The Integrative Review: A Threshold Concept for Graduate Entry to Nursing Students
Authors: Mowat Rebecca , Winnington Rhona , Cook Catherine 
Published: December 2023

This discussion addresses challenges for Graduate Entry Nursing students in undertaking integrative reviews. These novice researchers make two simultaneous identity shifts, in developing a nursing identity and being required to construct an identity as a scholarly researcher. For novices, the integrative review is a threshold crossing that is optimally traversed with supervisory critical companionship to enable success. This discursive article is drawn from three academics’ experiences of student supervision and collegial mentoring in a Graduate Entry Nursing programme. We provide a critical reflection on integrating empirical learning along with the extant literature pertaining to integrative reviews. Additionally, the notion of threshold concepts is incorporated to foreground common pitfalls experienced and their remedies. Undertaking an integrative review plays a significant role in transitioning Graduate Entry Nursing students into comprehending the importance of situating nursing care in evidence-based practice. Supervising Graduate Entry Nursing students undertaking integrative reviews may appear straightforward to follow clearly described steps. However, for novice researchers there are common pitfalls at each stage. Students require supervisory oversight to ensure rigour and internal consistency throughout the project. This article signposts common pitfalls for novice researchers and conceptual and methodological ‘red flags’ for supervisors to heed early to ensure projects are rigorous and publishable. Graduate Entry to Nursing students’ supervision experience is enhanced when there is supervisory cognisance of integrative reviews as a threshold crossing. For students, a nursing identity incorporating a researcher identity is invaluable for enhancing evidence-informed practice. We recommend that supervisors become familiar with the concept of threshold concepts to guide their supervisory practice with Graduate Entry to Nursing. This article highlights that these students are simultaneously growing a nursing identity; coming to appreciate the role of evidence-based practice in nursing; and developing a scholarly researcher identity. These shifts occur more readily when supervisors are transparent with students about these processes. Te reo Māori translation Te arotake tōpū: He ariā pae whakapakari mō te Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae mō ngā Ākonga Tapuhi Ngā Ariā Matua Ka whakawhiti whakaaro tēnei tuhinga mō ngā pīkauranga o te Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae mō ngā Ākonga Tapuhi e kawe nei i ngā arotake tōpū. Ka rua rawa whakaahuatanga tuakiri hou mā ēnei kairangahau tauhou i te wā kotahi, tuatahi, ko tō rātou tuakiri hou hei tapuhi, tuarua ko te tuakiri kairangahau ruku kōrero hōhonu. Mō te hunga tauhou, ko tēnei mea te arotake tōpū he whakawhitinga pae whakapakari nui, tōna tikanga pai rawa kia noho anō te kaiarataki arohaehae i tōna taha, kia ekea ngā taumata e tika ana. I takea mai tēnei tuhinga arowhānui i ngā wheako o ētahi mātanga mātauranga mō te arataki ākonga, me te ako pono ā-rōpū ākonga, i tētahi hōtaka Tapuhi Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae. Ka horaina e mātou tētahi huritao arohaehae mō te akoranga aromātai i te taha o ngā tuhinga o tau kē e pā ana ki ngā arotake tōpū. Waihoki, kua tuia ki roto te ariā o ngā pae whakapakari, hei tāpae i ētahi o ngā maioro e kitea nuitia ana, me ngā rongoā i te taha. He wāhi hira tō te kawe i tētahi arotake tōpū i roto i te mahi whakawhiti i ngā ākonga Tapuhi Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae e mārama ai rātou ki te hira o te whakanoho i te taurimatanga tapuhi ki roto i ngā tikanga mahi nā te taunakitanga i tautoko. He ngāwari noa te arataki i ngā ākonga tapuhi Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae e kawe nei i ngā arotake tōpū, ki te whāia e rātou ētahi hipanga i āta whakamāramatia. Ahakoa, he pāhekeheketanga i ia pekanga o te ara mō ngā kairangahau tauhou. Me mātua noho mai hei kaiarataki tohutohu i te ākonga, kia noho mai he tikanga pakari, kia ōrite tonu hoki ngā whakaritenga puta noa i te roa o te kaupapa. Tā tēnei tuhinga he tūtohu i ngā maioro e tūpono nuitia ana e ngā kairangahau tauhou, me ngā ‘tohu whero’ ā-ariā, ā-ritenga mahi hoki mā ngā kaiarataki, hei aronga wawe, kia pakari ai ngā kaupapa, kia taea hoki te whakaputa kōrero ki te ao mātauranga. Ka whakapikia ngā wheako arataki o ngā ākonga Tomokanga Tapuhi Kiriwhakapōtae ina noho mārama ngā kaiarataki ki te arotake tōpū hei whakawhitinga pae whakapakari. Mō ngā ākonga, kāore i tua atu i tētahi tuakiri tapuhi, kei roto nei tētahi tuakiri kairangahau, hei whakapiki i ngā tikanga mahi nā te taunakitanga i tautoko. E tūtohu ana mātou kia tahuri ngā kaiarataki kia mārama ki te ariā o ngā pae whakapakari hei ārahi i ā rātou tikanga arataki mō te Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae ki te Mahi Tapuhi. Ka whakatairangatia i konei te mahi a ēnei ākonga ki te whakatupu tuakiri tapuhi; e tupu ana tō rātou mārama ki ngā tikanga mahi nā ngā taunakitanga i tautoko i roto i ngā mahi tapuhi; ā, i taua wā tonu e tupu tonu ana anō hoki tētahi tuakiri kairangahau mō rātou. Ka kitea wawetia ēnei huringa ina kōrero hāngai tonu ngā kaiarataki ki ngā ākonga mō ēnei hātepe. Ngā kupu matua: Tomokanga Kiriwhakapōtae mō ngā Ākonga Tapuhi, rangahau kiriwhakapōtae, ngā arotake tōpū, te rangahau take tapuhi, te arataki, ngā ariā pae whakapakari