Angelo Dante1, Sónia Ferrão2, Darja Jarosova3, Loreto Lancia4, Carla Nascimento5, Venetia Notara6, Andrea Pokorna7, Lubica Rybarova8, Brigita Skela-Savič9, Alvisa Palese10. 1. University of Trieste, Italy. Electronic address: adante@units.it. 2. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: sonia.ferrao@esel.pt. 3. University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. Electronic address: Darja.Jarosova@osu.cz. 4. University of L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address: loreto.lancia@cc.univaq.it. 5. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: carla.nascimento@esel.pt. 6. Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens, Greece. Electronic address: venotara@yahoo.gr. 7. Masaryk University, BRNO, Czech Republic. Electronic address: apokorna@med.muni.cz. 8. University of Prešov, Slovakia. Electronic address: lubica.rybarova@unipo.sk. 9. Faculty of Health Care Jesenice, Slovenia. Electronic address: bskelasavic@vszn-je.si. 10. University of Udine, Italy. Electronic address: alvisa.palese@uniud.it.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the European context regulated by the Bologna Process principles, there is little evidence to date on the different profiles, if any, of nursing students enrolled in the 1st academic year and their academic outcomes. AIMS: To describe and compare the nursing student profiles and their academic outcomes at the end of the 1st year across European Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNS) courses. DESIGN: An exploratory multicentre cohort study involving five countries: Nursing students who were enrolled in nursing programmes for the academic year 2011/2012 in the participating BNS courses, willing to participate and regularly admitted to the 2nd academic year, were included in this study undertaken in 2013. Individual and faculty level variables were collected after having ensured the validity of the tools developed in English and then appropriately translated into the language of each participating country. FINDINGS: A total of 378/710 (53.2%) students participated in the study. They attended from 390 to 810h of lessons, while clinical experience ranged from 162 to 536h. The students reported a mean average age of 21.4 (Confidence of Interval [CI] 95%, 21.0-22.3) and foreign students were limited in number (on average 3.7%). The students reported adopting mainly individual learning strategies (92.9%), duplicating notes or lecture notes prepared by professors (74.4%), and concentrating their study before exams (74.6%). The majority reported experiencing learning difficulties (49.7%) and a lack of academic support (84.9%). Around 33.2% reported economic difficulties and the need to work while studying nursing on average for 24h/week. Personal expectations regarding the nursing role were different (45.6%) than the role encountered during the 1st year, as learning workloads were higher (57.2%) with regard to expectations. Around one-third of students reported the intention to leave nursing education while the proportion of those reporting early academic failure was on average 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS: More strategies aimed at harmonising nursing education across Europe, at supporting nursing students' learning processes during 1st year, and identifying factors influencing their intention to leave and their academic failure, are recommended.
BACKGROUND: In the European context regulated by the Bologna Process principles, there is little evidence to date on the different profiles, if any, of nursing students enrolled in the 1st academic year and their academic outcomes. AIMS: To describe and compare the nursing student profiles and their academic outcomes at the end of the 1st year across European Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNS) courses. DESIGN: An exploratory multicentre cohort study involving five countries: Nursing students who were enrolled in nursing programmes for the academic year 2011/2012 in the participating BNS courses, willing to participate and regularly admitted to the 2nd academic year, were included in this study undertaken in 2013. Individual and faculty level variables were collected after having ensured the validity of the tools developed in English and then appropriately translated into the language of each participating country. FINDINGS: A total of 378/710 (53.2%) students participated in the study. They attended from 390 to 810h of lessons, while clinical experience ranged from 162 to 536h. The students reported a mean average age of 21.4 (Confidence of Interval [CI] 95%, 21.0-22.3) and foreign students were limited in number (on average 3.7%). The students reported adopting mainly individual learning strategies (92.9%), duplicating notes or lecture notes prepared by professors (74.4%), and concentrating their study before exams (74.6%). The majority reported experiencing learning difficulties (49.7%) and a lack of academic support (84.9%). Around 33.2% reported economic difficulties and the need to work while studying nursing on average for 24h/week. Personal expectations regarding the nursing role were different (45.6%) than the role encountered during the 1st year, as learning workloads were higher (57.2%) with regard to expectations. Around one-third of students reported the intention to leave nursing education while the proportion of those reporting early academic failure was on average 5.6%. CONCLUSIONS: More strategies aimed at harmonising nursing education across Europe, at supporting nursing students' learning processes during 1st year, and identifying factors influencing their intention to leave and their academic failure, are recommended.