Have OSCEs come of age in nursing education?

This article is intended to contribute to the current debate as to whether the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) should become a standard assessment tool for undergraduate nursing education as they currently are for medicine. The authors describe how one UK university developed an OSCE for a nursing undergraduate programme with the aim of emphasising the need for nursing students to be competent in clinical skills and offering a means of standardising the assessment of these skills. There has been an increasing number of research studies carried out in this area at international level and this article's main contribution to the literature is the description of the Angoff standard-setting procedure that was used to calibrate the OSCE at this University and which makes it the first nursing OSCE in the UK to incorporate a scientific standard-setting procedure.

A-level Mathematics Options – Views of Secondary-level Teachers

The A-level Mathematics qualification is based on a compulsory set of pure maths modules and a selection of applied maths modules with the pure maths representing two thirds of the assessment. The applied maths section includes mechanics, statistics and (sometimes) decision maths. A combination of mechanics and statistics tends to be the most popular choice by far. The current study aims to understand how maths teachers in secondary education make decisions regarding the curriculum options and offers useful insight to those currently designing the new A-level specifications.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with A-level maths teachers representing 27 grammar schools across Northern Ireland. Teachers were generally in agreement regarding the importance of pure maths and the balance between pure and applied within the A-level maths curriculum. A wide variety of opinions existed concerning the applied options. While many believe that the basic mechanics-statistics (M1-S1) combination is most accessible, it was also noted that the M1-M2 combination fits neatly alongside A-level physics. Lack of resources, timetabling constraints and competition with other subjects in the curriculum hinder uptake of A-level Further Maths.

Teachers are very conscious of the need to obtain high grades to benefit both their pupils and the school’s reputation. The move to a linear assessment system in England while Northern Ireland retains the modular system is likely to cause some schools to review their choice of exam board although there is disagreement as to whether a modular or linear system is more advantageous for pupils. The upcoming change in the specification offers an opportunity to refresh the assessment also and reduce the number of leading questions. However, teachers note that there are serious issues with GCSE maths and these have implications for A-level.

Combining and integrating life /social sciences and citizen trainers in Nurse Education - a N. Ireland initiative

Before commencement of the academic year 2012/2013 the social sciences, public health and the biomedical sciences were taught to separate modules. This reinforced the idea off separate disciplines certainly for some of the younger students and a failure to appreciate the interconnectedness (whole person) perspective on health; separately modules taught and assessed in separate silos. There was limited understanding by the lecturers of the other areas that they were not teaching to -reflecting perhaps a dis-coordinated approach to health sciences (Mason and Whitehead 2003). As a result of significant discussion and interdisciplinary negotiation the life, social sciences public health/ health education were drawn together in the one module for the academic year 2012/13. The module provides the undergraduate students with an introduction to an understanding of Life Sciences, psychology, sociology and public health and their contribution within the context of nursing and midwifery. Each week’s teaching seeks to reflect against the other module delivered in first year - addressing clinical skills. The teaching is developing innovative e-learning approaches, including the use of a virtual community. The intention is to provide the student with a more integrated understanding and teaching to the individual’s health and to health within a social context (Lin 2001; Iles- Shih 2011). The focus is on health promotion rather than disease management. The module runs in three phases across the student’s first-year and teachers to the field of adult mental health, learning disability, children’s nursing and the midwifery students -progressively building on the student’s clinical experience. The predominant focus of the module remains on health and reflecting aspects of life and social life within N. Ireland. One of the particular areas of interest and an area of particular sensitivity is engaging the students to the context of the Northern Ireland civil unrest (the Troubles); this involves a co-educational initiative with service users, only previously attempted with social work students (Duffy 2012). The service users are represented by WAVE an organisation offering care and support to bereaved, traumatised or injured as a result of the violent civil conflict `the Troubles’. The `Troubles’ had ranged over an extended period and apart from the more evident and visual impact of death and injury, the community is marked by a disproportionate level of civil unrest, the extremes of bereavement, imprisonment, displacement antisocial behaviour and family dysfunction (Coulter et al. 2012). As co-educators with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, WAVE deliver a core lecture (augmented by online material), then followed by tutorials. The tutorials are substantially led by those who had been involved with and experienced loss and trauma as a result of the conflict (Health Service users) as `citizen trainers’ and provide an opportunity for them to share their experience and their recollection of personal interaction with nursing and midwifery students; in improving their understanding of the impact of `The Troubles’ on patients and clients affected by the events (Coulter et al. 2012) and to help better provide a quality of care cognisant of the particular needs of those affected by `the Troubles’ in N.Ireland. This approach is relatively unique to nursing in N. Ireland in that it involves many of those directly involved with and injured by the `Troubles’ as `citizen trainers’ and clearly reflects the School’s policy of progressively engaging with users and carers of nursing and midwifery services as co-educators to students (Repper & Breeze 2006). Only now could perhaps such a sensitive level of training to student nurses and midwives be delivered across communities with potential educative lessons for other communities experiencing significant civil unrest and sectarian conflict.

