<h4>ABSTRACT</h4> <P>In the current nursing shortage, nurses are frequently making significant patient care decisions concerning value-laden clinical issues. A program evaluation study was conducted to track professional values over time from entry into a baccalaureate program to graduation. Nursing students completed a survey measuring professional values upon entry into and exit from the program. Comparative analysis of pretest and posttest group means demonstrated statistically significant increases in total scores. The highest pretest value items were also the highest on the posttest, with the addition of patient advocacy. Patient advocacy jumped 16 places from pretest to posttest to become the highest-ranked statement upon exit from the program. All of the values rated as least valued at pretest remained least valued at posttest; however, the means of all but two (participating in nursing research and providing consumer education about products/services) increased significantly. The value statements with mean scores that increased significantly centered on aspects of nursing practice less visible to the lay public and involving interaction with other health care providers.</P> <h4>AUTHORS</h4> <P>Received: November 12, 2004</P> <P>Accepted: July 15, 2005</P> <P>Dr. Leners is Professor and Doctoral Program Coordinator, Dr. Roehrs is Associate Professor, School of Nursing, and Mr. Piccone is Statistical Consultant, Department of Applied Statistics and Research Methods, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado.</P> <P>Address correspondence to Debra Woodard Leners, PhD, RN, CPNP, Professor and Doctoral Program Coordinator, University of Northern Colorado, Gunter Hall, Box 125, Greeley, CO 80639; e-mail: <a href="mailto:Debra.Leners@unco.edu">Debra.Leners@unco.edu</a>.</P>
The projected shortage of nurses is greatly influenced by the shortage of nursing faculty. This is of significant concern in Colorado due to increasing requirements for master's-prepared instructors at all levels. While there are many reasons for the faculty shortage, this study looked specifically at the needs and preferences of current nursing instructors related to obtaining graduate education in nursing. The survey results paint a picture of nurse faculty who need new approaches to managing graduate course work in addition to teaching and family responsibilities. Help with expenses through grants, scholarships, and loan forgiveness is vital. Potential graduate students rarely consider full-time or on-campus study, instead favoring online, one-per-semester, year-round courses. They are concerned about practicum hours, less concerned about graduate-level academic work, and not very concerned about online methods. There were no evident differences in needs and preferences for further education based on rural/urban location or community college/university setting.
It is essential that nurse researchers use the most precise and valid data collection instruments available to obtain trustworthy data when conducting research in education and practice. Today, there is a vast selection of existing quantitative data collection instruments from which to choose. Existing instruments can be located through reports of their use in the literature and at conferences, through internet searches and by word of mouth. Once the nurse researcher locates a potential data collection instrument for a given study, the instrument must be systematically appraised for use in that study. This article introduces a comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide that will enable users to quickly and thoughtfully appraise quantitative measurement instruments. The results from the use of this critical appraisal guide will assist researchers to objectively discuss, compare and make informed decisions before adopting a specific data collection instrument for use in a research study. The underlying principles of the Step-by-Step Guide for the Critical Appraisal and Selection of Data Collection Instruments are based on the tenets of measurement theory, literature, and experience of the authors in education and practice research.
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