Measures of Graduate Entry Nursing Student Program Experiences: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective Characterize the types of graduate entry nursing student experiences measured and the instruments used to measure these experiences.

Design Scoping review.

Data sources Nine electronic bibliographic databases.

Review methods Databases were searched for published articles and theses reporting development, psychometric properties, or use of a quantitative measure of experience in accelerated second-degree entry to nursing students. Articles and theses were exported, deduped, dual screened, then data extracted, charted and analyzed.

Results Sixty-three publications met inclusion criteria; most were peer reviewed journal articles from United States of America. Domains of student experience measured encompassed overall program, simulation, clinical education models, stress, coping and support, and sub-programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction. More than half of studies used to exist measures, mostly assessing stress or support, reporting limited details regarding validity and reliability.

Conclusions Measurement of student experiences is essential to understanding and improving quality of education programs. This review characterized the range of experiences measured, and instruments used. The synthesis provides educational programs, clinicians, and researchers an opportunity to avoid unnecessary measure development and research duplication.