Based on Zeidner (2017), some recommendations for potential emotional intelligence training within nurse education are discussed in the following section.
1) Pre-planning is vital, particularly in already theoretically heavy nursing curricula. Existing educational resources could be modified to incorporated simulation inclusive of emotion management. From the results of study two, communication, caring and reality shock, managing emotional demands and emotional suppression were key themes that may be considered for inclusion in an emotional intelligence development program. For example; end-of-life care was considered by some students as particularly stressful. Therefore preplacement training is recommended for end-of-life care and this could be achieved by simulated case scenario
(Alconero-Camarero et al., 2018; Jack, 2012; Parry, 2011; Rees et al., 2015). 2) Zeidner (2017) suggested that an emotional intelligence intervention should include
a needs-based assessment and while this may be relevant in some applications, the necessity for equitable opportunity for all students within a nurse education program would preclude this. Therefore, the emotional intelligence development would need to be a compulsory component for all enrolled students. Also, the
aspect of pre-testing emotional intelligence levels has yet to be confirmed as a valid method of highlighting potential students at risk of emotional distress. Research
studies have so far demonstrated little support for pre-program testing in healthcare students (Cook, Cook, & Hilton, 2016).
3) It is essential that learning outcomes for the emotional intelligence training
interventions are mapped to both the nursing curriculum, behavioural assessment items based on clinical competency and professional competency standards to ensure that the training is relevant and guided by sound educational principles. Within nursing curricula, the underlying choice of ability emotional intelligence or mixed model emotional intelligence would also vary depending on the preference of the instructors. In this regard, Mattingly and Kraiger (2018) suggested that there may be no difference in outcomes of training based on ability emotional intelligence or mixed model emotional intelligence. They noted that mixed model emotional intelligence may have outcomes for positive coping – this finding supported other research on workplace performance and well-being (Mikolajczak et al., 2007; Petrides & Furnham, 2003).
4) Creation of learning activities needs to be designed with the learning outcomes that are specific in terms of the emotional intelligence element and include strategies to decrease the risk of emotions focused coping, a factor known to reduce
compassion (Cohen, 1980). Design of emotional intelligence training activities would need to include specific actions targeting emotion regulation skills, and these could include reflective writing, group discussion, one on one performance feedback and reflection on actions to better manage emotions where necessary (Choi et al., 2015; Harrison & Fopma-Loy, 2010; Szeles, 2015). For example, discussion groups may be formed for each of the groupings based on emotional intelligence levels. Following each clinical placement as part of a tutorial activity the groups could discuss their experiences of affective events with their peers.
As Zeidner (2017) noted, it is important that the emotional intelligence development is incorporated into normal teaching and learning activities rather than a separate activity. Similarly, environmental awareness, conflict management, mediation and other situations leading to an affective event could be raised in a safer simulated environment (Chan et al., 2014; Cheng, 2015). Pre-placement training conducted in this manner as experiential learning may assist in earlier development of emotion regulation ability and a reduction in emotional distress.
9.5 Limitations of the Research
The role of emotion and emotional intelligence in organisational behaviour is well
recognised, but empirical research investigating the role of emotional intelligence in nurse education is relatively recent. Despite ongoing controversy surrounding the theoretical foundations of emotional intelligence, the last decade has seen a surge of published works on the relevance of emotional intelligence within nursing education. The findings from this study are from one Australian university and employ a small sized sample, not selected at random. The nursing students who chose to participate may have been more highly motivated to understand how managing emotional engagement during patient care
contributed to their learning. Further, the participants undertook clinical placement on two days each week, which allowed them time to recover following an emotional experience. If students who completed a block placement for five (5) days per week over four (4) weeks, the results may have been different. Additionally, this sample used a problem-based learning pedagogy which does seek to develop critical thinking skills early in the Bachelor of Nursing program. A longitudinal research design following nursing students through their courses may generate a more comprehensive picture of the effects of emotional engagement and the strategies used by individuals to ameliorate the risk of emotional distress and whether those strategies change or develop over time.
Regular journal entries that can be completed over several weeks may also provide greater insight and may avoid memory recall bias. Other research has identified that talking about an affective event is likely to reveal more emotion that writing about it. In this respect I would recommend that a component of emotional intelligence training could include discussion group activity during tutorials. As Kahn et al. (2007) noted, the emotion modulation process takes longer when writing and the emotional tone may be removed during the writing process. Despite these limitations, there is evidence that writing about an emotional event can benefit well-being. The goals of this study were to examine the presence of positive and negative emotion words rather than measure absolute levels of emotional expression. It found no differences between groups, in that levels of emotion words used across all variables were similar. Nursing as a career choice may also explain the lack of difference. As indicated earlier, the emotional intelligence level across the sample was in the average range, which could be expected in students who choose nursing as a career.
There was a significant lack of response from students regarding demographic information which led to missing data. This may have been overcome by allowing classroom time for the survey to be completed and returned in hard copy to the researcher. Additionally, on- campus availability of computer laboratories may have resulted in higher return rates. Thus, in future, studies adopting time-consuming, emotional intelligence measures require careful consideration to avoid overload for participants.