Description

Nurses are challenged with many stressful and complex situations during their work, influencing their professional quality of life. University nursing students face many challenges and stressors due to their academic life because of their heavy academic and non-academic demands. They are expected to do well in both theoretical and clinical courses. In clinical courses, student nurses are expected to work with patients and their families while applying content/skills learned within the practice setting in addition to the elements associated with the role of the nurse; which may cause exhaustion, burnout, and stress. Nursing students are still developing their skills to meet the professional needs of their roles. Therefore, they may have difficulty coping with high professional demands, which may lead to the development of burnout and stress.

Traumatic Stress

Alternatively, dealing with and helping patients and their families during clinical training may decrease the levels of burnout and stress because nursing students may feel satisfied and relaxed while helping patients and providing care. Nursing students may also feel a sense of meaning in their work while delivering quality care. Consequently, these feelings enhance Compassion Satisfaction (CS) and reduce feelings of Burnout (BO) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS).

This is a cross-sectional online survey using the 31-item Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory, IBM SPSS version 27, and item-analysis. A total of 245 nursing students participated in the study; 75% reported that they had not completed any geneticsgenomics courses. The GNCI scores ranged from 2 to 31 total correct answers out of a total possible score of 31. The GNCI mean score of the Finnish cohort was significantly lower compared to the Filipino cohort. These results show that the genomics literacy of nursing students in Finland and the Philippines is weak, particularly in human genome homogeneity and genotype-phenotype association concepts. We recommend designing effective genetic and genomic educational programs and updating the nursing curricula.

Professional quality of life is described as the quality with which a caregiver feels about their work as a helper, either in positive or negative feelings. Low ProQoL among nursing students lead to increase in the levels of intention to leave nursing, diminished in their ability to help and take care of others, and inflicted negative physical and psychological consequences on their health. Therefore, enhancing proper ProQoL is so crucial for nursing students before entering into professional life. ProQoL consists of CS, BO, and STS. Compassion satisfaction is defined as "the pleasure that a helper gets from doing one's job well, and the ability to contribute to the wellbeing of others". Compassion satisfaction serves as a protective factor for both BO and STS.

Helpers or workers who have high levels of CS show the following signs and symptoms: feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, well-being, and control of situations. Burnout is related to the helper's feeling of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with work or doing their job effectively. Helpers or workers with high BO levels showed the following signs and symptoms: exhaustion, fatigue, frustration, anger, physical manifestations, irritability, and intent to quit the job. Secondary Traumatic Stress results from the exposure of helpers or workers to the suffering of others who are experiencing stressful events. However, nursing students have limited exposure to these stressors during their clinical training. Nursing students may develop trauma because of additional nursing school stressors such as power-based violence, faculty incivility, and/or the stressors of learning critical information in high-risk and highstakes testing and skills check-off. Helpers or workers with high STS levels showed the following manifestations: pain, sleep disturbances, intrusive images, and avoidance of reminiscences of stressful events.

Compassion Satisfaction

In addition to those studies that measure ProQoL among nurses, some studies assess the CS, BO, and STS among nonnursing disciplines such as veterinary medicine, social work, and midwifery students. The midwives' students' CS, BO, and STS levels were 41.6, 21.8, and 22.9, respectively. However, very few studies assess CS, BO, and STS levels among student nurses. For example, among South African nursing students, Mason found that CS, BO, and STS were 41.6, 18.5, and 19.9, respectively. Also, another study reported that CS, BO, and STS levels were 39.8, 21.0, and 23.3, respectively. A recent study found that CS, BO, and STS levels were 39.44, 29.85, and 23.96, respectively. Regarding low, moderate (average), and high percentages for CS, BO, and STS using the professional quality of life questionnaire, most studies reported that the highest prevalence was found in the moderate (average) category. Worldwide, several studies explored the levels and predictors of ProQoL among nurses.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the accrediting body for four-year nursing institutions in the United States that outlines expectations for multiple levels of the nursing curriculum. The new AACN is a document that outlines a competency-based framework for entry-level nursing education. This document includes domains, competencies, and subcompetencies that organize the framework of purposeful goals for AACN-accredited nursing programs. Competency-based education has been implemented in multiple countries since the 1980s, yet it is a new concept for nursing programs in the United States. This curriculum framework provides clear expectations for learners, produces competent new graduates, and provides standardization for meeting professional standards. Multiple disciplines utilize a competency-based framework, including dentistry, family medicine, and advanced practice nursing