.50%) or former Eastern Bloc (14.05%). The results show that in recent years there has been a constantly growing trend of immigrant women being admitted compared to the total number of hospitalizations. No statistical differences were established in the incidence of abortion, preterm delivery or vacuum extraction between Slovenian and immigrant women, although the analysis revealed a higher rate of cesarean section among immigrant women (χ2=26.960, p<0.01). Education level seems to be a significant predictor of the likelihood of an abortion in the group of immigrant women (B=-0.492, p=0.015), where less educated women are at a greater risk. To improve what is known about the sexual and reproductive health-related problems of immigrant women, a large-scale epidemiologic study is needed in the near future.
•The professionalization process is used by occupations to gain professional status.•This article focuses on the factors that influenced this process in midwifery over the last decade.•Despite the ...existence of traditional barriers to professionalization, new elements are emerging.•Woman-centred care and interprofessional practise are becoming a new engine of this process.•Self-awareness, self-esteem and confidence are vital in acknowledging professional role.
The professionalization of midwifery is not only important for midwives themselves, but for women and society in general since professionalism is associated with high-quality services and moral and ethical standards.
This systematic integrative literature review seeks to investigate the factors that have affected the professionalization of midwifery in the last decade (2009–2019).
Systematic searches were conducted in EBSCO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SAGE and the Web of Science Core Collection. Critical appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The findings were synthesised through a thematic analysis. The PRISMA statement was used to guide the reporting.
Analysis of the 20 studies included detected two main themes: professionalization barriers and professionalization opportunities. The first theme includes issues concerning power imbalance, social recognition, conflicting perspectives on childbirth, professional autonomy, work characteristics, midwifery associations, and regulation. The second theme includes opportunity issues related to woman-centred care, expansion of professional competency, interprofessional collaboration, and education.
Over the last decade, the midwifery profession has faced several barriers that seem to be historically entrenched in the professionalization of midwifery, yet changes in the professionalization process are visible in the shift towards elements of the ‘new professionalism’ that is rising to the surface during this process.
The findings suggest the socialisation process of midwifery candidates must focus on raising their self-awareness, self-esteem and confidence in their professional role; woman-centred care needs to be further promoted and implemented; and interprofessional collaboration should be addressed in educational programmes for all health professionals.
To understand healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions of nurses' potential or ideal roles in pharmaceutical care (PC). Qualitative study conducted through semi-structured in-depth ...interviews. Between December 2018 and October 2019, interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals of 14 European countries in four healthcare settings: hospitals, community care, mental health and long-term residential care. In each country, pharmacists, physicians and nurses in each of the four settings were interviewed. Participants were selected on the basis that they were key informants with broad knowledge and experience of PC. 340 interviews were completed. Several tasks were described within four potential nursing responsibilities, that came up as the analysis themes, being: 1) monitoring therapeutic/adverse effects of medicines, 2) monitoring medicines adherence, 3) decision making on medicines, including prescribing 4) providing patient education/information. Nurses' autonomy varied across Europe, from none to limited to a few tasks and emergencies to a broad range of tasks and responsibilities. Intended level of autonomy depended on medicine types and level of education. Some changes are needed before nursing roles can be optimised and implemented in practice. Lack of time, shortage of nurses, absence of legal frameworks and limited education and knowledge are main threats to European nurses actualising their ideal role in PC. European nurses have an active role in PC. Respondents reported positive impacts on care quality and patient outcomes when nurses assumed PC responsibilities. Healthcare professionals expect nurses to report observations and assessments. This key patient information should be shared and addressed by the interprofessional team. The study evidences the need of a unique and consensus-based PC framework across Europe.
Abstract
Background
The competency-based approach to the assessment of nursing practice has been adopted as a key policy in the developed world. The continual self-assessment of competence gives ...nurses the opportunity to reflect on their competencies and has a significant impact on the quality of nursing practice and patient safety. The study was designed to describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of a short form of the Nurse Professional Competence scale (NPC-SF) and to evaluate the efficacy of this instrument in a sample of registered nurses.
Methods
A cross-sectional and validation study was conducted in 425 registered nurses to test the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of a short form of the scale and to evaluate nurses’ professional competence. A multilevel approach was used: Translation, back-translation, language validity, face and content validity, construct validity, and reliability of the Slovenian version of the scale were analysed respectively. Participants completed an online survey, with the data being collected between April and July 2020.
Results
Factor analysis showed that the Slovenian version of the scale could be used in four dimensions explained with 65 % of the variance. Cronbach’s α was 0.972. The four-factor model fit the data (RMSEA = 0.083, CFI = 0.731). Self-reported competence was high and rated higher by nurses employed at the tertiary level of healthcare, followed by nurses employed at the secondary and primary, and from social care institutions. Nurses with more years of experience assessed their competence higher.
Conclusions
The NPC-SF helps understand and identify nurses’ self-reported core competencies in clinical settings, thereby providing an important predictor of the professional development of nursing. The Slovenian version of the scale demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and may be used in research and clinical practice to evaluate nurses’ professional competence.
The Covid-19 pandemic poses a new challenge in the adoption of ICT in education. The need for educational institutions to develop standards and implement quality assurance in digital education has ...suddenly gained new significance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the learning experiences of nurse educators in Slovenia acquired during a nine-week modular online course on the design, delivery and evaluation of online study units, based on a quality standard for digital education developed for this purpose. A mixed methods approach was used. The evaluation of the nurse educators’ learning experiences was examined quantitatively (cross-sectional study) and qualitatively (focus group). The Cronbach’s alpha for the entire questionnaire was 0.921, indicating that the internal consistency of the questionnaire developed for evaluation was excellent. The thematic analysis identified three main themes. At the end of the course, the nursing teachers expressed their desire for additional courses in which they could gain and deepen their knowledge of the preparation, implementation, and evaluation of the educational unit with the help of digital technology.
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