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The purpose of this systematic literature review of quantitative findings was to examine the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve gerontological knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to work with older people in baccalaureate nursing students. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted in five databases. Quality assessment was conducted using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 41 papers were included in the review. The overall quality of studies included was moderate. The interventions were classified as education content, simulation or immersion experiences, clinical placement, or a combination of these pedagogical approaches. Majority of studies demonstrated improvement in knowledge and attitudes but there was a limited change in willingness to work with older people. There is insufficient evidence to make recommendations for the most effective educational intervention for enhancing bachelor of nursing students' willingness to engage in gerontological care., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Background: Nursing students are graduating ill-prepared to assess and manage pain in older adults. To address this gap, we developed an e-learning module on the topic., Aim: To examine nursing students' perceptions on a pain management e-learning module focused on older adults., Methods: Utilizing an exploratory quantitative design, we assessed nursing students' perceptions of the e-learning module. We used a feedback survey (four 5-point, Likert-type items) and one open-ended question to assess students' perceptions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize students' perceptions and demographic characteristics. Responses to the open-ended question were content analyzed., Results: A total of 181 of 249 students completed the module, of whom two-thirds were female. Students perceived that the module enhanced their knowledge, confidence, and perception in working with older people. Students also found the method of instruction interactive and enjoyable., Conclusions: The e-learning module on pain management was viewed by nursing students to be helpful and its interactive method of learning improved their knowledge, confidence, and perceptions of working with older adults in pain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Nurses are graduating ill-prepared to work with older adults across care contexts. The education nursing students receive about older adults often focuses on managing illnesses rather than promoting health. To expand the education that nursing students receive regarding health promotion and older adults, we examined nursing students' perceptions of an e-learning activity on health promotion with older adults., Method: We used a cross-sectional survey design. We included first-year baccalaureate nursing students ( N = 260) at a Canadian university. Students were required to complete the module, but only those who wanted to participate in the study completed the survey ( n = 167; response rate = 64.2%). We used a feedback survey to assess students' perceptions of the e-learning activity using four 5-point, Likert-type items. We also asked one open-ended question to solicit participants' feedback and suggestions for improving the e-learning activity. Descriptive statistics (frequency, mean [ SD ]) were used to summarize participants' perceptions and demographic characteristics. Content analysis was used to explore responses to the open-ended question., Results: Participants reported that the module increased their knowledge about health promotion, as well as their perceptions and confidence in working with older adults. Participants also found the method of instruction interactive and enjoyable., Conclusion: Our e-learning activity on health promotion was perceived by nursing students as helpful in sensitizing them to their role in promoting health among older adults. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50 (3), 19-24.].

Objectives: To examine whether e-learning activities on cognitive impairment (CI), continence and mobility (CM) and understanding and communication (UC) improve student nurses' knowledge and attitudes in the care of older adults., Methods: A quasi-experimental single group pre-post-test design was used. We included 299 undergraduate nursing students for the CI module, 304 for the CM module, and 313 for the UC module. We administered knowledge quizzes, Likert scales, and a feedback survey to measure student nurses' knowledge, ageist beliefs, and feedback on the modules respectively., Results: Participants demonstrated significantly more knowledge and reduced ageist attitudes following the e-learning activities., Conclusions: Findings suggest that e-learning activities on cognitive impairment, continence and mobility, and understanding and communication improve knowledge and reduce ageist attitudes among nursing students., (© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Background: Gerontological nursing is not a career choice for most new graduates. Nurse educators, who influence students' career decisions, lack expertise in older person care. The academic culture may affect educators developing gerontological expertise., Purpose: The study explored the culture of a Canadian pre-licensure nursing education program in relation to educators' expertise in gerontological nursing., Methods: In a focused ethnography, 22 nurse educators/researchers/administrators participated in interviews and/or observations conducted from March 2018 to December 2018. Content analysis of interview transcripts and fieldnotes occurred concurrently with data collection., Results: Themes characterizing the culture were: Structure and Hierarchy, Losing Gerontology, Teaching Challenges, and Valuing Older Persons and Their Care. Participants felt: a hierarchy limited gerontologists' support for undergraduate educators and the curriculum; the integrated curriculum reduced the focus on gerontology; limited professional development opportunities and excessive workload constrained building gerontology expertise; and valuing older persons and their care influenced access to gerontology resources., Conclusions: The culture of a pre-licensure nursing program impacted educators building expertise in older person care. More research is needed to overcome barriers that constrain educators' proficiency in gerontological nursing. Increasing the number of educators adept in gerontology will develop nurse graduates with an appreciation for working with older persons., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite older people being the largest demographic accessing health care, nurses often lack knowledge about how to work with them and may hold ageist perceptions towards them. Previous research has identified the gaps in their education program and offered suggestions on what and how to fill those gaps in education related to older people. E-learning activities to fill these gaps were developed., Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if nursing students' perceptions about older people could be improved through an e-learning activity focused on communication and understanding older people., Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post design was used to test whether the understanding and communication with older people e-learning activity improved student nurses' perceptions about older people. A feedback survey was also analyzed using descriptive statistics to understand students' perceptions of the learning activity., Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in participant's negative perceptions towards older people after completing