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Aim: To explore factors associated with academic performance in the Master of Nursing programme. Background: Advanced practice nursing preparatory education generally involves completion of the Master of Nursing programme. While prior clinical experiences and on‐the‐job training are believed to underpin the preparation for such education, studies have suggested only weak or no associations between nurses' academic success in graduate schools and their clinical experiences. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the nursing department of a university in Singapore. Academic and demographic data were extracted in February 2020 from a shared repository of anonymised teaching and learning data. R was used to select and merge data tables into a usable format for subsequent analysis. Students enrolled between 2010 and 2017 were included for the analysis (n = 246). Results: Age was statistically significantly associated with overall cumulative academic performance (p < 0.001). Younger students on average academically outperformed older students. Unmarried students were associated with better cumulative academic performance in the Clinical Practicum 2 module (p = 0.018). Conclusion: Younger students have historically outperformed their older counterparts in the Master of Nursing programme. There is a need to reassess the requirement of five years of clinical experience as an admission criterion for the Master of Nursing programme in Singapore. Implications for nursing policy: There is a need to re‐evaluate the admission criteria to better engage and retain younger nurses interested in advanced nursing practice. Nursing educators and leaders can partner with academics to develop advanced practice‐specific education for pre‐master nurses with the aptitude and interest in pursuing this track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim(s): To undertake a systematic review of the practice patterns and roles of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in inpatient and outpatient stroke‐care services; and to evaluate the impact of APN‐led inpatient and outpatient stroke‐care services on clinical and patient‐reported outcomes. Design: A mixed‐methods systematic review. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across six electronic databases for primary studies. Data were synthesised using a convergent integrated approach. Data Sources (Include Search Dates) *for Reviews Only: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycInfo and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, for primary studies published between the inception of the databases and 3 November 2022. Results: Findings based on the 18 included primary studies indicate that the APNs' roles have been implemented across the continuum of stroke care, including pre‐intervention care, inpatient care and post‐discharge care. Practicing at an advanced level, the APNs engaged in clinical, operational and educational undertakings across services and disciplines. Positive clinical and patient‐reported outcomes have been attributed to their practice. Conclusion: The review highlights the critical role of APNs in improving stroke care, especially in the pre‐intervention phase. Their clinical expertise, patient‐centered approach and collaboration can transform stroke care. Integrating APNs into stroke care teams is essential for better management and outcomes in light of the increasing stroke burden. Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Healthcare institutions should integrate APNs to enhance pre‐intervention stroke care, improve diagnostic accuracy and expedite treatment. APNs can prioritise patient‐centric care, including assessments, coordination and education. Medication reconciliation, timely rehabilitation referrals and lifestyle modifications for secondary stroke prevention are crucial. Implementing advanced practice nursing frameworks ensures successful APN integration, leading to improved stroke care and better patient outcomes in response to the growing stroke burden. Impact (Addressing): What problem did the study address? Poor clarity of the role of advanced practice nurses among patients, physicians, healthcare professionals, health policymakers and nurses.What were the main findings? Advanced practice nurses practise across the continuum of stroke care, mainly in pre‐intervention care which takes place before initiating treatment, inpatient care and post‐discharge care.The implementation of the advanced practice nurse role in stroke care has contributed positively to clinical and patient‐reported outcomes.Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Insights from the review are envisioned to inform healthcare policymakers and leaders in the implementation and evaluation of the APN role in stroke care. Reporting Method: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. Trial and Protocol Registration: https://figshare.com/ndownloader/files/41606781; Registered on Open Science Framework osf.io/dav8j. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Given the diversity of the scope for inquiry and methodologies used in nursing research, the synthesis of primary research may not be as straightforward as conducting a meta‐analysis or systematic review on clinical trials. Scoping reviews offer an option to nursing academics for inquiries involving a range of applications and interpretations. Given the continual advances in evidence‐based research, it is, therefore, crucial for nursing to constantly substantiate its research capabilities and uphold standards in its research inquiry. Accordingly, an updated overview would be timely to characterize scoping reviews in the nursing literature. Hence this review aimed to examine the characteristics of scoping reviews published in nursing journals and evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the scoping reviews. Design: A systematic review. Methods: A comprehensive search of three electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase) were conducted. Scoping reviews published in English on or before December 31, 2020 were included, with the criterion that their publication had been in nursing journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (2020 Science Edition) of the Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts for eligibility. A standardized data extraction form was used for data collection, and a 29‐item checklist was developed to assess the methodological and reporting quality of the scoping reviews. The methodological and reporting quality was assessed independently by four reviewers and subsequently counter‐checked by another two reviewers. