Aim/Objective: To explore the journeys of First Nations students undertaking nursing studies, to identify university level factors contributing to culturally safe experiences and highlighting strengths, enablers, gaps and barriers that impact upon study program continuation and completion. Additionally, to explore staff experiences of supporting First Nation students within the tertiary setting and identify unmet cultural safety training needs. With these insights we then worked collaboratively with First Nations students to co-create recommendations to address these gaps and needs.
Methods: This collaborative research project brought together nursing academics and First Nations student participants. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining student study journey mapping, a staff experience survey and the analysis of quantitative enrolment, discontinuation and course completion data. This combined analysis allowed us to identify themes and trends that were indicative of study journey trajectory/outcome and staff training needs.
Results: We identified critical touch points within the student study journey that were indicative of outcome; highlighting those that were associated with a positive trajectory and others where the implementation of specific and structured support were required. Yet, significant gaps remain in support availability and staff training and development needs. In response to these, student led recommendations for improvement were co-developed.
Conclusion: Consistent, comprehensive and structured support across the study journey is critical for ensuring that First Nations nursing students are most likely to not only complete their program but thrive throughout their study journey. As opposed to the implementation of reactive support once students are facing challenges; this is too late, which likely negatively impacts the student’s trajectory for success. In order to achieve this, tertiary institutions must equip their staff with the appropriate services, tools and training. Doing so may help ensure improved recruitment and retention of First Nations nursing students and increased workforce representation.

Aim/Objective: This study aimed to investigate factors influencing students’ satisfaction with aged care placements. Providing positive clinical experience in aged care is crucial for nursing students to learn safe quality care and foster a sustainable workforce.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, responses related to aged care settings were obtained from the National Placement Evaluation Centre's national survey. Using multinomial logistic regression, demographics, academic, placement characteristics and placement quality were investigated in relation to students' overall satisfaction.
Results: A total of 1179 responses were extracted to analyse students’ aged care placement experience. Students reported satisfaction with their clinical placement, with a mean score of 7.7 (SD=2.2). While most of the students had a positive experience, achieving their learning objectives (85.9%), they reported limited opportunity to interact with the multidisciplinary team (74.6%). Further, students reported a relatively negative experience with staff, such as willingness to work with students (76.9%) and being a positive role model (76.7%). Higher year enrolment (2nd and final year), domestic enrolment, and lower scores on clinical environment and learning support contributed to lower student satisfaction whereas facility clinical educators providing supervision and higher scores in clinical placement quality were positively associated with increased student satisfaction.
Conclusion: Despite students’ overall satisfaction with aged care placements, it is clear there are areas for improvement and a need to develop a structured approach to enhance aged care clinical experiences, including the progressive development of learning objectives and career preparation and increasing participation in interprofessional collaboration. It is important to foster the aged care profession through education and training to create a positive learning environment. More importantly, education providers and aged care facilities should enhance supervision quality by developing standardised training programs and securing sufficient supervisors in aged care placements.
Keywords: Clinical placement, aged care, student satisfaction.

This research explores the often-overlooked realm of supervision within coursework master degrees, specifically focusing on the research component inherent in advancing registered nurses' expertise. While extensive attention has been given to doctoral research supervision in the literature, there remains a significant international gap in managing the minor thesis component within master degrees. Despite the integration of research elements into master's courses, there exists a dearth of attention on effective supervision strategies, a crucial aspect in nurturing advanced nursing practice.
Amidst the prevalence of hybrid master's degrees offered by most of the universities affiliated with the Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery (CDNM), there is an evident need to comprehend these programs and the pivotal role of supervision for educational and developmental purposes. Understanding these degrees is vital for future innovation and progression within the field.
Our research contributes new insights into how experienced nursing supervisors deliver quality research supervision in these degrees. A qualitative descriptive study, experienced nurse academics (n=28) from 18 universities affiliated with the CDNM were interviewed. Participants shared rich insights about what is needed to achieve quality research supervision and thesis outcomes. In this presentation, the researchers report three characteristics essential for quality research supervision in hybrid coursework master degrees. These are the supervisory practices of: establishing a robust research and supervisory framework; proactively using supervisory skills to lead and drive for student and project success; and attending to personalised and nuanced aspects of supervision to fostering student development and success.
These findings contribute significantly to new understanding of supervising minor theses at master level and provide a valuable foundation for developing supervisory practices. Ultimately, this research enhances the educational experience within coursework nursing master's degree programs, paving the way for the advancement and optimisation of supervision strategies, thus promoting higher-quality nursing education and practice.

