The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the nursing shortage by increasing nurse departures from the nursing profession and limiting inpatient clinical education, which shifted significantly to online settings. Dedicated education units (DEUs), a form of academic-practice partnership, have been proposed to address both nursing staffing and clinical education problems. While prior research has emphasized DEU benefits for students, limited attention has been given to their impact on nursing preceptors. This study explored nurse preceptors’ perceived confidence and competence following the implementation of a DEU. Qualitative design was employed using semi-structured interviews with six preceptors. Data was analyzed for common themes utilizing NVivo software. Findings indicated that nurse preceptors experienced improvements in perceived competence and confidence after the implementation of the DEU. Additional emergent themes were enhanced communication abilities and leadership skills in DEU nurse preceptors. Preceptors who perceived themselves as confident and competent were better positioned to promote resilience, support new graduate nurses, and contribute to safe, high-quality patient care. These results underscore the importance of supporting and developing nurse preceptors within DEUs to optimize outcomes for both nursing practice and clinical education.
Background and objective: As the practice of nursing requires broad clinical skills, it demands a wide range of understanding across many disciplines. To address nurse training and competency needs, health systems have implemented varying methods of skill development, including advanced technologies and virtual immersion strategies, in addition to the continuation of more conventional methods. The current literature remains limited in substantiating the effectiveness of a particular method. The objective of the study was to provide insights into the current post-licensure nurse training practice within U.S. health systems, nurse perceptions of training effectiveness for the given methods, and perceived gaps in nurse education.
Methods: Design: A research survey of registered nurses across the United States. The survey was developed from published studies that describe the current training modalities deployed across U.S. health systems for nurses and based on direct feedback from practicing nurses. The survey was divided into the following sections: respondent demographics, commonly deployed training strategies, perceived effectiveness of different training methods, and perceived gaps in clinical practice training and competence.
Results: A total of 247 nurse survey responses were included in the analysis. The results suggest that there is a disconnect between commonly deployed post-licensure nurse training strategies and the strategies that are perceived to be most valuable. There were several perceived gaps in core clinical nursing skills, highlighting an opportunity to improve upon current training strategies.
Conclusions: This study provides insights into the current state of post-licensure nurse training and signals on where health systems may benefit from reassessing their educational strategies and where industry organizations may provide additional support by developing effective multi-modal education.
Objective: Neurodiversity among learners and related learning needs requires educators to move beyond existing dominant forms of traditional didactic lecturing and rigid assessment methods to inclusive practices. To support neurodiverse learners, a first-year undergraduate nursing course adopted a blended delivery model in the Fall 2022 and 2023 semesters, integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles through synchronous and asynchronous instructional strategies.
Methods: In this convergent mixed methods descriptive case study, researchers explored how students rated and described their experiences with the UDL-based course design, using surveys (n = 39) and focus groups (n = 12).
Results: While survey and focus group interview findings generally aligned, some learners found the asynchronous weekly units less effective. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: instructor accessibility and feedback; flexibility and choice; engagement and collaboration; relevant and relatable content; and the impact of stress and anxiety on learning. Although course modifications scored lowest in surveys, focus group participants appreciated instructor flexibility.
Conclusions: Overall, the blended UDL approach supported diverse learning needs. Future recommendations include balancing delivery formats and incorporating ongoing student feedback to enhance inclusivity and better support neurodiverse learner needs.
Objective: This study pilot-tested a zero-shot prompting approach for generating pedagogically appropriate AI feedback to support nursing students’ reflective record writing. A generative AI system was developed using GPT-4o, with prompts carefully designed to align with ethical, instructional, and contextual principles relevant to clinical practicum education. Following the ADDIE framework, this evaluation examined the feasibility and instructional applicability of the AI-generated feedback rather than aiming to establish generalizable effects.
Methods: Three nursing faculty members independently reviewed 126 AI-generated responses using a 5-point scale based on clarity, relevance, and educational appropriateness. Items scoring less than 5 were revised, and a second round of evaluation was conducted.
Results: The proportion of responses rated 5 increased from 69% to 96% after prompt refinement, confirming that even minor adjustments—such as clarifying vague instructions or reinforcing ethical boundaries—had a measurable impact. Inter-rater reliability was moderate, reflecting diverse faculty perspectives—a feature aligned with the contextual complexity of nursing education. The conservative scoring approach, in which the lowest score was adopted per item, ensured that potential pedagogical risks were not overlooked.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that zero-shot prompting offers a practical and scalable method for aligning generative AI systems with educational goals, even without training data or programming expertise. Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for instructors, this study frames GenAI as a formative support tool shaped by educator input. The study is limited by its use of simulated student inputs and a small, single-institution faculty sample; therefore, future work should assess implementation with real students to examine usability, personalization, and effectiveness in authentic practicum environments.
Background: Family planning is important to foster maternity, infancy, and healthy children. A key goal in maternal child health is to improve the use of antenatal and postnatal services in a community. Both clinical practice and empirical literature indicate that many factors influence the use of family planning services. The Qatar National Health Strategy and Primary Health Care Corporation’s goals are to deliver healthcare that more effectively empowers patients and families in making decisions about their health and wellness. Couples who have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the impact of family planning on maternal child health are positioned to make fully informed decisions. Health providers’ and educators’ knowledge of family planning’s impact is key in supporting families’ decisions regarding family planning.
Methods: Whittemore and Knafl’s framework was used to guide this integrative literature review. The search was conducted using five databases for peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2022 as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Mixed MethodsAppraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. Data was analyzed using a thematic framework. The socio-ecological model was adapted and modified for data synthesis.
Results: A couple’s participation in family planning is influenced by personal characteristics (knowledge, education, income), family and community (husband) as well as religion and culture. The influence of religion and husbands are paramount in decisions about family planning.
Conclusions: Understanding the factors that influence family planning decisions is essential to make informed decisions and provide effective interventions. Healthcare providers and program planners should consider these factors when developing strategies to improve couples’ access to and utilization of family planning. The development and implementation of such strategies will require the input of all stakeholders, the inclusion of champions, and attention to the local context as well as more broadly to Islamic and Arabic societies.
Objective: This qualitative study examined the cultural food preferences and resources of African American women with self-reported hypertension to guide the development of a culturally tailored Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension (DASH) manual.
Methods: Eleven women from a church congregation in the Southwest United States participated in two focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis with independent coding and consensus validation.
Results: Six themes and four subthemes emerged: (1) providing perspectives on diet among older African American women; (2) understanding awareness and education needs regarding the DASH diet with subthemes of nutrition-skills and literacy-level adaptation; (3) community disparities in access to healthy foods with subthemes of affordability and nutrition and thrifty nutrition; (4) navigating tradition by addressing challenges of southern cooking heritage; (5) exploring the use of diverse home appliances in meal preparation;and (6) enhancing the DASH manual with tailored insights.
Conclusions: Findings emphasize the need for culturally tailored, literacy-sensitive, and resource-conscious materials to promote DASH adherence. A tailored manual may reduce structural and cultural barriers, improve dietary practices, and address hypertension disparities among African American women.