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Aim: To explore newly qualified nurses and midwives' experience of continuing professional development (CPD) and factors associated with CPD participation during newly qualified nurses and midwives' transition, such as job satisfaction and intention to leave., Background: Newly qualified nurses and midwives find it difficult to make the transition to their first registered post. During the transition, professional support through CPD is essential to build competence and confidence and increase job satisfaction and retention., Design: A cross-sectional study., Methods: This study was conducted from September 2021 to October 2022. The online survey, consisting of 83 items, included: the Questionnaire of Professional Development of Nurses (Q-PDN), the McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale, three questions about Intention to Leave and two open-ended questions. The analysis was conducted by combining the results from the three European countries. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed. The participants were Newly qualified nurses and midwives from Ireland, Italy and Croatia RESULTS: A total of 476 Newly qualified nurses and midwives completed the survey. Of these, 32 % (n=152) were satisfied with opportunities to participate in CPD activities and 54.8 % (n=261) had participated in a formal CPD programme. Most newly qualified nurses and midwives (89.1 %, n=424) agreed that they would like to participate in a formal CPD programme. Almost half of the participants (46.4 %, n=219) had thought of leaving the profession in the previous 12 months. We found that 'having participated in a programme to support newly qualified nurses (OR=0.29; p<.001), 'participating in mandatory CPD activities' (OR=0.76; p=0.016) and 'working in the clinical area of community' (OR=0.31; p<.001) or in maternity (OR=0.46; p=0.040) were positively associated with better job satisfaction., Conclusions: Participation in support programs during the transition period contributes to increasing job satisfaction for newly qualified nurses and midwives. During their transition, newly qualified nurses and midwives need more support from their institution managers, in terms of ensuring a better learning environment, as well as formal and informal supports., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Aim: This protocol proposes a systematic review to identify and disclose learning strategies and evaluation tools to improve Emotion Intelligence (EI) in undergraduate nursing students., Background: EI improves the ability to manage emotions and their consequences. Management of emotions is fundamental in nursing both at inter- and intra-professional levels, and with the patients and their family carers., Design: Systematic review protocol of effectiveness based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines., Review Methods: All articles based on educational programmes and/or activities to develop EI in nursing curricula will be included in the review. It will analyse the principle EI attributes and outcomes such as burnout, intention to leave and problem-solving skills. Based on the review question, seven databases will be searched: MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC. Also, grey literature (Google Scholar and Open Gray) will be searched. Since no similar systematic reviews are present in the literature, no time limits will be set. To establish the quality of studies JBI tools will be used. When appropriate, we will meta-analyse prevalence and incidence estimates or we will meta-synthesize themes and findings., Expected Results: This systematic review is expected to provide an overview of educational and training methods, pedagogical strategies and evaluation tools to address EI in nursing and provide high-quality care to patients and their families. Results of the review will support nursing educators and leaders in implementing teaching and learning strategies to improve the Emotional Intelligence of undergraduate nursing students., Conclusions: Mastering emotions is fundamental for nurses. Implementing education courses based on EI according to the best training methods and pedagogical strategies could become key for nursing curricula. Moreover, after the review, it will be possible to identify the best training methods and pedagogical strategies for implementing continuing professional development (CPD) courses in EI in the courses of following graduation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All the other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aim: to develop a better understanding of the attitudes and experiences of healthcare workers and managers with face-to-face, online asynchronous (pre-recorded), and online synchronous (live) modalities for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) working in the Long-Term Care (LTC) sector., Background: The recent global pandemic significantly interrupted the delivery and organisation of education and training for healthcare professionals internationally. As a result of the restrictions, healthcare professionals' access to CPD was limited, consequentially education and training activities were mostly delivered online. Research into the experiences of healthcare workers with the various teaching and learning modalities in the LTC setting is limited., Design: An explanatory mixed methods study using an exploratory sequential design., Methods: A two-phase study conducted from January 2022 to September 2022, in the Republic of Ireland. In phase one, researchers conducted four focus groups and in phase two 168 participants completed a survey to explore the results of phase one., Results: From the focus groups interviews five themes emerged regarding participants' experiences, attitudes and preferences with the three modalities of CPD education and training in the field of LTC: 