Nursing Clinical Instructor Experiences of Empowerment in Rwanda: Applying Kanter's and Spreitzer's Theories.

The purpose of this study was to explore Rwandan nursing clinical instructors' (CIs) experiences of structural and psychological empowerment. CIs play a vital role in students' development by facilitating learning in health care practice environments. Quality nursing education hinges on the CI's ability to enact a professional role.

Actor-Network Theory as a sociotechnical lens to explore the relationship of nurses and technology in practice: methodological considerations for nursing research.

Actor-Network Theory is a research lens that has gained popularity in the nursing and health sciences domains. The perspective allows a researcher to describe the interaction of actors (both human and non-human) within networked sociomaterial contexts, including complex practice environments where nurses and health technology operate. This study will describe Actor-Network Theory and provide methodological considerations for researchers who are interested in using this sociotechnical lens within nursing and informatics-related research.

Nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience: a grounded theory study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience.

Background: Stress is considered to be a major factor affecting the health, well-being and academic performance of nursing students. Resilience has been extensively researched as a process that allows individuals to successfully adapt to adversity and develop positive outcomes as a result.

Understanding interprofessional relationships by the use of contact theory.

The importance and necessity of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) present challenges for educators as they determine how best to achieve IPC through interprofessional education (IPE). Simulation-based teaching has been shown to enhance students' understanding of professional roles and promote positive attitudes toward team members; yet, empirical evidence providing direction on the conditions necessary to promote these positive outcomes is lacking. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-/post-test to examine changes in undergraduate healthcare students' perceptions and attitudes toward IPC following their participation in an interprofessional simulation program.

Nursing students' perceptions of clinical teachers' use of empowering teaching behaviours: instrument psychometrics and application.

The authors present findings of 2nd year nursing students' (N = 352) perceptions of their clinical teachers' use of empowering teaching behaviours (ETB) and to highlight steps undertaken to establish psychometric properties of the Empowering Teaching Behaviours Questionnaire-Student (ETBQ-S). The authors identify a) the process involved in the adoption of the ETBQ-S, b) ETBQ-S validity procedures completed prior to instrument implementation, c) results of nursing students' responses to the ETBQ-S, d) criterion validity, and e) ETBQ-S confirmatory factor analysis findings conducted after study completion. The ETBQ-S reliably measures five facets of empowering actions that clinical teachers can employ with nursing students in practice to enhance their confidence, involve them in decision-making and goal setting, make learning meaningful, and help them to become more autonomous nurses.

Effects of clinical practice environments on clinical teacher and nursing student outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to use a cross-sectional survey design, with an integrated theoretical perspective, to examine clinical teachers' (n = 64) and nursing students' (n = 352) empowerment, teachers' and students' perceptions of teachers' use of empowering teaching behaviors, students' perceptions of nurses' practice behaviors, and students' confidence for practice in acute care settings. In this study, teachers and students were moderately empowered. Teachers reported using a high level of empowering teaching behaviors, which corresponded with students' perceptions of teachers' use of such behaviors.

Structural and psychological empowerment and reflective thinking: is there a link?

Baccalaureate nursing education prepares students to become registered nurses in evolving health care systems. During their program, students' perceptions of empowerment in the nursing profession begin to form, and they are introduced to the process of reflective thinking. The purpose of this integrative literature review is unique in that three concepts are examined and linked-structural empowerment (as conceptualized by Kanter), psychological empowerment (as described by Spreitzer), and reflective thinking (as characterized by Mezirow)-and a theoretical model for testing is proposed.

Effects of workplace incivility and empowerment on newly-graduated nurses' organizational commitment.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to test an expanded model of Kanter's theory by examining the influence of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and workplace incivility on the organizational commitment of newly-graduated nurses.

Background: The first years of practise represent an important confidence-building phase for newly-graduated nurses, yet many new nurses are exposed to disempowering experiences and incivility in the workplace.

Method: A predictive non-experimental design was used to examine the impact of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and workplace incivility on the affective commitment of newly-graduated nurses (n=117) working in acute care hospitals.

Student perceptions of online participation in baccalaureate nursing computer-conferencing courses.