Aim: To examine the impact of mandated Early Warning Systems (EWS) on the development of registered nurses’ higher-order thinking.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). CINAHL, Medline, Embase, PyscInfo were scrutinised according to strict eligibility criteria, returning 315 results. Following initial screening, the remaining articles were appraised for quality, resulting in the inclusion of eleven studies. All five authors were involved in data extraction and analysis.
Results: EWS has both supportive and suppressive impacts on the development of nurses' higher-order thinking. The EWS supports higher-order thinking by validating nurses' subjective clinical assessments of patients and by offering a justification for escalating care. However, experienced nurses believe that development of junior nurses’ higher-order thinking may be hindered due to overreliance on EWS.
Conclusion: EWS play a crucial role in the identification of clinical deterioration in hospitalized patients. However, the impact of EWS on the development of nurses' higher-order thinking has not been extensively studied. Our findings indicate EWS have both supportive and suppressive effects on nurses' higher-order thinking. When serving as a supportive factor, EWS reinforce the development of nurses' heuristics, which are mental shortcuts that experienced clinicians rely on when interpreting their subjective clinical assessments of patients. However, EWS also have suppressive effects on higher-order thinking, impeding the development of nurses' higher-order thinking and heuristics. This limitation restricts the nurses' ability to build a muscle memory of similar patient presentations they may encounter in the future. It's crucial for clinicians to refine and expand their repertoire of heuristics, as this enables them to ensure the safe and effective care of patients who exhibit similar physiological signs and symptoms in the future. This builds on registered nurses clinical reasoning and HOT which are essential for safe care.

Aim/Objective: Perioperative hypothermia poses a significant economic burden on the Australian healthcare system, costing over 1.2 billion AUD annually. Despite a wealth of guidance and evidence available to inform best practices in perioperative temperature management, including the ACORN standards, high rates of perioperative hypothermia persist. The aim of this review was to assess barriers and facilitators to the implementation of guidelines for the prevention of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in orthopaedic patients. This presentation aligns with the theme of 'Uniting and Igniting' by addressing the collective efforts required to propel us towards a future where patients no longer suffer the adverse outcomes associated with perioperative heat loss.
Methods: This systematic review included primary studies published in English between January 2008 to July 2022. Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were completed independently by researchers. Data were extracted using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and mapped to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change strategies.
Results: Eighty-seven studies were included in the review. The most frequently reported barriers related to evidence strength, relative advantage, and cost of implementing perioperative hypothermia prevention guidelines. The top four strategies were: Identify and prepare champions; conduct educational meetings; assess for readiness and identify barriers and facilitators; and inform local opinion leaders.
Conclusion: This review provides synthesised evidence regarding barriers and facilitators to perioperative hypothermia guidelines for patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery. This knowledge contributes to the ongoing dialogue and commitment to overcome the challenges and achieve success in perioperative hypothermia prevention.
Keywords: Perioperative hypothermia, Barriers, patient safety, orthopaedic.

