Nursing and Midwifery Students' Sense of Connectedness Within Their Learning Communities

Abstract

Background: Recognition of the importance of a supportive academic and clinical learning environment for nursing and midwifery students enrolled in health care programs is not new. However, the factors that influence social connections within these environments and the consequences for students' learning are not well understood. Method: This study used a multisite mixed-methods design to examine students' learning experiences. Results: Participants stated that to develop a sense of professional connectedness, opportunities are needed to develop meaningful relationships with academic staff and peers through increased face-to-face on-campus learning experiences, as well as through off-campus contexts. Conclusion: To enhance nursing and midwifery students' sense of connectedness, the balance between online and face-to-face learning experiences needs to be reexamined, and a renewed focus on the development of quality clinical learning experiences that foster a sense of belonging also is needed. [ J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(1):47–52.]

Stimulating Intrinsic Motivation in Millennial Students: A New Generation, a New Approach

“…In certain institutions, contact hours have also been reduced (Slavin et al, ; Thompson and Lowrie, ), and unnecessary details have been eliminated in the early stage of the program (Aboul‐Fotouh and Asghar‐Ali, ; Slavin et al, ). These changes have been bolstered by the introduction of longer electives (Ames et al, ; Aronsson et al, ), and establishment of learning communities that allow students to focus more on material they have identified as being of greater long‐term value in their professional career (Carpenter et al, ; Ebert et al, ). The summative of responses of students following these changes in curriculum has been a reduction in perceived stress (Kirch and Ast, ; Strombach et al, ), an improvement in overall well‐being (Palmen et al, ; Daya and Hearn, ) and greater satisfaction with the quality of education (Rohe et al, ; Bloodgood et al, ; Reed et al, ; Schwinn et al, ).…”

“…Students across all health care disciplines have reported that being able to communicate effectively with their clients has been a source of motivation (Mahoney et al, 2016;Igde and Sahin, 2017;Haque et al, 2018) and reassurance (Sluka et al, 2014;Chan et al, 2017), leading to a more positive view of their competency as health care professionals (Yilmaz et al, 2016;Gibson, 2018;Lysak et al, 2018). It is also a cogent fact that, inadequacies in conducive communication skills have been identified as a one of the major causes of frustration (Nuffer et al, 2017;Khalil et al, 2018) and loss of IM in health care students (Carpenter et al, 2018;Melin-Johansson et al, 2018;Ebert et al, 2019). Students have specifically stated that lack of appropriate communication skills have impeded their ability to provide psychosocial support to their clients (Ezell et al, 2013;Emerson, 2017;Gibson, 2018).…”

Transitioning into an online dental hygiene degree‐completion program

“…The use of computer‐assisted learning (CAL) or online learning in professional healthcare programs has increased steadily in the past decade 1–7 . Healthcare disciplines have integrated online learning as a method to deliver undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education 1–3,5–7 .…”

“…Online learning has also attracted individuals of various ages due to its convenience 1–3,11 . Advancements in technology have allowed institutions to further improve their online educational delivery methods, overall program, and create a learning environment that is cost effective, flexible, and accessible to better accommodate adult learners who may have other commitments and be managing multiple roles outside of professional practice 1–5,11 …”

“…The use of computer-assisted learning (CAL) or online learning in professional healthcare programs has increased steadily in the past decade. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Healthcare disciplines have integrated online learning as a method to deliver undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education. [1][2][3][5][6][7] Utilization of modern technology by CAL greatly enhanced the accessibility and flexibility in knowledge delivery.…”