The purpose of this study was to examine baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of their own and peers' online participation. The population included baccalaureate nursing students who have been or were recently involved in a computer-conferencing nursing course. Volunteer nursing students (n = 55) from three Canadian universities completed a Web-based questionnaire.

The process of Master's education in nursing: evolution or revolution?

In this qualitative, descriptive study, the process of achieving change in knowledge and attitudes through Master's education in nursing is examined. Twenty-two recent graduates from three Ontario universities participated in semi-structured, taped interviews. Participants recounted personal and professional changes they attributed to completing a Master's program in Nursing and their experience of the process of change.

Outcomes of master's education in nursing.

This qualitative, descriptive study examined changes in perspective experienced by 22 recent graduates of Master's in Nursing programs from three Ontario universities. Participants responded to semi-structured, taped interviews and recounted personal, practice, and attitudinal changes they could attribute to completing a Master's program in Nursing. Among outcomes were personal ones including greater self-confidence, credibility, and acuity of critical thinking.

Clinical educators' empowerment, job tension, and job satisfaction: A test of Kanter's Theory.

Recruitment and retention of qualified nursing staff are vital to safe patient care and require the expertise of clinical educators to facilitate the nurses' professional development. However, organizational redesign has challenged clinical educators with role ambiguity, job stress, and decreased job satisfaction. This study used Kanter's Structural Theory of Organizational Behavior to examine the relationships between clinical educators' perceptions of empowerment, job tension, and job satisfaction.

Attention and restoration in Post-RN students.

Background: The impact of a restorative intervention using the natural environment on capacity to direct attention and issues that contribute to attention fatigue for diploma-prepared nursing students (Post-RN students) enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program was examined.

Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental comparison group design. Subjective (Attentional Functional Index) and objective (Finding A's Test and Symbol Digits Modalities Test) measures were employed.

The effect of classroom simulation on nursing students' self-efficacy related to health teaching.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the effect of classroom simulation on third-year baccalaureate nursing students' self-efficacy in health teaching. Bandura's self-efficacy model provided the conceptual framework. A nonprobability, convenience sample of 22 students completed the self-efficacy questionnaire before and after the simulation workshop sessions.

The effects of a restorative intervention on undergraduate nursing students' capacity to direct attention.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a restorative intervention on undergraduate nursing students' capacity to direct attention.

Method: Kaplan and Kaplan's attention restoration theory, which describes and links concepts of directed attention, attention fatigue, and restorative environments, formed the theoretical basis for this research. A convenience sample consisted of 33 students randomly assigned to nonintervention and intervention groups.

Codman Award Paper: self-efficacy of staff nurses for health promotion counselling of patients at risk for stroke.

The effect of nurses' confidence to counsel patients at risk of stroke in selected health promotion areas: smoking cessation, exercise and nutrition was examined. Bandura's (1986) self-efficacy and Knowles' adult learning theories provided the theoretical underpinnings for the study. This was a quasi-experimental design in which neuroscience nurses (N = 23) from a quaternary hospital completed questionnaires prior to, immediately after, and 2 months post completion of a self-directed learning manual (SDL).

Effects of computer-based clinical conferencing on nursing students' self-efficacy.

A pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental, control group design and Bandura's theory of self-efficacy were used to examine the influence of computer conferencing on fourth-year baccalaureate nursing students' self-efficacy for professional nursing competencies and computer-mediated learning (CML) during a final clinical practicum. Descriptive analysis was also used to explore themes regarding strengths and challenges of online learning. The convenience sample included 42 direct-entry students (control group: n = 27; online intervention: n = 15).

A facilitative approach to learning about curriculum development.

Graduate students have high ambitions and desire excellence in their work. Creating learning opportunities that capture this drive and help them achieve and exceed their goals is a challenge for educators. This article describes two teaching approaches, group process and an adaptation of Bensusan's escalator model, which were used in a graduate nursing course to help students learn about curriculum development.

Gerontological content in Canadian baccalaureate nursing programs: cause for concern?

Over the next several decades the number of older Canadians will rise dramatically. This shift will have implications for the demand for health-care professionals, particularly nurses, educated to work with an aging population. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of gerontological content in Canadian undergraduate nursing curricula.