A primary goal of nursing education is to prepare students to practice competently as beginning nurses. However, evidence indicates a growing perception that new graduate nurses do not meet expectations for beginning nursing practice (Freeling & Parker, 2015; Missen et al., 2016). While both personal and educational factors have been found to influence students’ perceived readiness for practice (Jarvinen, Eklof, & Salminen, 2018), it is incumbent upon academic nurse educators to assess the effectiveness of teaching/learning strategies in preparing student nurses for entry into the profession.
Background
While expectations for beginning nurses vary among nurse educators, managers, and preceptors, research findings indicate that new graduate nurses lack key competencies required for effective nursing practice (Edward, Ousey, Playle, & Giandinoto, 2017). Senior-level nursing students and beginning RNs have been found to lack strengths in cognitive and psychomotor skills, including critical thinking, prioritization, managing complex situations, and time management (Rusch, Manz, Hercinger, Oertwhich, & McCafferty 2019; Shaw, Abbott, & Spalla King, 2018).
Clinical experiences are relied upon for their contributions to these skills. Unfortunately, current clinical education practices focus overwhelmingly on task-oriented aspects of nursing that overshadow the complexities of nursing (Ironside, McNelis, & Ebright, 2014), which may not adequately prepare students for the full scope of nursing practice. Given these concerns regarding clinical instruction, it becomes important for nurse educators to maximize classroom learning.
Active learning strategies are gaining popularity in nursing education for their effectiveness at developing critical thinking skills (Carter, Creedy, & Sidebotham, 2016), which, ideally, should enhance readiness for practice. However, connections between students’ perceptions of these teaching strategies and their readiness for practice have not been explored. Additionally, the role of student engagement has not been investigated as a variable related to readiness for nursing practice. Examining the relationships between student perceptions of teaching/learning practices, engagement, and readiness for practice may reveal opportunities to augment classroom learning and to foster the skills new graduate nurses need to be successful in contemporary nursing roles.
Methods
A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used to investigate relationships between nursing students’ perceptions of teaching/learning strategies, engagement, and readiness for practice. A convenience sample of senior-level nursing students (n=56) were recruited for the study. All participants were enrolled in an advanced acute care nursing course in the final semester of the nursing curriculum. Engagement was measured using the Student Engagement Questionnaire (Handelsman, Briggs, Sullivan, & Towler, 2005). Practice readiness was measured using the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Survey (Casey et al., 2011). Students’ perceptions of didactic teaching and learning activities were measured using an investigator-developed survey.
Results
Data collection is ongoing and will end on May 1st, 2019. Data analysis and findings will be completed by July 1st, 2019.
Conclusion
Readiness for practice is an ongoing concern among the nursing profession. Senior-level nursing students’ perceptions of classroom teaching strategies and their level of engagement in the learning process may influence readiness for practice. Investigating the relationships between these variables could reveal new insights about nursing education practices, promote effective use of classroom teaching and learning strategies, and support nurse educators in the shared goal to prepare student nurses for professional practice.
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