Student nurses' perceptions of their educational environment at a school of nursing in Western Cape province, South Africa: A cross-sectional study.

Background:  Educational environments have been found to bear a substantial relationship with the academic performance and success, as well as the retention, of students.

Objectives:  The study objectives were to (1) evaluate the educational environment as perceived by undergraduate nursing students at a school of nursing (SON) in Western Cape province and (2) investigate whether the educational environment, or components thereof, is perceived negatively or positively among undergraduate nursing students of different year level, gender, home language and ethnicity.

Method:  A quantitative research method with a cross-sectional design was implemented.

Performance in grade 12 mathematics and science predicts student nurses' performance in first year science modules at a university in the Western Cape.

Background: The demand for highly qualified and skilled nurses is increasing in South Africa as well as around the world. Having a background in science can create a significant advantage for students wishing to enrol for an undergraduate nursing qualification because nursing as profession is grounded in scientific evidence.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive validity of grade 12 mathematics and science on the academic performance of first year student nurses in science modules.

Nurse educators' experiences of case-based education in a South African nursing programme.

Background: A school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape experienced an increase in student enrolments from an intake of 150 students to 300 students in the space of one year. This required a review of the teaching and learning approach to ensure that it was appropriate for effective facilitation of large classes. The case-based education (CBE) approach was adopted for the delivery of the Bachelor of Nursing programme in 2005.

Clinical learning experiences of male nursing students in a Bachelor of Nursing programme: Strategies to overcome challenges.

Background: Male nursing students are faced with more challenges in the clinical setting than their female counterparts. The ways in which male nurses are viewed and received by nursing staff and patients have an impact on how they perceive themselves and their role in the profession. These perceptions of self have a significant impact on their self-esteem.

Do nursing students know and practise the Universal Precautions to prevent transmission of infectious agents?

Background: Nursing students, like other healthcare students, are at high risk of occupational exposure to blood and bodily fluids. Studies have shown that use of the Universal Precautions (UPs) lowers this risk, but do students know and practise these precautions?

Objectives: This study investigated the knowledge and practice of undergraduate nursing students regarding the UPs, and whether there was a correlation between knowledge of the UPs and their practice.

Method: This was a descriptive quantitative study amongst undergraduate nursing students in years 2–4 (n=253), who were selected by means of stratified random sampling.

A framework for effective collaboration: a case study of collaboration in nursing education in the Western Cape, South Africa.

A fundamental purpose of mergers between higher education institutions (HEIs) in 2002 was to enable sharing of scarce resources between more advanced universities and those historically disadvantaged by the apartheid system of the South African Government. A common teaching platform for undergraduate nursing education in the Western Cape was established in 2005, in line with the transformation of the higher education system, as a collaborative initiative between three universities. In order to evaluate the common teaching platform, Stuffelbeam's context, input, process, product (CIPP) research model was employed.