2021, Pimmer, Christoph, Brühlmann, Florian, Odetola, Titilayo Dorothy, Dipeolu, Oluwafemi, Oluwasola, Olusola, Jäger, Janine, Ajuwon, Ademola Johnson

This experimental study investigated the use of instant messaging in the school-to-work transi-tion, a crucial stage of learning and development. Newly graduated health professionals (n=235) participated in WhatsApp groups in which moderators shared knowledge and stimulated professional discussions. The results show that participants in the WhatsApp groups had markedly higher levels of knowledge, greater resilience as well as lower levels of professional isolation– in comparison with the control group. They also reported less stress when searching for a new job These findings are affirmed by the qualitative analysis of open survey questions: knowledge ac-quisition emerged as the main benefit followed by connectedness and professional informational benefits. A further interesting result is that the general, day-to-day use of WhatsApp outside of the intervention was linked to higher levels of resilience. Another finding is that although the actual (measured) and self-reported frequency of participation in the WhatsApp groups correlated highly, these measures did not predict the outcome variables in the regression analysis. This observation questions the frequency of participation as a proxy for the success of engagement.

2018, Pimmer, Christoph, Brühlmann, Florian, Odetola, Titilayo Dorothy, Dipeolu, Oluwafemi, Gröhbiel, Urs, Ajuwon, Ademola J.

2019-01, Pimmer, Christoph, Brühlmann, Florian, Odetola, Titilayo Dorothy, Oluwasola, Deborah Olusola, Dipeolu, Oluwafemi, Ajuwon, Ademola Johnson

2018, Odetola, Titilayo Dorothy, Oluwasola, Olusola, Pimmer, Christoph, Dipeolu, Oluwafemi, Akande, Samson Oluwayemi, Olaleye, Oladipupo Samuel, Gröhbiel, Urs, Ajuwon, Ademola Johnson

The “disconnect” between the body of knowledge acquired in classroom settings and the application of this knowledge in clinical practice is one of the main reasons for professional fear, anxiety and feelings of incompetence among freshly graduated nurses. While the phenomenon of the theory-to-practice gap has been researched quite extensively in high-income country settings much less is known about nursing students’ experiences in a developing country context. To rectify this shortcoming, the qualitative study investigated the experiences of nursing students in their attempt to apply what they learn in classrooms in clinical learning contexts in seven sites in Nigeria. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data gained from eight focus group discussions (n=80) with the students. The findings reveal a multifaceted theory-practice gap which plays out along four tensions: (1)procedural, i.e. the difference between practices from education institutions and the ones enacted in clinical wards – and contradictions that emerge even within one clinical setting; (2)political, i.e. conflicts that arise between students and clinical staff, especially personnel with a lower qualification profile than the degree that students pursue; (3)material, i.e. the disconnect between contemporary instruments and equipment available in schools and the lack thereof in clinical settings; and (4)temporal, i.e. restricted opportunities for supervised practice owing to time constraints in clinical settings in which education tends to be undervalued. Many of these aspects are linked to and aggravated by infrastructural limitations, which are typical for the setting of a developing country. Nursing students need to be prepared regarding how to deal with the identified procedural, political, material and temporal tensions before and while being immersed in clinical practice, and, in so doing, they need to be supported by educationally better qualified clinical staff.