The Aspiring Deans Leadership and Development Program (ADLP) is an initiative of the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (Australian & New Zealand) (CDNM) designed to promote academic nursing and midwifery leadership as a career and to develop these workforces. The CDNM has requested an evaluation to inform future program development. Academic leadership in nursing and midwifery is integral to addressing global workforce challenges. With the profession's continuous growth, establishing robust succession plans is imperative to develop opportunities for nurturing and cultivating future leaders. Succession planning is an intentional process focused on mentorship, and increasing leadership preparedness, and aims to protect against future faculty staffing crises. Through formal mentorship programmes, faculty receive structured guidance and support mitigating the risk of premature departure among future nursing and midwifery leaders.
The evaluation project aims to assess the quality, impact, and key success factors of the CDNM ADLP.
A process evaluation methodology using a 7-step evaluation framework, including a logic model will be used. Data will be collected via a review of program documents and interviews with stakeholders including mentors, mentees, managers, Deans/Heads of Schools and the executive coach. A general inductive analytical approach will be used. A sense-making workshop with key stakeholders will be undertaken to discuss and reflect on the evaluation results and to develop ideas for future programs.
Results will be informed by 5 key evaluation questions: ‘How relevant was the design’, ‘The impact of the design on mentees, mentors and Deans/Heads of School’, ‘What were the highlights and success factors of the program’, ‘What challenges were experienced during the program’, and ‘What would improve the experience and outcomes’. This evaluation will identify if the Aspiring Deans Leadership Program met or exceeded all expectations.
The findings will highlight critical success factors and areas for improvement; thus, informing the future Aspiring Deans Leadership Development Program Development.
Keywords: Mentorship, Leadership, academia OR faculty, succession planning.

Aim/Objective: Evidence suggests participation in a single sim-IPE session within an interprofessional team has benefits in terms of attitudes towards interprofessional learning, improving student engagement and enhancing professional identity. We aimed to run a series of simulations over one day involving undergraduates in nursing, midwifery, paramedicine, and medicine.
Methods: A mixed methods approach was undertaken using a survey and body language analysis.
Results: Following the simulation, 75% students (n=12), reported being to a very great extent/great extent/fairly great extent comfortable engaging in shared decision making with the patient and gained an appreciation for the benefits of interprofessional teamwork. A third of the cohort reported feeling, to a moderate extent, able to describe their professional role or identifying preconceived ideas about roles. Pre and Post test scores related to interdisciplinary practice improved across the factors of teamwork, collaborative practice and patient outcomes related to collaborative practice.
Conclusion: The greatest improvement noted in post-test scores was in the factor of collaborative practice.
Keywords: collaborative practice, interprofessional education, simulation for learning.

For Nursing and Midwifery students, clinical placements are an integral part of entry-to-practice programs. This project aims to gain insight into student experiences using clinical learning tools, which can support them in successfully completing their clinical placement.
Nursing and Midwifery students who are struggling with their technical and non-technical skills in nursing and midwifery may find it more difficult to successfully complete their clinical placement due to lack of preparedness. Students usually do not know they are unprepared until they are asked to 'perform' in the clinical arena.
At Victoria University (VU), Nursing and Midwifery academics have collaborated in a research project to determine whether clinical learning tools enable better outcomes for nursing and midwifery students in preparing them for the real-world.
This presentation outlines an innovative and supportive learning process developed by VU Nursing and Midwifery academics, to support students who face challenges in applying theoretical knowledge, technical and non-technical skills to the provision of person and woman – centred care during clinical placement.
The clinical learning tools — a Plan for Professional Practice (PoPP) and Action Plan of Professional Practice (APPP), will be evaluated for impact on student outcomes, unit pass grades, course progression and timely course completion. These tools have been designed to accompany student learning and development in preparation for clinical practice experience, especially when there has been a prolonged gap between clinical practice experience and/or unsuccessful completion of placement.
This research project is currently investigating nursing and midwifery students who are part of the supported learning process, and is due to be completed in 2024.