1) Flexibility, 2) Networking, 3) Resources and Support, 4) Engaging and meaningful learning, and 5) Balancing online and face-to-face learning through Blended Learning. Results from the survey found the preferred modality was face to face (n = 54, 32.1%), followed very closely by blended learning (n = 51, 30.4%). Most of the respondents reported that synchronous online CPD education was convenient, flexible, offers the opportunity to interact with peers, and that its quality depends on educators' skills. The majority of respondents (n = 155, 92.3%) declared that they would require support in the workplace to implement their new knowledge and skills., Conclusions: This study revealed the significance participants place on 'engagement' when taking part in education and training. Engagement was described as a key factor to improve the delivery of CPD in the LTC setting. In addition, regardless of the mode of delivery, participants reported that they need to be supported in the workplace to implement their new knowledge and skills. This requires the support and endorsement of employers and managers, who could ensure more protected time for learning, technical support and championing facilitators and mentors in the workplace to enhance the translation of new knowledge into clinical practice., Tweetable Abstract: In LTC settings, face-to-face CPD is the preferred mode of delivery. Although synchronous online CPD is very convenient, educators must be able to engage learners. LTC workers need support by managers to implement their new knowledge and skills in their workplace., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To describe the various teaching and learning modalities for the delivery of Continuing Professional Development activities for health care professionals in the long-term care sector., Background: Continuing Professional Development is a key activity that organisations undertake to achieve effective workforce planning, recruitment, retention and upskilling strategies in long-term care settings. During the Covid-19 pandemic there was a rapid move to online modalities of Continuous Professional Development, but there is a paucity of evidence in relation to their effectiveness compared with face-to-face, or in-class learning., Design: A rapid synthesis review., Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL and HEALTH BUSINESS ELITE databases were used to identify relevant articles that were published between 2016 and 2022. Original studies of any design investigating Continuing Professional Development activities, with or without a comparison between interventions or activities were included. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was followed. The Kirkpatrick model was adopted as a globally recognised method for evaluating training programmes., Results: After a full text analysis, 34 papers were included in the review. Face to face was the most common method of delivery followed by online, while blended (a mix of face-to-face and online delivery) was the least common method used. The teaching modalities were not associated with specific learning contents, but were used for a range of content. Most studies obtained positive outcomes following implementation of the educational interventions. Kirkpatrick Level 4 (results) was the most commonly measured outcome., Conclusions: While blended learning was the least common method of delivery, it was found to be more beneficial for learners than face-to-face or online exclusively. There are now new spaces to learn and new technologies that allow us to 'reimagine' where, when and how we teach. This requires Continuing Professional Development providers to design and tailor their courses according to health professionals' learning needs and the clinical contexts where they work. We recommend that Continuing Professional Development providers involve employers when designing teaching and learning activities for Long Term Care workers, to decide which modalities enable effective knowledge translation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To identify gaps in existing family and community nurse (FCN) continuing education programs and to investigate whether FCN core competencies are covered in continuing education programs offered in primary health care settings., Background: In global pandemics such as COVID-19, there is an urgent need for staff development using transformative learning and help registered nurses build up their competencies and form a new professional identity as family and community nurses (FCNs). Therefore, FCN education programs become of high importance to enhance nurses' core competencies through continuing education., Methods: An integrative review of the literature was conducted applying the Whittemore and Knafl methodological strategy for studies published between 2015- June 2021., Results: FCN core competencies, including the "decision-making process, navigation as care coordinator and patient advocate and promoting individual and family health to support the quality of nursing care," were poorly covered in the FCN programs. Specifically, e-health played a very limited role in FCN continuing education, while ethics, managing change, managing disparity and diversity and leadership skills, did not emerge at all., Conclusion: The identified gaps can be incorporated into future FCN continuing education programs and may help improve nurses' competence and health care delivery and support new integrated models of care, namely, person-centered and community-based models., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To identify the core competencies of family and community nurses., Background: The European Union is facing common health challenges in the field of primary care, according to European health policies and the World Health Organization, which need to be addressed through better and innovative ways of working that