THE STUDENTS ARE ALL RIGHT: STABILITY OF OPTIMISM IN NURSING STUDENTS

Aims: The specific aims of this study are two-fold: (1) to identify perceptions of health, wellbeing, being hassled, and optimism/life experiences of nursing students in the first year of clinical courses of the baccalaureate degree program at the college of Nursing at Brigham Young University; and (2) to assess the stability of these perceptions through the end of the first academic semester.

Background: At the outset, nursing students are often unaware of the amount of work required to complete their nursing education.  The expectation for nurses entering the profession has grown substantially and concomitantly the demands upon the first year nursing student continue to grow.  Prospects of completing a rigorous program of study can become daunting.  The health, wellbeing, and psychological status of the student shape the student’s ability to complete their program of study and be prepared to care for patients.

Methods: After IRB approval, a convenience sample of first year nursing students was recruited for this descriptive pre-post study. Data were gathered during the first week and last week of the nursing school semester. Instruments used in this study included LOT-R, RUSHS, and SF-12.

Results: Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores on the LOT-R, most subscales of RUSHS, and physical health subscale of the SF-12 tools. This finding suggests first year nursing students were coping successfully during this semester of the program for the most part. Students did report increased frequency and severity of challenges from pretest to posttest on the time subscale of the RUSHS instrument and there was a statistically significant decrease in the mental health subscale of the SF-12, indicating students did experience some challenges during the course of the semester.

Implications:  Optimism is posited to play a role in adjustment in the work place.  Additional research is needed with nursing students who are further along in their education and those recently graduated to understand the role optimism plays as students’ transition into their nursing careers.