"Now I Understand You": Changes in the Communication of Professionals in Nursing Homes After Receiving Training in the Validation Method.

Caring for older persons is a challenge for professionals who work in nursing homes. Problems in maintaining effective communication with a person with dementia in an effort to understand their needs is a major barrier to good care. Therefore, the main goals of this study were to explore communication barriers between professionals and people with dementia and to observe changes in communication patterns between them after completing Naomi Feil's introductory training in the bases of the validation method (BVM). The 11 professionals who worked in nursing homes attended a 16-hour introductory course on BVM. Participants were interviewed individually three times. The goal was to observe qualitatively the changes in relationships and communication patterns with people with dementia. The results were analyzed thematically. The professionals highlighted how, after the training, they had a different understanding of the person with dementia and a more humane perspective. These changes also reflected how the professionals experienced improvements in job satisfaction, security, and confidence. This study concluded that training nursing home staff in BVM for person-centered and human care has positive implications on how the professionals view their daily work and their way of interacting with older residents. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(4):157-168.].

Role and support needs of nurses in delivering palliative and end of life care.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a significant increase in the demand for palliative and end of life care, particularly in the community. Furthermore, palliative and end of life care services face growing pressures due to the increasing number of older people and increasing prevalence of chronic illness. Palliative and end of life care cannot be provided solely by specialists but needs to be integrated into mainstream healthcare. All nurses have a role in supporting patients with life-limiting conditions, and their families, by providing what is termed 'generalist palliative care'. However, some nurses may feel unprepared, unsupported or lacking the confidence and skills for that role. This article explores the definitions of palliative and end of life care, as well as the changes and challenges in service provision brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also considers how nurses who have not specialised in this area of practice can be supported to care effectively for patients with life-limiting conditions, and their families, notably through workforce development initiatives such as training programmes and clinical supervision. This could not only increase the skills of the nursing workforce but also improve patient care.

Reimagining care homes: can the COVID-19 pandemic act as a catalyst for enhancing staff status and education?

During the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older people were discharged from hospitals to care homes to release NHS beds. This influx of new residents whose COVID-19 status was largely unknown added to the many challenges already experienced by care homes, with serious consequences including an increased number of deaths among residents. The social care sector has been fragile for several years and the pandemic has brought the challenges experienced by care homes to the forefront, prompting renewed calls for improved funding and reform. This article describes the ongoing challenges and additional challenges caused by the pandemic in the care home sector. The authors argue for urgent reform to enhance the status and education of care home staff, move towards registration of the social care workforce in England, and achieve integration of health and social care services for older people.

When Crisis Strikes, Handle With CARE.

The decision to continue a career advancement program in midst of our health system's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was made after weighing the pros and cons. At a time when high priority was placed on educating the frontline nurses on rapidly changing protocols and supporting mental health, our organization reallocated resources and ways of doing things in order to maintain some form of normalcy. By doing so, we were able to demonstrate our commitment to professional development even in the face of adversity and highlight the resourcefulness of nursing professional development practitioners. As the COVID-19 crisis has laid bare, we live in an increasingly complex and interconnected world, and agility will be essential to future nursing professional development practice.

Nurses Taking the Lead: A Look Back to Move Forward.

In recognition of the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the 2020 annual conference of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing (ALSN) celebrated A Look Back to Move Forward in recognition of the 50th anniversary of ALSN. The ALSN began as the Council of Graduate Education for Administrative Nursing (CGEAN) in 1970. Today, ALSN maintains the goals of shaping graduate education and research to inform nursing leadership practice.

Study on the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of Nursing Staff and Influencing Factors on COVID-19.

The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) care among nursing staff and analyze its influencing factors. The survey was conducted on February 18, 2020, among 7,716 voluntary participants from 143 medical institutions in Zhejiang, China. The findings indicated that KAP of nursing staff scored well. However, the accuracy of psychological nursing knowledge was much lower, 14.3% only. Nursing staff working in isolation wards have higher knowledge (OR = 1.776, 95% CI: 1.491-2.116), attitude (OR = 1.542, 95% CI: 1.298-1.832), and practice (OR = 1.902, 95% CI: 1.590-2.274) scores than those in general wards. In terms of KAP, nursing staff with working experience ≤ 10 years scored lower than those with working experience ≥ 20 years, with OR values of 0.490 (95% CI: 0.412-0.583), 0.654 (95% CI: 0.551-0.775), and 0.747 (95% CI: 0.629-0.886), respectively. It is necessary to take measures to enhance the training on COVID-19, especially for KAP of junior nurses in general wards.

Relaunching Nurses to the Forefront of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Heeding the Call Through an RN Refresher Program.

Nursing remains the largest health care profession in the nation and RNs comprise one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce with just under 4 million RNs nationwide. Despite the large number of nurses in practice, a variety of factors contribute to the availability of RNs able to meet health care-related demands, leading out-of-practice nurses to seek reentry into the workforce. To develop the skills and knowledge needed to deliver safe and effective care, nurses seeking to return to practice need access to formally structured continuing education opportunities. Nursing refresher courses have historically filled this gap, effectively supporting the reemployment of nurses by preparing them for clinical practice. The COVID-19 pandemic is among the most recent factors encouraging nurse reentry, thus furthering the need for continuing education in support of license renewal. This article provides insight into the development of a university-based refresher program for Texas nurses seeking to reactivate licensure and gain the theoretical and clinical knowledge needed to return to nursing considering the health care demands produced by this unprecedented crisis. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(2)67-71.].

Planning and implementing a practice/academic partnership during COVID-19.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing programs were challenged to continue educating students at practice sites, and educational institutions limited or eliminated face-to-face education. The purpose of this article is to report on a university and community college nursing program and an academic medical center that implemented an academic-practice partnership with the goal of creating opportunities to continue clinical experiences for nursing students during the pandemic. Principles and implementation of this successful partnership provide direction for other nursing programs and practice settings that may continue to have challenges in returning students to clinical and keeping them in clinical as the pandemic continues.

School Nurses on the Front Lines of Healthcare: The Approach to a Student With Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Mental illness is common, and its severity ranges from subclinical to severe, where the condition affects daily social and academic functioning. Because of its ubiquity, it is necessary that school nurses have an enhanced understanding of some of the mental health conditions that children and adolescents may be facing. As will be discussed, some mental health concerns present with somatic symptoms that may bring the student into the school nurse's office. If the nurse identifies mental health symptoms, he or she may be able to intervene, provide support, and direct the student for further management if necessary. This article will focus on anxiety in general before focusing on specific anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder. We will begin by defining these conditions and then move into discussing potential present-day stressors, such as fear and anxiety associated with the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and screening tools before closing with some suggestions for practice and a case wrap-up.