What this article is about
In brief
This qualitative study reveals that U. S.
For nursing students
Study summary
This article, titled 'A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Factors Affecting Patient Safety Education of Nursing Students,' explores a critical aspect of nursing education: how clinical instructors prepare and teach patient safety competencies to pre-licensure Registered Nurse (RN) students in the United States. The study is based on interviews with 17 RN clinical instructors, aiming to understand their preparedness for teaching these essential skills and the strategies they employ.
The research focuses on QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses) patient safety competencies, which are crucial for ensuring safe care delivery by new nurses. The authors frame this as a nursing problem because effective education in patient safety is vital to reducing medical errors and improving patient outcomes. However, the study highlights that many clinical instructors feel unprepared or self-taught when it comes to teaching these specific competencies.
For students appraising this research, several aspects are important: 1. **Research Design:** It's a qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire. This design is suitable for exploring experiences and perceptions in depth but doesn't allow for generalization of findings to all nursing programs or instructors. 2. **Sample Size & Selection:** The sample consists of 17 RN clinical instructors from pre-licensure programs. While this provides rich data, the small number means the findings are specific to these participants and their experiences. 3. **Themes Identified:** The analysis revealed several key themes regarding preparedness and teaching strategies. These include a lack of formal preparation for QSEN competencies (leading to self-taught approaches), reliance on personal experience or informal resources, and a working knowledge of patient safety concepts despite this gap in formal training. 4. **Teaching Strategies:** Instructors described their experiential teaching methods as primarily hands-on activities and discussions. This aligns with the study's theoretical grounding in Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Kraiger et al.'s knowledge, skills, and attitude learning construct. 5. **Source & Rights:** The paper is a dissertation from ProQuest LLC. It's important to note that while ERIC provides metadata for this record, the full text may have separate rights restrictions as indicated by 'ERIC metadata; downstream full text may have separate rights.' Always check publisher guidelines before reproducing content.
How would a nurse reason from this evidence? A practicing nurse or nursing student could use these findings to advocate for better support and resources for clinical instructors. If instructors feel unprepared, it suggests that nursing programs might need to integrate more specific training on QSEN competencies into faculty development initiatives. This is crucial because well-prepared instructors can directly impact the quality of patient safety education students receive, ultimately influencing their ability to provide safe care in practice.
The study also points out a gap: clinical instructors possess working knowledge but lack formal preparation for teaching these specific competencies. This implies that while they may understand patient safety concepts, translating this into effective pedagogy might be challenging without dedicated training. The reliance on self-teaching and experiential methods highlights the importance of practical application in learning.
In summary, this study sheds light on a significant issue within nursing education: ensuring clinical instructors are adequately equipped to teach critical patient safety competencies. It underscores that while hands-on teaching is valued, there's a need for more structured preparation for faculty themselves.
Original publication
Source abstract and study details
Read the source abstract
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how clinical instructors describe their preparedness of the QSEN patient safety competencies and subsequent experiential teaching strategies in pre-licensure registered nurse programs in the United States. The study was guided by D. A. Kolb's experiential learning theory and the knowledge, skills, and attitude learning construct by Kraiger et al. The research questions were: How do clinical instructors describe their teaching preparedness of the QSEN patient safety competencies in pre-licensure Registered nurse programs? How do clinical instructors describe their experiential teaching strategies of the QSEN patient safety competencies in pre-licensure registered nurse programs? Data were obtained from 17 registered nurse clinical instructors from pre-licensure nursing programs using one-to-one semi-structured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire and analyzed according to Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Two themes emerged to answer both research questions, one additional theme emerged to answer the first research question, and two themes emerged to answer the second research question. Clinical instructors lack preparation to teach patient safety competencies and are self-taught, but they do have a working knowledge of patient safety competencies. Clinical instructors describe their experiential teaching strategies as hands-on, and discussion based. The results may help nursing programs better understand the needs of their clinical faculty so they can provide the necessary tools to provide effective patient safety education and apply those tools to other nursing topics.
Reviewed findings
Main findings
- Clinical instructors report a lack of formal preparation for teaching QSEN patient safety competencies.
- Instructors are largely self-taught regarding QSEN patient safety content despite possessing working knowledge.
- Experiential learning methods (hands-on activities, discussion) are the primary teaching strategies described by clinical instructors.
- There is an identified need for nursing programs to provide better tools and support for faculty in delivering effective patient safety education.
- The study highlights a gap between theoretical understanding of QSEN competencies and practical application in teaching them.