the e-learning activity. Participants enjoyed the activity and believed that it improved their knowledge of older people, their confidence in working with older people, and their perceptions about older people., Conclusions: The strength of the e-learning activity in this study is that the educator need not be an expert in order to use the activity in their course. In this way, knowledge about older people is facilitated despite the dearth of nurse educators with gerontological expertise. More research to test this activity in other universities is needed., Implications for Practice: Improved understanding and communicating with older people could improve person-centered-care. The flexible delivery of this learning activity could facilitate practicing nurses understanding and communication strategies if offered to them., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Nurses often lack the knowledge and expertise to work with older people with cognitive impairment, which includes dementia, delirium and depression. This is due in part to deficits in their basic nursing education related to older people and managing the care needs of people with cognitive impairment. We developed an e-learning activity to facilitate student nurses' knowledge of cognitive impairment., Objectives: To test if the e-learning activity could improve student nurses' knowledge of cognitive impairment and whether they would find the style of learning beneficial., Design: A quasi-experimental pre-post-test design was used to test if the cognitive impairment e-learning activity could improve student nurses' knowledge about assessing and managing the needs of older people who are experiencing cognitive impairment. A 12-item true/false quiz was completed by participants., Settings: One large Western Canadian university., Participants: Second year nursing students in the four-year baccalaureate degree program, second year nursing students in the bilingual four-year baccalaureate degree program, and first year nursing students in the two-year after-degree nursing program were invited to participate. Data from 166 students were included in the analysis (n = 166)., Results: Based on the results of a paired t-test (p < 0.001 and an average score increase of 1.12 out of nine), we conclude that students' knowledge about cognitive impairment in older people increased following the e-learning activity. Students also offered qualitative feedback that identified the activity as both helpful and as an enjoyable way to learn and provided suggestions for improvement., Conclusions: This e-learning activity was effective in helping students learn about how to work with older people experiencing cognitive impairment. This mode of learning might be useful for other difficult-to-teach content areas., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The increasing numbers of older people (age 65+) make it important to understand how to attract nurses to work with this population., Methods: A secondary analysis using qualitative descriptive methods was used to understand how student nurses' perceptions about older people may influence their desire to work with older people., Results: Student nurses perceive a generational divide between them and older people, regardless of practice settings. They believe working with older people is heavy work, and not high acuity, and although good to learn skills as a student, not a population they want to work with until they are close to retirement themselves., Conclusions: It is important to enhance nursing education so that students understand the older generation, how to communicate with them and the prevalence of older people in healthcare settings, so that they are more likely to choose to work with older people., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test if the e-learning activity that we developed could improve student nurses' knowledge of continence and mobility and whether or not students would find the style of learning beneficial., Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post-test design was used to test if the continence and mobility e-learning activity could improve student nurses' knowledge about assessing and managing the needs of continence and mobility. An 18-item true/false knowledge of continence quiz was completed by 116 student nurses and a Likert style feedback learning survey was completed by 135 nursing students., Results: There was a statistically significant increase in students' knowledge about continence and its relationship to mobility following the e-learning activity. The e-learning activity also enhanced students' knowledge, confidence and perceptions about older people., Conclusions: The e-learning activity we developed has the potential to improve nursing students' knowledge about continence and mobility in an enjoyable manner., (© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Background: Negative perceptions about working with older people within nursing contribute to the deficit of educators with expertise to teach student nurses, and nurses graduating ill-equipped to work with the ageing population. The perceptions of nurses who have recently graduated from a nursing programme can provide insights into what they wished they knew about working with older people before they graduated., Methods: A qualitative descriptive study design examined recently graduated registered nurses' reflections on their education preparation to work with older people. Content and thematic analysis was used to develop the themes of first impressions and preparation to work with older people., Results: Key findings were that nurses did not recognise the importance of learning about older people until they had graduated. Only then did they realise that the ageing population was so complex and prevalent. They perceived a lack of education particularly related to working with older people with dementia and their behaviours, as well as learning how to communicate to an older population. Participants perceived that as students, it was up to them to fit in learning about working with older people without the support of faculty., Conclusions: Faculty need to be supported in learning how to best incorporate content about older people into their curriculum. This could include the development of learning activities that dispel negative stereotypes about ageing and facilitates interest in older people, as this is the population, students are most likely to work with when they graduate., Implications for Practice: Nurses in practice may require education on working with people with dementia as it is a deficit in nursing programmes., (© 2021 The Authors. International Journal of Older People Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Educating nursing students about the ageing population is situated within negative societal, heath care and nursing perceptions. A cross-sectional design using Burbank's perceptions towards older people scale was used to survey students in a pre-licensure nursing program in western Canada. Findings revealed that students' perceptions about older people were lower in the third year of the nursing program and after four clinical experiences. We suggest that students' first experiences in long-term care settings, in which they learn to provide basic care to older people, be balanced with experiences of older people in a variety of settings. Such experiences would allow students to develop the knowledge and skill needed to work with an ageing population with complex healthcare needs. More research is needed to better understand students' experiences and perceptions about where in the program more learning strategies about how to best work with older people would be helpful.