Does ageism still exist in nurse education?

Worldwide demographic changes mean that older people represent a significant group of patients for nurses everywhere. Ageism is increasingly recognised as an issue among healthcare professionals and evidence suggests that problems with quality of care remain. Nursing curricula have to address the needs of an ageing population in a variety of settings, reflect the importance of therapeutic care and explore nursing students’ attitudes, in order to provide them with the appropriate skills to meet the needs of older people. This article debates the main factors influencing gerontological content in nursing curricula and suggests that ageism is still evident in nurse education. A variety of strategies are identified to assist in developing appropriate curriculum content.

Blending Art and Science in Nurse Education: The Benefits and Impact of Creative Partnerships

Blending Art and Science in Nurse Education: The Benefits and Impact of Creative Partnerships

This paper presents the benefits of an innovative education partnership between lecturers from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University Belfast and Arts Care, a unique Arts and Health Charity in Northern Ireland, to engage nursing students in life sciences

Nursing and Midwifery students often struggle to engage with life science modules because they lack confidence in their ability to study science.This project was funded by a Teaching Innovation Award from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University Belfast, to explore creative ways of engaging year one undergraduate nursing students in learning anatomy and physiology. The project was facilitated through collaboration between Teaching staff from the School of Nursing and Midwifery and Arts Care, Northern Ireland. This unique Arts and Health Charity believes in the benefits of creativity to well being.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE(S)
To explore creative ways of engaging year one undergraduate nursing students in learning anatomy and physiology.

METHODS AND METHODLOGY
Students participated in a series of workshops designed to explore the cells, tissues and organs of the human body through the medium of felt. Facilitated by an Arts Care artist, and following self-directed preparation, students discussed and translated their learning of the cells, tissues and organs of the human body into striking felt images. During the project students kept a reflective journal of their experience to document how participation in the project enhanced their learning and professional development

RESULTS
Creativity transformed and brought to life the students learning of the cells, tissues and organs of the human body.

The project culminated in the exhibition of a unique body of artwork which has been exhibited across Northern Ireland in hospitals and galleries and viewed by fellow students, teaching staff, nurses from practice, artists, friends, family and members of the public.

CONCLUSION
The impact of creativity learning strategies in nurse education should be further explored.

REFERENCES
Bennett, M and Rogers, K.MA. (2014) First impressions matter: an active, innovative and engaging method to recruit student volunteers for a pedagogic project. Reflections, Available online at: QUB, Centre for Educational Development / Publications / Reflections Newsletter, Issue 18, June 2014.

Chickering,A.W. and Gamson,Z.F. (1987) Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education The American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, March. http://www.aahea.org/aahea/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm, accessed 8th August 2014

Fell, P., Borland, G., Lynne, V. (2012) Lab versus lectures: can lab based practical sessions improve nursing students’ learning of bioscience? Health and Social Care Education 3:1, 33-38

Navigating Grounded Theory:A critical and reflective response to the challenges of using grounded theory in an education PhD

This paper offers a critical reflection upon the use of a grounded theory approach within a doctoral study. As well as providing an outline of grounded theory, it begins by noting the existence of some powerful critiques of a grounded theory approach, in particular around the key concepts of ‘theory’, ‘discovery’ and ‘ground’. It is argued that, in some cases, grounded theory struggles to counter these challenges, especially in its ‘purist’ forms. However, with reference to research carried out as part of a PhD study of sharing education in Northern Ireland which employed a grounded theory approach, a case is made for an open and critical grounded theory based upon three principles: pragmatism; research as practice; and reflexivity. It is concluded that a reasonable case can be made for grounded theory where: grounded theory researchers maintain a balance between belonging to and critique of the grounded theory community; where there is an emphasis upon theorizing rather than the discovery of theory; and where the strengths of grounded theory as 'practice' and 'craft' are maximised.