For teaching and learning
Education implications
- Nursing programs should prioritize professional development opportunities focused on QSEN competencies for clinical instructors.
- Faculty training initiatives could incorporate strategies to enhance the ability of instructors to effectively teach patient safety concepts using experiential methods.
- The findings support the integration of more structured and standardized approaches to teaching patient safety within pre-licensure curricula, informed by faculty needs.
- Improved preparation of clinical instructors can lead to more consistent and effective transmission of patient safety knowledge and skills to nursing students.
- Investing in faculty development for QSEN competencies is a key strategy for improving overall patient safety outcomes in future nursing practice.
For educators
Teaching and appraisal notes
This qualitative descriptive study by Belinda Teresa Lowry investigates the preparedness and experiential teaching strategies of Registered Nurse (RN) clinical instructors in pre-licensure programs regarding QSEN patient safety competencies within U.S. nursing education. The research is grounded in Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Kraiger et al.'s knowledge, skills, and attitude learning framework.
The study employed semi-structured interviews with 17 RN clinical instructors to explore two primary research questions: (1) How do these instructors describe their teaching preparedness for QSEN patient safety competencies? (2) How do they describe their experiential teaching strategies for these competencies?
Key findings from the thematic analysis of interview data reveal a significant gap in formal preparation. Clinical instructors often report feeling unprepared or self-taught when it comes to systematically delivering QSEN patient safety content, despite possessing a working knowledge of these competencies through experience and informal learning. This suggests that while they understand the concepts, translating this into effective pedagogy for students might be challenging without dedicated training.
Regarding teaching strategies, instructors predominantly described their methods as hands-on activities (e.g., simulations, direct patient care observation) and discussion-based approaches. These align with experiential learning principles, which are crucial for developing practical skills in patient safety.
The implications of these findings are substantial for nursing education programs. They highlight a critical need to better support clinical faculty by providing them with specific training on QSEN competencies and effective teaching methodologies tailored to these complex topics. This enhanced preparation can lead to more consistent, high-quality patient safety education across different pre-licensure programs.
The study's strengths lie in its qualitative approach, which allows for an in-depth exploration of instructors' perspectives and experiences. However, limitations include the relatively small sample size (17 participants), which limits generalizability; the self-reported nature of data from a single source type (clinical instructors); and the potential influence of researcher bias during thematic analysis.
Overall, this research provides valuable insights into an often-overlooked aspect of nursing education: faculty preparedness. By addressing these identified gaps in instructor training, nursing programs can better equip future nurses to deliver safe patient care.
Critical appraisal
Limitations
- Small sample size (17 participants) limits generalizability of findings.
- Data collected from self-reports by clinical instructors, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.
- The study focuses on U.S. pre-licensure programs; results may not apply universally across different educational systems or post-graduate settings.
Classroom use
Discussion Questions
- How can nursing schools effectively bridge the gap between faculty's working knowledge of patient safety and their preparedness to teach QSEN competencies?
- What specific types of training would be most beneficial for clinical instructors in teaching experiential learning strategies related to patient safety?
- In what ways might a lack of formal preparation impact students' understanding and application of patient safety principles?
- How can the findings from this study inform curriculum development at both faculty and student levels regarding QSEN competencies?
- What role do institutional resources play in supporting clinical instructors' ability to teach patient safety effectively, and how can these be improved?
- Are there differences in preparedness or teaching strategies between novice and experienced clinical instructors that were not explored here but might exist?
Source-based questions
Frequently asked questions
Which theoretical frameworks guided this qualitative descriptive study on nursing education?
The study was guided by David A. Kolb's experiential learning theory and the knowledge, skills, and attitude (KSA) learning construct by Kraiger et al.
How many registered nurse clinical instructors participated in data collection for this research?
Data were obtained from 17 registered nurse clinical instructors.
Which analytical method was employed for analyzing the qualitative data gathered in this dissertation?
The data were analyzed according to Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.
What key themes emerged from the study regarding clinical instructors' preparedness to teach patient safety competencies?
Two overarching themes emerged: one additional theme specifically addressed how clinical instructors describe their teaching preparedness, indicating a lack of formal preparation but reliance on self-taught knowledge and working familiarity with QSEN competencies.
What potential impact do the results of this dissertation have on nursing programs?
The results may help nursing programs better understand the needs of their clinical faculty so they can provide necessary tools to deliver effective patient safety education, which could then be applied to other nursing topics.