Creating Inclusive Learning Environments for Chinese and American Pediatric Nursing Students.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students from two schools of nursing, in China and the United States respectively, engaged in a transcultural simulation activity to explore how a global healthcare crisis has been managed within their different cultures. This article describes the development and implementation of the project and evaluates student perspectives on the simulation...s influence on increasing awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Data for this project were collected through student verbal and written reflections and faculty comments. Results: Students reported the virtual simulation positively impacted their learning and enjoyed the opportunity to navigate through a virtual scenario collaboratively while discussing cultural similarities and differences. Faculty noted the simulation was valuable and described challenges faced during the development. Conclusions: Students and faculty found the simulation was a meaningful learning experience. Findings suggests that the transcultural simulation improved student knowledge of cultural competence and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion constructs.

Skills, community, and rapport: Prelicensure nursing students in the virtual learning environment.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic forced changes in program delivery across nursing education. This article describes the innovative virtual lab sessions designed and implemented for Foundations and Pediatrics courses in an Accelerated Baccalaureate Science in Nursing program. The objectives of this quality improvement project were to (1) ascertain student perceptions of learning in virtual lab environment (2) identify benefits and barriers to planning and implementing virtual learning experiences, and (3) explore student attitudes and perceptions regarding group dynamics and the sense of community provided by virtual lab sessions. METHODS: A cross-sectional approach was employed with two cohorts (Cohort 1, n = 71; Cohort 2, n = 86). Students completed a survey and responded to open-ended questions regarding their virtual clinical lab experiences. RESULTS: The four themes of small group dynamics, resource availability, hands-on activities, and sense of community emerged as the characteristics students liked most about virtual lab sessions with 95% of students reporting the virtual lab sessions were engaging. Overall student survey responses were favorable to the virtual labs. DISCUSSION: This project demonstrates that nursing educators were able to design and implement innovative teaching and learning strategies in a virtual environment to promote knowledge, skills, and attitudes while nurturing a sense of community.

Simulation in Undergraduate Education.

Simulation is an integral component of undergraduate nursing education because it allows for a safe, timely, and prescriptive approach to meet learning objectives at the levels of individual simulations, courses, and academic programs. This review of the literature provides an overview of steps taken to move simulation forward in undergraduate nursing education, and it highlights educational theories, research, best practices, and policy statements underpinning modern nursing simulation. This chapter outlines simulation and curriculum integration approaches and provides examples of participant, course, and program outcomes.

Predictors of postoperative movement and resting pain following total knee replacement.

This study determined preoperative predictors of movement and resting pain following total knee replacement (TKR). We hypothesized that younger patients with higher preoperative pain intensity, pain sensitivity, trait anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and depression would be more likely to experience higher postoperative movement pain than older patients with lower scores on these variables prior to surgery, and that predictors would be similar for resting pain. Demographics, analgesic intake, anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing, resting pain, movement pain (ie, during active knee range of motion), and quantitative sensory tests were performed preoperatively on 215 participants scheduled for a unilateral TKR. On postoperative day 2, analgesic intake, resting pain, and movement pain were again assessed. Significant predictors of moderate or severe movement pain were higher preoperative movement pain, von Frey pain intensity, and heat pain threshold. People with severe movement pain preoperatively were 20 times more likely to have severe movement pain postoperatively. When the influence of preoperative movement pain was removed, depression became a predictor. Significant predictors of moderate to severe resting pain were higher preoperative resting pain, depression, and younger age. These results suggest that patients with higher preoperative pain and depression are more likely to have higher pain following TKR, and younger patients may have higher resting pain. Cutaneous pain sensitivity predicted movement pain but not resting pain, suggesting that mechanisms underlying movement pain are different from resting pain. Aggressive management of preoperative pain, pain sensitivity, and depression prior to surgery may facilitate postoperative recovery.