require joint actions. There is evidence that 'Family and Community Nurses' play a key role in the field of primary care, but there is no agreement on which core competencies they are required to have., Design: An e-Delphi study METHODS: A 4-round e-Delphi study was conducted from March to July 2018 as part of the Erasmus+ Project "EuropeaN curriculum for fAmily aNd Community nursE" (ENhANCE). A panel of 23 experts from 10 European countries were asked to approve, modify, or add items and then prioritize each skill., Results: This e-Delphi, as part of the ENhANCE project, produced core 28 competencies, which were used by the "ENhANCE" partners to develop the European Core Curriculum for Family and Community Nurses. The ENhANCE partners ensured that the core competencies were consistent with World Health Organization recommendations, the European Skills/Competencies, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) and with the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET)., Conclusions: The results of this study will provide the basis for universities across Europe to develop their own post-graduate teaching programs with common educational goals for Family and Community Nurses and a cadre of nurse practitioners with transferrable skills across the continent., Tweetable Abstract: This e-Delphi, as part of the ENhANCE project, produced 28 competencies for the European Core Curriculum for Family and Community Nurses., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

International mobility for nursing students is still a relatively new phenomenon. While educators and students are both excited by the opportunity that mobility presents, there are often many challenges inherent within third level organisations and practice organisations. These obstacles not only serve to make international mobility arrangements complex to manage but also mean that these opportunities are only available to very small numbers of students. Furthermore the benefits of undergraduate international exchanges remain largely anecdotal and the elements that facilitate success are not entirely clear. To address these issues, a qualitative study was conducted to identify the elements that characterize a nursing student's successful learning during international clinical placement. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six students who had completed their international clinical placements experiences in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Three common themes emerged from the data analysis: relationship with institutions and countries, student's thoughts and feelings and learning outcomes and the role of the nursing student's clinical supervisor. These themes contain seven sub-categories, representing the characterizing elements of the student's experience of mobility in the foreign country. These results are useful to nurse educators internationally to inform clinical learning experiences within exchange programmes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Web-based learning, on its own or in combination with traditional teaching methods, has become a consolidated practice in many countries, and has been described as a valid and effective method that supports practical learning in undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to explore the perception and effectiveness of web-based learning in facilitating the development of clinical skills in undergraduate nursing students. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted including online videos in three nursing schools of a university in Northern Italy. The participants were 26 undergraduate nursing students. A dedicated website was built including four videos and the respective checklists of four nursing techniques: insertion of a urinary catheter; insertion of a nasogastric tube; taking a blood sample; and the insertion of a peripheral intravenous line. Three Focus Groups were conducted, one for each nursing school. Thanks to its ease of use and unlimited access, web-based learning effectively supported students' clinical learning process by offering additional virtual visual support. Web-based learning could be effectively used to reduce the gap between theory and practice, and even as an upgrade for already qualified nurses., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this paper is to discuss the development of modern nursing in Italy. Specifically, the paper aims to draw attention to the fact that while nursing in Italy has mirrored developments in Europe, in many respects the advancement of the profession is much less accelerated. The paper considers the reasons for this and the contributing factors and explores possible solutions., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the literature we found many studies that confirmed our concerns about nursing students' poor maths skills that directly impact on their ability to correctly calculate drug dosages with very serious consequences for patient safety. The aim of our study was to explore where students had most difficulty and identify appropriate educational interventions to bridge their mathematical knowledge gaps. This was a quali-quantitative descriptive study that included a sample of 726 undergraduate nursing students. We identified exactly where students had most difficulty and identified appropriate educational interventions to bridge their mathematical knowledge gaps. We found that the undergraduate nursing students mainly had difficulty with basic maths principles. Specific learning interventions are needed to improve their basic maths skills and their dosage calculation skills. For this purpose, we identified safeMedicate and eDose (Authentic World Ltd.), only that they are only available in English. In the near future we hope to set up a partnership to work together on the Italian version of these tools., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)