Earticle

Purpose: This study aimed to explore nursing students’ experiences of performing peripheral intravenous (IV) injections on human subjects through focus group interviews (FGIs), and to provide the foundational data for enhancing clinical skill education. Methods: Nineteen senior nursing students who had performed human-based IV injections within the previous six months participated in three FGIs. The data were collected using semi-structured questions and analyzed through Downe-Wamboldt’s content analysis. Research design was established using Guba and Lincoln’s criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Results: Six categories and 17 subcategories emerged. The categories were: (1) psychological reactions before practice (anxiety, reduced self-efficacy, learning motivation), (2) challenges and interactions during practice (tension, peer responsibility, success, feedback impact), (3) post-practice self-awareness and professional identity(confidence change, role recognition, vocational calling), (4) clinical competence and learning growth (skills and knowledge, problem-solving, communication), (5) experiences of failure and resilience (discouragement, coping strategies), and (6) learning environment and educational support(resources, guidance, collaborative learning). Students described both emotional distress and positive growth, highlighting the role of repeated practice and constructive feedback. Conclusion: Human-based IV practice fostered emotional adaptation, clinical competence, and professional identity in nursing students. Supportive feedback from instructors and peers, along with realistic training resources, enhanced confidence and resilience. These findings suggest that structured IV training programs reflecting actual clinical settings are essential for improving students’ performance and professionalism, and provide practical insights for nursing education.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the level of functional health patterns among university students and to identify the differences in eHealth literacy and health education needs. Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted with 420 students. The instruments included the Functional Health Pattern Screening Tool (based on Gordon’s framework), an eHealth literacy scale, and a health education needs questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and analysis of variance. Results: The mean score for functional health patterns was 3.02±0.38, and the mean eHealth literacy score was 3.84±0.59. Regarding health education needs, 'mental health' showed the highest demand. Functional health patterns were positively correlated with both eHealth literacy (r=.42, p<.01) and health education needs. Additionally, there were significant differences in both eHealth literacy and health education needs based on the functional health pattern scores. Conclusion: The study’s results confirm that health function - which encompasses readiness for health promotion, awareness, and health potential- is closely related to health information, that is, seeking abilities (eHealth literacy) and educational needs. The findings of this study can be utilized as the foundational data for developing health promotion education programs for university students. Furthermore, the Functional Health Pattern Assessment Screening Tool (FHPAST) was confirmed to be a useful theoretical framework for comprehensively assessing an individual's health status.

Purpose: During the university years, students encounter challenges such as academic achievement, career preparation, and changes in interpersonal relationships, and may be exposed to excessive stress in the process of overcoming these challenges. This study aims to analyze the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between positive stress perception, negative stress perception, and anxiety among university students. Methods: The study included 150 students from a single university, with the data conducted via questionnaire from May 28 to June 11, 2024. The data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The mediating effect was tested following the method proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986), and the significance of the mediating effect was confirmed through Sobel test. Results: The results showed that positive stress perception was positively correlated with resilience and negatively correlated with anxiety, while negative stress perception was negatively correlated with resilience and positively correlated with anxiety. Furthermore, resilience demonstrated a complete mediating effect in the relationship between positive stress perception and anxiety, and a partial mediating effect in the relationship between negative stress perception and anxiety. Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for anxiety reduction interventions that promote positive stress perceptions by strengthening resilience. Furthermore, the results suggest the need for anxiety reduction interventions that reduce negative stress perceptions and strengthen resilience, either alone or in combination.

Purpose: This study explored how newly appointed school nurses in South Korea responded and adapted during COVID-19 using a grounded theory. Methods: Seven newly appointed school nurses with under two years of experience and direct COVID-19 duties were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Three online focus group interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Results: A total of 86 concepts, 19 subcategories, and six categories emerged. The central phenomenon was “Being overwhelmed by COVID-19 workload as newly appointed school nurses.” Causal conditions involved confusion caused by COVID-19 striking like a disaster, while contextual conditions reflected structural vulnerability and organizational marginalization of newly appointed school nurses. Intervening conditions included supportive networks as well as non-supportive, uncooperative environment. Strategies consisted of adjusting and coordinating work, restructuring tasks for the disastrous situation, establishing cooperative systems, communicating with supervisors, and appropriately applying manuals. The consequences were twofold: participants developed confidence through struggle while simultaneously experiencing exhaustion and a sense of inadequacy. The process model showed that newly appointed school nurses first confronted chaos, then experienced overload, sought coping strategies, and eventually settled into their roles. The core category was “Coexistence of adaptation and growth in crisis.” Conclusion: Newly appointed school nurses assumed major pandemic responsibilities despite the limited support. Clear guidelines, structured training, and supportive school systems are essential to strengthen readiness for future crises.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of a hospital-based hand hygiene campaign conducted by nursing students on participants' infection control awareness and behavioral intention to change, and explored students' development of health education competencies through experiential learning. Methods: A convergent mixed methods design was used. The qualitative data were collected from 105 campaign participants (70.5% female) through evaluations of campaign content, operation, knowledge and awareness change, and behavioral intention using 5-point Likert scales. The data were obtained from semi-structured focus group interviews with 12 nursing students who conducted the campaign and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings were integrated through joint display analysis. Results: Participants reported high satisfaction across all evaluation items (scores≥4.0) and demonstrated strong behavioral intention to practice handwashing more frequently (4.54±0.64). Older adults aged ≥70 years showed relatively lower comprehension scores (4.29) compared to younger age groups, indicating the need for age-tailored educational strategies. Nursing students demonstrated significant growth in patient-centered communication, intergenerational communication, and practical problem-solving abilities. Integrated findings revealed alignment between students' communication strategies and participants' evaluations and highlighted the educational value of experiential learning in authentic settings. Conclusion: Hospital-based hand hygiene campaigns effectively enhance participants' infection control awareness and behavioral intentions while strengthening nursing students' competencies and professional identity as future health educators. Expanding field-based learning opportunities may support competency development essential for imparting effective school and community health education.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of lack of tolerance for uncertainty, career decision-making self-efficacy and job-seeking stress on job-seeking anxiety in nursing students. Methods: The data were collected using structured questionnaires from 160 nursing students at a university located in Seoul. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 30.0. Results: Lack of tolerance for uncertainty, career decisionmaking self-efficacy and job-seeking stress were statistically correlated with job-seeking anxiety. Job-seeking stress (β=.70, p<.001), career decision-making self-efficacy (β=-.16, p=.004), gender (β=.10, p=.028) had a significant effect on job-seeking anxiety. These factors explained 69.6% of job-seeking anxiety (F=50.82, p<.001). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to develop an educational program to improve career decision-making self-efficacy and to reduce job-seeking stress for nursing students to decrease to job-seeking anxiety.