Browsing by Author "Odetola, T. D."

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An Overview of Consultant Nursing Specialist in Clinical Practice
(West African College of Nursing, 2011) Adejumo, P. O.; Adejumo, A. O.; Ilesanmi, R. E.; Ofi, A. B.; Oluwatosin, O. A.; Okanlawon, F. A.; Oyetunde, M. O.; Odetola, T. D.; Ndikom, C. M.; Awonuga, O.; Ojewale, L. Y.
As most health care systems around the world are undergoing major restructuring, nurses in Nigeria are moving at a slow pace. However, a giant stride was taken and history was made when the first set of nurse consultants were appointed in University College Hospital, Nigeria. The establishment of this groundbreaking post will help develop our health services and provide clear development opportunities for nurses at a time when the success of modernization of our services and implementation of new ways of working relies so heavily on nursing staff. This paper provides an overview of the consultant nurse specialist in clinical practice. Recommendations for successful implementation in Nigeria were provided.
Facilitating professional mobile learning communities with instant messaging
(Elsevier, 2019) Pimmer, C.; Brühlmann, F.; Odetola, T. D.; Dipeolu, O.; Oluwasola, D. O.; Ajuwon, A. J
Although Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) is a massive communication phenomenon and its educational use can be seen as a genuine form of mobile learning, it has been studied to a limited extent to date. The present study examined the use of MIM to engage young professionals in mobile learning communities during their school-to-work transition. This transition is one of the most central but also challenging developmental phases marked by the experience of knowledge gaps and a lack of belonging. To assess knowledge and socio-professional learning effects associated with the use of MIM, this study adopted a quasi-experimental, survey-based approach with an intervention and control condition (n=114) in the setting of an international research project. In the intervention condition, newly graduated nurses from Nigeria participated in WhatsApp groups in which moderators shared knowledge and stimulated professional discussions over a period of 6 months. Data were collected via online surveys and knowledge tests. The findings show that participants in the moderated WhatsApp groups had significantly higher knowledge and exhibited fewer feelings of professional isolation compared with the control group, which was not subject of any treatment. The effects were even more pronounced when controlling for active contributions (writing vs reading messages), which also amounted to significantly higher levels of professional identification. In addition, across intervention and control groups, the self-reported general active use of WhatsApp (outside of the intervention) was positively associated with the measures of professional social capital maintained with school connections, professional identity, (lower) professional isolation, job satisfaction, and the perceived transfer of school knowledge to work practice. Whereas knowledge and socio-professional effects can be triggered through moderated WhatsApp interventions yet the general (and thus informal) use of WhatsApp is associated with socio-professional connectedness. The findings are of particular relevance in the developing context under investigation, which is marked by a lack of alternative support structures.
Instant messaging and nursing students' clinical learning experience.
(Elsevier, 2018) Pimmer, C.; Brühlmann, F.; Odetola, T. D.; Dipeolu, O.; Gröhbiel, U.; Ajuwon, A. J.
Background: Although learning in clinical settings is a key element of nursing education, for many learners these are challenging developmental contexts often marked by isolation and a lack of belongingness. Despite the massive appropriation of mobile instant messaging (MIM) platforms and the connective properties attendant to them, very little is known about their role in and impact on nursing students' clinical learning experiences. Approach and Methods: To address this gap, the study, which was part of a multinational research project on the use of mobile social media in health professions education in developing countries, examined the use of the instant messaging platform WhatsApp by nursing students during placements and potential associations with socio-professional indicators. The survey involved a total number of 196 nursing students from 5 schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. Results: The findings suggest that students used WhatsApp relatively frequently and they perceived that this platform strongly enhanced their communication with other students and nurses. WhatsApp use during placements was positively associated with students' maintained social capital with peer students, the development of a professional identity, placement satisfaction and with reduced feelings of isolation from professional communities. The determinants that influenced WhatsApp use during placements were perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. No associations were found between WhatsApp use during placement and age, attitude, subjective norms and placement duration. Conclusion: This study is one of the first of its kind that points to the relevance of mobile instant messaging as part of nursing students' (inter)personal learning environments in clinical settings and, particularly, in the development setting under investigation. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings, to enhance the understanding of the impact mechanisms, and to evaluate a more systematic use of MIM in clinical learning contexts.
Theory-practice gap: The experience of Nigerian nursing students.
(Unisa Press (University of South Africa Press), 2018) Odetola, T. D.; Oluwasola, O.; Pimmer, C.; Dipeolu, I. O.; Akande, S. O.; Olaleye, O. S.; Gröhbiel, U.; Ajuwon, A. J.
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.
WhatsApp for mobile learning. Effects on knowledge, resilience and isolation in the school-to-work transition.
(Elsevier, 2021) Pimmer, C.; Brühlmann, F.; Odetola, T. D.; Dipeolu, O.,; Oluwasola, O.,; Jäger, J.,; Ajuwon, A. J.
This study investigated the use of instant messaging in the school-to-work transition, a crucial stage of learning and development. Newly graduated health professionals (n =235) participated either in WhatsApp groups in which moderators shared knowledge and facilitated professional discussions or in the control group. 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 acquisition 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.