This study evaluated learning outcomes and student perceptions of collaborative learning in an undergraduate nursing program. Participants in this 3-phase action research study included students enrolled in a traditional and an accelerated nursing program. The number of students who passed the unit examination was not significantly different between the 3 phases. Students had positive and negative perceptions about the use of collaborative learning.

Investigators recommend effective faculty orientation for rubric use and future work in developing a rubric to assess reflective writing. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(6):366-370.].

The purpose of this pilot study was to compare embedded audio feedback (EAF), which faculty provided using the iPad(®) application iAnnotate(®) PDF to insert audio comments and written feedback (WF), inserted electronically on student papers in a series of writing assignments. Goals included determining whether EAF provides more useful guidance to students than WF and whether EAF promotes connectedness among students and faculty. An additional goal was to ascertain the efficiency and acceptance of EAF as a grading tool by nursing faculty. The pilot study was a quasi-experimental, cross-over, posttest-only design. The project was completed in an Informatics in Health Care course. Faculty alternated the two feedback methods on four papers written by each student. Results of surveys and focus groups revealed that students and faculty had mixed feelings about this technology. Student preferences were equally divided between EAF and WF, with 35% for each, and 28% were undecided.

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N ursing faculty have a responsibility to teach principles of safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) to protect patients and nurses. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders continue to be a serious risk to nurses that can lead to injury. The faculty of a prelicensure nursing program collaborated with an academic service partner at a local Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital to teach a class and laboratory on SPHM. The class addressed best practices of SPHM from national safety organizations, emphasizing the necessity of SPHM equipment for patient outcomes and nurse safety. Following the class, students participated in a laboratory onsite at the VA Hospital. Small groups of students completed hands-on practice with a variety of lift equipment. The equipment included ceiling lift devices, slings, stand assist devices, and bed positioning devices. The laboratory focused on principles of SPHM, including the importance of no-lift policies, the limitations and potential hazards of equipment, and basic ergonomic principles. The laboratory addressed the importance of communication with the patient and health care team members. This experience allowed students to practice SPHM skills that would not have been possible within the college of nursing simulation laboratory because of limited space and SPHM equipment. Academic service partnerships with institutions who are leaders in SPHM promote a culture for safe work practices and injury prevention.

A purpose of this activity was to determine if an escape room activity could familiarize prospective students with information about a program, nurture an interest in a nursing career, and expose individuals to active teaching strategies. Ten prospective nursing students participated in an escape room recruitment activity that introduced them to aspects of nursing care. The activity decreased participants' nervousness about beginning the nursing program. Escape rooms are an active and engaging strategy that can be used to introduce prospective students to nursing and facilitate team building for groups.

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Objective: Many nursing students experience anxiety in the clinical setting. Increased anxiety impairs students’ ability to learn and can negatively affect patient safety. To promote student learning and patient safety, it is imperative that nurse educators identify and implement strategies to decrease nursing students’ anxiety. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how undergraduate nursing students perceive the impact of writing reflective journals on their anxiety level associated with their first clinical rotation experience early in their program of study.Methods: Participants were randomly assigned by their clinical group to either write guided reflective journals, non-guided reflective journals, or no reflective journals during their first clinical rotation where they provided patient care. Five individuals from each intervention group were randomly selected to participate in an interview. Themes related to the participants’ perceptions of the impact of writing reflective journals on their anxiety were determined through qualitative analysis.Results and implications: Participants who wrote guided or non-guided reflective journals experienced decreased anxiety associated with their first clinical rotation. Participants in the non-journaling group expressed that they would have benefitted from having a journal assignment. Four themes were identified related to experiences with writing journals: allowed time, identified feelings, assisted with processing, and increased confidence. The findings of this study support the use of reflective journals as a pedagogical intervention to decrease nursing students’ anxiety associated with the first clinical experience. Additional benefits of the reflective journaling included taking time to identify and process feelings and increased confidence in future clinical experiences.