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the included papers, and narrative synthesis was undertaken to explain the results. Results: This review included 422 papers from 88 nursing journals. They were published between 2008 and 2021 (median year 2019). Only 15 (3.5%) reviews reported accessible protocols, and 63 (15.0%) presented data on their critical appraisal of the included sources of evidence. Poor reporting of the selection of sources of evidence and data extraction was also identified. Overall, the 422 included reviews had complied with 20 (median [range: 9–27]) of the 29 items on the checklist. Conclusions: Scoping reviews have garnered wider acceptance in nursing research, of which the scopes and methodologies exhibit much diversity. Our systematic review has provided insights into existing scoping reviews published in nursing journals through our characterization of them and appraisal of their methodological and reporting quality. However, our findings underline several areas needing improvement: the lack of transparency, the absence of critical appraisal, non‐compliance to established checklists, and inconsistencies in the data processing. Clinical Relevance: Appraising included sources of evidence and maintaining transparency in the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews increases the practical utility of scoping reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore registered nurses' perceptions towards the role of advanced practice nurses and to examine registered nurses' interests in becoming advanced practice nurses. Background: Globally, the development and implementation of advanced practice nurses have been deemed propitious. Advanced practice nurses are recruited and developed from the current pool of registered nurses. Empirical research is needed to inform practice on ensuring the sustainability of the advanced practice nurse workforce through the recruitment and development of the current population of registered nurses. Methods: A nationwide cross‐sectional online survey was conducted in Singapore. Registered nurses from all public health care institutions were surveyed. Results: Respondents (n = 1,025) displayed optimism and acceptance towards advanced practice nurses. However, only 30.7% hoped to become advanced practice nurses. Nursing leaders were reported to have a low success rate in identifying registered nurses who were both suitable and interested in the advanced practice nurse role. Conclusions: Registered nurses' positive perspectives towards the role of advanced practice nurses do not translate into interests in the role. The study offers pragmatic applicability in ensuring the sustainability of the advanced practice nurse workforce. Implications for Nursing Management: Advanced practice nurse‐specific residency programmes for pre‐master registered nurses may be facilitative to retaining and recruiting registered nurses for the advanced practice nurse workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of chronic illness and multimorbidity rises with population aging, thereby increasing the acuity of care. Consequently, the demand for emergency and critical care services has increased. However, the forecasted requirements for physicians have shown a continued shortage. Among efforts underway to search for innovations to strengthen the workforce, there is a heightened interest to have nurses in advanced practice participate in patient care at a great extent. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the impact of increasing the autonomy of nurses assuming advanced practice roles in emergency and critical care settings on patient outcomes.Objectives: The objectives of this study are to present, critically appraise, and synthesize the best available evidence on the impact of advanced practice nursing on quality of care, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost in emergency and critical care settings.Review Methods: A comprehensive and systematic search of nine electronic databases and a hand-search of two key journals from 2006 to 2016 were conducted to identify studies evaluating the impact of advanced practice nursing in the emergency and critical care settings. Two authors were involved selecting the studies based on the inclusion criteria. Out of the original search yield of 12,061 studies, 15 studies were chosen for appraisal of methodological quality by two independent authors and subsequently included for analysis. Data was extracted using standardized tools.Results: Narrative synthesis was undertaken to summarize and report the findings. This review demonstrates that the involvement of nurses in advanced practice in emergency and critical care improves the length of stay, time to consultation/treatment, mortality, patient satisfaction, and cost savings.Conclusions: Capitalizing on nurses in advanced practice to increase patients' access to emergency and critical care is appealing. This review suggests that the implementation of advanced practice nursing roles in the emergency and critical care settings improves patient outcomes. The transformation of healthcare delivery through effective utilization of the workforce may alleviate the impending rise in demand for health services. Nevertheless, it is necessary to first prepare a receptive context to effect sustainable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]