Search

Background: The commitment of nursing preceptors to their role is an important driving force that supports their clinical teaching and affects teaching quality. Role commitment undergoes dynamic development and thus changes over time. Existing studies have utilized only cross-sectional study designs and have not analyzed the changes in commitment trajectories with related factors. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the development trajectories of the commitment of preceptors and to examine the predictors between the trajectories of role commitment among nursing preceptors. Methods: A single-group, repeated-measures design was adopted, and 59 participants completed the Commitment to the Preceptor Role Scale and the Preceptor_s Perception of Support Scale. The latent class growth analysis method was used to estimate the trajectory class patterns. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test, a nonparametric method, was used to compare the differences in demographic characteristics between the trajectories of commitment among nursing preceptors. Predictorswere examined using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The two-class model was the best-fitting model to describe the trajectories of nursing preceptor commitment. The two classes in this model were "low commitment," which accounted for 90.3% of all the participants, and "high commitment," which accounted for 9.7%. A significant difference was found between the two classes in terms of motivation for being a preceptor (p = .048). Neither demographic characteristics nor organizational support had a predictive effect on the trajectories of commitment development. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: This study found a low level of role commitment among new preceptors. Moreover, internal motivation was found to be a significant factor affecting the trajectories of this commitment. Therefore, institutions should foster an appropriate environment to enhance the role identity of preceptors as well as cultivate and stimulate their commitment to this role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although osteoporosis prevention has been identified as a critical issue for women and the elderly population, some health professionals still misunderstand osteoporosis. Public health nurses (PHNs) are responsible for health promotion and disease prevention in community populations. The objective of this study was to investigate PHNs’ knowledge of osteoporosis and its related factors. A cross-sectional research design was used: 678 subjects from 3,300 PHNs who worked at health centers in Taiwan during 2000 were selected by cluster random sampling to participate in this study; 539 of them returned the questionnaire. On average, the PHNs’ knowledge was found to be 0.68 (ranging from 0 to 1). The highest and lowest scores were found in the areas of disease prevention and the detection of the symptoms/signs of osteoporosis. By using one-way ANOVA, our study found that participants who had studied osteoporosis at school, had graduated from university, were RNs or LPNs and had studied osteoporosis as part of continuing education (CE) had higher knowledge scores. This study recommends that CE and nursing education about osteoporosis need to be highly valued. Nursing educators should reassess and reconstruct nursing curricula. Health administrators should evaluate learning needs and provide CE via multiple channels. Symptoms/signs, diagnosis/treatment and prevention issues are suggested as the core components of designing nursing curricula and CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]