title: Educating registered nursing and healthcare assistant students in community-based supportive care of older adults: A mixed methods study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Collaborative education that prepares nursing and healthcare assistant students in supportive care for older adults living at home with advanced chronic illness is an important innovation to prepare the nursing workforce to meet the needs of this growing population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether a collaborative educational intervention could develop registered nursing and healthcare assistant students' capabilities in supportive care while enhancing care of clients with advanced chronic illness in the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mixed method study design.
  
  
  METHODS
  A rural college in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one registered nursing and 21 healthcare assistant students completed the collaborative workshop. Eight registered nursing students and 13 healthcare assistant students completed an innovative clinical experience with fifteen clients living with advanced chronic illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre and post-test measures of self-perceived competence and knowledge in supportive care were collected at three time points. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to evaluate the innovative clinical placement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Application of Friedman's test indicated statistically significant changes on all self-perceived competence scores for RN and HCA students with two exceptions: the ethical and legal as well as personal and professional issues domains for HCA students. Application of Friedman's test to self-perceived knowledge scores showed statistically significant changes in all but one domain (interprofessional collaboration and communication) for RN students and all but three domains for HCA students (spiritual needs, ethical and legal issues, and inter-professional collaboration and communication). Not all gains were sustained until T-3. The innovative community placement was evaluated positively by clients and students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Collaborative education for nursing and healthcare assistant students can enhance self-perceived knowledge and competence in supportive care of adults with advanced chronic illness. An innovative clinical experience can maximize reciprocal learning while providing nursing services to a population that is not receiving home-based care.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia School of Nursing, 1147 Research Rd., Kelowna, BC, Canada V1V 1V7. Electronic address: Barb.pesut@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pesut
authors.affiliation: Selkirk College, A-22 301 Frank Beinder Way, Castlegar, BC, Canada V1N 4L3.
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Trinity Western University, 7600 Glover Road, Langley, BC, Canada V2Y 1Y1.
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reimer-Kirkham
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 2Y2.
authors.forename: Gweneth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hartrick-Doane
authors.affiliation: End of Life Care, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Room 309N, Aberdeen Hospital, Third Floor-1450 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 2B7.
authors.forename: Deanna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 2Y2.
authors.forename: Lara B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D002170:Canada; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population; D013338:Students, Nursing
keywords: Baccalaureate nursing education; Chronic illness; Collaboration; Education, non-traditional; Home care nursing; Home health aide education; Older adults; Palliative care