Aim: To develop a contemporary operational definition of Clinical Judgement in nursing.
Method: Rodgers’ evolutionary method of concept analysis. Throughout the study, the authors followed the SRQR checklist.
Results: Clinical Judgement in nursing is a complex process and can impact patient safety. Three themes were identified as precursors to clinical judgement transpiring. The three themes are classified as knowing your subject, knowing your situation, and knowing the nursing process. Decision-making was the primary consequence of clinical judgement. This concept analysis guided the development of an operational definition of clinical judgement, within the context of nursing, articulated as: Clinical judgement is a reflective and reasoning process that draws upon all available data, is informed by an extensive knowledge base, and results in the formation of a clinical conclusion.
Conclusions: The purpose of this concept analysis was to propose a detailed definition of clinical judgement in nursing, that reflected its theoretical base within today’s contemporary health care system. Using Rodgers’ evolutionary method of concept analysis, surrogate terms, attributes, antecedents, and consequences were identified, and a contemporary definition was developed. This concept analysis provides an explanatory and descriptive statement of clinical judgement in nursing that helps clarify meaning and gives direction for future research, education, and clinical application.

This presentation delves into an innovative simulated learning experience undertaken by the University of Waikato undergraduate nursing students to prepare them for the world of community nursing. Rooted in the University's unique graduate profile and a comprehensive approach to community care, the simulation integrates various nursing activities, emphasising safety, person-centred care, and effective communication.
Over the course of two weeks the simulation encompasses a theoretical component (2hrs) followed by a practical session (2hrs). Students conduct a thorough risk assessment, identifying potential hazards in a home environment, seamlessly integrating practical elements like safe parking, receiving and deciphering referrals. The simulation emphasises understanding individual requirements in a community setting and tailoring care effectively.
A distinctive feature is the use of multimedia tools. Students record handovers via video, fostering reflective practice for self-assessment and improvement. The simulation encourages autonomous decision-making, mirroring the role of a community nurse, using QR codes and personal phones for content access. Projectors display environment-appropriate videos during the theoretical component, connecting theory to real-world applications in the wider community, Community Nursing office, and home settings.
The initiative includes a hands-on wound-care segment, allowing students to practice skills in a controlled environment. Multimedia extends to virtual house tours, familiarising students with diverse home environments. Developed in consultation with Pukenga Matua Nursing staff, the experience incorporates correct Te Reo kupu and a Māori worldview, aligning with the ethos of the University's Nursing program.
This simulated learning experience not only enhances technical skills but also allows the students the space to demonstrate effective communication and documentation. Through video handovers that highlight the ‘three C’s’: connection, concerns, and care, and the virtual home tours, the initiative prepares students for dynamic challenges they may face in their placements or future careers within the Community setting. It aims to equip a generation of nursing professionals to better care for health consumers and whānau across the care continuum.

In recent years it has emerged that ‘second victim’ trauma (also known as ‘bystander’, or ‘vicarious’ trauma) can occur in witnesses to childbirth events in which the wellbeing or life of the woman and/or baby have been in danger. The effects on health professional second victims, including midwives and midwifery students, are sobering: they include diminished professional confidence, errors in judgment, development of dysfunctional coping mechanisms, disruption of co-worker relationships, compassion fatigue, taking time away from or considering leaving their profession, and reduced decision-making capacity. In previous research, midwifery students have identified that the opportunity to talk about and reflect on an upsetting practice incident would be helpful in this situation.
The aim of this project was to explore the desirability among, and feasibility for, midwifery students to use an adapted version of a counselling intervention that was developed in 2005 by an Australian midwife academic; the purpose of the adapted intervention is for midwifery students to assist peers who have experienced midwifery practice-related second victim trauma during practice experience placements to integrate and transition the experience. The original intervention proved effective for use with women whose birth experience was upsetting, and offers a step wise approach. For this project, midwifery students assisted with adapting the intervention, informed our understanding of its feasibility, and co-designed the first iteration of an implementation plan.
The outcome of the project is that we now have confirmation of the intervention's appeal, a modified version of the original counselling intervention that is 'end user approved', and clear understanding about the considerations that must inform and support the application of the intervention in practice.
The knowledge produced from this project will be directly relevant to higher education providers that offer pre-registration midwifery degree, and of interest to other public-facing health care disciplines, particularly those whose members work in acute settings, for example nursing and paramedicine.