Impact of Nursing Clinical Elective Courses on New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Practice: A Mixed-Methods Descriptive Study.
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2024-05
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Abstract
Background
Clinical elective courses provide additional specialty knowledge for prelicensure nursing students; however, it is unknown how these courses impact nurses' clinical practice after graduation.Purpose
To describe how clinical nursing electives impact graduates' clinical practice.Methods
A mixed-methods descriptive design was used. Students who graduated from a prelicensure nursing program were sent an electronic survey and participated in qualitative interviews.Results
Thirty-three graduates completed the survey, with 9 participating in interviews. Sixteen graduates worked in the clinical practice areas that were the same, or related to, the clinical elective they took. Many graduates felt that taking the elective course improved their confidence in the clinical setting and provided increased knowledge that put them at an advantage over their peers.Conclusion
Clinical electives may offer a means to meet health care system needs by preparing a more confident, knowledgeable new graduate in specialty areas in which nurses are needed most.Type
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Lewis, Lisa S, A Michelle Hartman, Christina Leonard, Allen Cadavero and Staci S Reynolds (2024). Impact of Nursing Clinical Elective Courses on New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Practice: A Mixed-Methods Descriptive Study. Nurse educator, 49(3). pp. 152–157. 10.1097/nne.0000000000001551 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/31204.
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Allen Cadavero
Staci Reynolds
Dr. Staci Reynolds is a Clinical Professor at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). At DUSON, Dr. Reynolds primarily teaches in the DNP program. Previously, she clinically served as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at Duke University Hospital within the neuroscience inpatient units and Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology department. In January 2023, Dr. Reynolds was appointed the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nursing Care Quality. Before coming to DUSON, she was a neurocritical care nurse and a neuroscience CNS at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.
Dr. Reynolds received a baccalaureate degree in nursing science from Indiana University (IU) School of Nursing in Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned a Master’s degree as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at IU in 2011, and completed her PhD at IU in May 2016. Dr. Reynolds’ current scholarship interests include evidence-based practice implementation and evaluation, and she is an expert in quality improvement.
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