Clinical experiences are recognized as a critical aspect of nursing education, highlighting the importance of the perspectives of those providing clinical instruction. The aim of this mixed methods descriptive study was to discover the knowledge and guidance needs of preceptors and clinical faculty who provide clinical instruction to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students. Fifteen clinical faculty and 17 preceptors were surveyed using a questionnaire developed and piloted by the researchers. Although preceptors and clinical faculty reported a high level of knowledge and confidence in their ability to guide student nurses, they also identified the need for additional support for their teaching roles. Analysis of the qualitative data provided insights into what helped and what hindered clinical instruction, as well as what could enhance clinical instruction. The development, implementation, and evaluation of formal education and mentorship processes for preceptors and clinical faculty are recommended in order to meet these knowledge and guidance gaps. Further research is also needed to explore how to clinical instruction could be tailored to the capacity of those engaged in the experiences and to clinical environments., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clinical experience is a critical component of basic nursing education. Little research has focused on the perspectives of clinical faculty (CF) who engage in practical nursing education in challenging clinical settings associated with increased patient acuity and complexity., Method: The aim of this qualitative study was to understand CF's perspectives of what supports and hinders their ability to foster baccalaureate nursing students' clinical education., Results: Findings indicate challenges related to CF being viewed as "guests" in the clinical settings, complicating communication with nursing staff about constructive learning experiences. CF receive support from other CF to assist in balancing student priorities and developing relationships with clinical staff ., Conclusion: CF success was linked to how well they advance the view of students and themselves as being an integral part of the nursing team. Further research is needed to understand how CF use their social capital to advance clinical nursing education., (Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.)

With an aging population, the majority of nurses will spend their careers working with older people. Currently, there is scant research about clinical instructors' knowledge and perceptions about nursing care of older people despite their instrumental role in preparing nurses for practice. The purpose of this study was to explore clinical instructors' knowledge and perceptions about nursing care of older people. A mixed methods approach was used. Fifteen clinical instructors and 15 nurse educators employed on specialized units for older people completed questionnaires. Independent t-tests were administered. Five of the clinical instructors also participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that clinical instructors had significantly lower scores on knowledge and perceptions about nursing care of older people than practice-based nurse educators. Further, clinical instructors found it difficult to integrate specialized knowledge about nursing care of older people along with other aspects of their teaching. They also reported that it was challenging to support learning about best practices for older people within the current clinical context, which was complex and fast-paced. This study reinforces the need for professional development opportunities for clinical instructors to support their instrumental role in preparing students for practice with older people., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A structured literature review was conducted to understand clinical instructors' perceptions of their role and the factors that facilitate and constrain their teaching in undergraduate nursing programs. The literature published in English between 2000 and 2011 was searched, and data were extracted from 15 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis identified four themes-characteristics of the role, characteristics of effective clinical teaching, influence of the clinical context on the role, and influence of the academic context on the role. Clinical instructors are portrayed as needing to be good educators, as well as excellent clinicians. However, they often lack formal education and professional development opportunities related to the role and must draw on their individual personal and professional experiences to guide their teaching to meet the demands of both the clinical and academic contexts in which they simultaneously work., (Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.)