A mixed-methods assessment of the transition to a dedicated educational unit: nursing students’ perceptions and achievements

Elena Maoz; Efrat Danino; Moran Zerahia

doi:10.1515/ijnes-2020-0106

Article

A mixed-methods assessment of the transition to a dedicated educational unit: nursing students’ perceptions and achievements

Elena Maoz , Efrat Danino and Moran Zerahia

Published/Copyright: August 20, 2021

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From the journal International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship Volume 18 Issue 1

Abstract

Background

In 2019, our nursing school shifted clinical instruction from the traditional model to the Dedicated Educational Unit (DEU).

Objectives

To evaluate the DEU learning atmosphere, instruction quality, clinical instructor’s performance and students’ grades.

Methods

A sample of 45 nursing students completed the CLES-T; 10 of them participated in a focus group. Students’ grades in the DEU and traditional models were compared.

Results

Students (77.6%) ranked the DEU outcomes as “good”-“excellent;” “nursing care on the unit” and the “clinical faculty’s ability to integrate theory and practice” were the highest and lowest ranked categories, respectively. The focus group revealed dichotomous opinions regarding the unit atmosphere and the professional performance of the nurse manager and staff. Students in the DEU framework attained higher grades than did their counterparts.

Conclusions

Clinical instructors need specific training; the clinical staff and nurse managers should be informed about the unit atmosphere’s impact on students’ future professional decisions.

Keywords: nursing education research; nursing evaluation research; nursing students; teaching rounds

Corresponding author: Elena Maoz, Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center, Academic Nursing School, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, E-mail: elenam@shamir.gov.il

Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

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Received: 2020-10-27

Accepted: 2021-06-10

Published Online: 2021-08-20

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2020-0106

Keywords for this article

nursing education research; nursing evaluation research; nursing students; teaching rounds