There is always a critical shortage of nurses, especially competent nurses in the US. The shortage has escalated in the past years due to COVID-19 and population aging. To become nurses, students choose to complete an associate degree in nursing (ADN) from a community college and pass the NCLEX exam. Then, working as part-time RNs, they complete their RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) study, which opens their doors to numerous opportunities.
However, research studies have revealed that many nursing students experience significant challenges in professional writing, looking up and critiquing health-related research papers, understanding the meaning of data, and working on group writing projects. This is partly because, during their ADN study, they are not exposed to instructions about writing and data analytics. These challenges could last during their RN-BSN studies and even after students complete the program, eventually leading to poor clinical performance and patient care.
Research has shown that the use of workshops is an effective approach to enhance nursing students’ writing skills. We construct a professional writing and data analytics immersion Bootcamp to facilitate nursing students in developing essential writing, data analytics, and research skills before they begin their RN-BSN study. This Bootcamp is to be used as a focused, structured, extended orientation where we teach nursing students many practical skills needed for their study and work through faculty lectures, guest lectures, one-on-one mentorship, quizzes, and readings. This Bootcamp will lay a solid foundation for students’ success in their RN-BSN study and future careers.

Authors:
Steve Zhou, University of Houston Downtown, United States
Song Ge, University of Houston Downtown, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Steve Zhou is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University of Houston Downtown in United States

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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