Evidence-Based Practice: Qualitative and Quantitative

See attached (2) peer-reviewed articles about research studies. One article is a qualitative research study; the other is a quantitative article.

Write a 500+ word APA Format report with the following requirements. (Must read the articles).

1. A description of why each research study article is categorized as quantitative or qualitative

2. Explain why each article is important in nursing.

Articles are attached, must use APA Format and must be 500+ words.

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Allyssa L. Harris and Kelly D. Stamp Abstract The clinical experience is essential to the nursing education process, but the process by which students are assigned patients has remained unchanged for decades. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to determine the acceptability of a same-day clinical assignment process from the perspective of pre-licensure nursing students. Students’(n = 104) perceptions of the same-day clinical assignment process were collected via focus groups. Two themes emerged that may assist educators in implementing new methods for clinical assignments.

KEY WORDS Pre-Licensure Nursing Education–Clinical Assignments–Qualitative Research– Same-Day Clinical Assignment Process T he clinical learning experience is integral to nursing educa- tion. It is by this method that students learn, practice, and apply the skills needed to interact with and care for patients in the hospital environment.

It is essential that educators focus on teaching students how to use multiple resources and clinical reasoning in clinical settings (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). The Institut e of Med ici ne’s (2011)Future of Nursingreport calls for nurse educators to“think differently”about the educational/clinical experiences of students, suggesting that nontraditional ways of providing clinical education will enhance student learning and the ability to prioritize and apply situated knowledge.

In today’s health care environment, the clinical assignment pro- cess can be challenging. Patients are admitted with complex medical diagnoses requiring highly skilled nursing care. In addition, hospital stays are short, with patients discharged to home within days of their admission (Tanner, 2006). Often instructors complete the student assignment process only to find that the assigned patients have been discharged home, leaving the instructor with the task of assigning a new patient(s) and the students with little time to study the diagnosis, review medications, and make other preparations.Schools of nursing must find innovative solutions to the clinical assignment process. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore pre-licensure students’perspectives of a same-day clinical assignment process that uses personal digital assistant (PDA) technology support. BACKGROUND Traditionally, clinical instructors arrive on their assigned units a day in advance to review patient diagnoses and treatment plans. Student assignments are made based on input from the unit’s staff nurses, the students’learning needs, and course objectives. Some programs provide students with their patient assignment and clinical informa- tion in advance, while others post assignments at the clinical unit and students are expected to seek out their patients’medical infor- mation (Burke & Van Nostrand, 2008). This method of developing clinical assignments is often costly due to expenses incurred by the school. There is also a loss of productivity by the hospital unit’sstaff and instructors during the visit to the hospital unit.

Some nursing education programs have forgone the hospital clinical assignment process entirely and assign students to patients the day of the clinical (Cannon-Diehl, 2009). However, under those circumstances, the care provided by nursing students to newly ad- mitted patients may be of poor quality due to inadequate preparation.

Students may require additional time, energy and oversight by the clinical instructor to ensure that the nursing care they provide is safe.

For the same-day clinical assignment (SDCA) process described in this article, students engaged in preparation for a period of four to five weeks. They were given lists of diagnoses, medications, and lab- oratory tests that were typical for patients admitted to their assigned unit and were required to research and study this information. The amount of information provided decreased gradually, and at week 5, students began to receive same-day assignments. About the AuthorsThe authors are faculty, Boston College William F.

Connell School of Nursing, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Allyssa L.

Harris, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, is an assistant professor. Kelly D. Stamp, PhD, APRN, ANP-C, is an associate professor. The authors would like to thank the following for their assistance and support in making this project possible: Jane Ashley, PhD, RN; Luanne Nugent DNP, MSN, RN, CNS; Stacey Hoffman Barone, PhD, RN, CNS; Doreen Behney Hurley, MSN, RN, CCRN; M. Colleen Simonelli, PhD, RNC; Heather Vallent, MS, RN; Colleen Toronto, MS, RN; and Jeannie Foley. For more information, contact Dr. Harris at harrisal@bc.edu.

Copyright © 2016 National League for Nursing doi: 10.5480/13-1232 Nursing Education Perspectives VOLUME 37 NUMBER 3 159 Copyright © 2016 National League for Nursing. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. METHOD Sample The institutional review board of a large university in the Northeast ap- proved this project. The sample consisted of 104 pre-licensure nurs- ing students enrolled in the Adult Health I (n= 56) and Adult Health II (n= 48) clinical courses. All students enrolled in these courses were required to participate in this SDCA qualitative descriptive study.

Procedure THE SDCA PROCESS Instructors arrived on the unit early on the clinical day and chose appropriate patients. The SDCA process re- quired students to arrive at their designated clinical unit, receive the nursing report, and use their PDA as a resource to develop a nursing plan of care. The entire process lasted 14 weeks, with 5 weeks of preparation and 9 weeks at the clinical site. INTEGRATION OF PDA TECHNOLOGY Students enrolled in the Adult Health I/II courses received a letter notifying them of the integra- tion of PDA technology into their clinical courses. Students were re- quired to purchase a PDA device compatible with Skyscape ® software. This software was chosen because of its ease of use and the availability of textbooks that were already being used in the adult health courses. Instructors were assigned an iPod Touch with the same software installed; they received training on the device and soft- ware, along with policies and procedures for the project.Evidence-Based Practice: Qualitative and Quantitative