"We talk teeth": Exploring faculty EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusivity, and access) capacity in dental education.

PURPOSE: There are increasing concerns regarding inequitable educational access and experiences for underrepresented populations in health education, prompting dental faculties to recognize EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusivity, and access) capacity as a strategic priority. Faculty members contribute to the establishment and reinforcement of institutionally engrained norms within learning settings with significant influence on the experience of students. Currently, there is limited literature on faculty EDIA capacity within dental education and minimal evidence to inform barriers to development. This study sought to explore how dental faculty members perceive their personal and institutional EDIA capacity and to identify current strengths and weaknesses of EDIA development within the institution of study and dental education. METHODS: Using a hermeneutic study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted on a convenience sampling of dental faculty members (n = 10) and a thematic, interpretative analysis was applied. RESULTS: Findings revealed six dominant themes impacting EDIA capacity. Knowledge of EDIA language, interfaculty communication, and institutional messaging are identified as weaknesses, whereas informal, community building events for EDIA development are identified as novel strengths meriting prioritization. Motivation to engage in EDIA by faculty members overall is illuminated in relation to emotionally provocative experiences. CONCLUSION: Current institutional communication of EDIA is unconsciously restricting capacity building based on hierarchical and prescribed parameters. Developing capacity in dental education requires a redirection of resources to initiatives valuing social bonding over prescribed box-checking. This study reveals a new narrative of EDIA capacity within dental education and sustainable pathways for development with high transferability to other health programs.

Factors Associated With Stress Among Second Year Student Nurses During Clinical Training in Jamaica.

The aim of this study is to determine the levels of stress among students in the Jamaican clinical setting and describe the perceived contributing factors to this stress. This cross-sectional study of 106secondyear students enrolled at 2 schools of nursing in Jamaica used a 30-item self-administered questionnaire to gather data on levels of stress and contributing factors. Participants were asked to rate the levels of stress experienced (scale: 0-5, where 5 was highest). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® Version 19 for Windows®. The response rate was 98% (106/108), and 97.2% were females. The average age of respondents was 23.16 ± 9.01years. The majority of participants were single (78.3%) and resident in Kingston and St. Andrew (61.3%). The level of stress experienced in the clinical setting was rated 3.48 ± 1.3/5; financial difficulties (3.17 ± 1.6/5) and interactions with unit staff (3.15 ± 1.4/5) were rated the greatest contributors to stress. Students experienced fear of harming the patient (50%), and only 24% expressed consistent confidence. Except for the interactions with preceptors (P < .05), there were no differences in levels of stress between schools. Students enrolled at 2 nursing schools experienced moderately high levels of stress in the clinical environment. Financial concerns and interaction with ward staff were significant sources of stress. Collaborative strategies to address stress in the clinical areas are imperative.

Using Carl Rogers' person-centered model to explain interpersonal relationships at a school of nursing.

Faculty members are viewed as nurturers within the academic setting and may be able to influence students' behaviors through the formation of positive interpersonal relationships. Faculty members' attributes that best facilitated positive interpersonal relationships according to Carl Rogers' Person-Centered Model was studied. Students (n = 192) enrolled in a 3-year undergraduate nursing program in urban Jamaica were randomly selected to participate in this descriptive cross-sectional study. A 38-item questionnaire on interpersonal relationships with nursing faculty and students' perceptions of their teachers was utilized to collect data. Factor analysis was used to create factors of realness, prizing, and empathetic understanding. Multiple linear regression analysis on the interaction of the 3 factors and interpersonal relationship scores was performed while controlling for nursing students' study year and age. One hundred sixty-five students (mean age: 23.18 ± 4.51years; 99% female) responded. The regression model explained over 46% of the variance. Realness (ß = 0.50, P < .001) was the only significant predictor of the interpersonal relationship scores assigned by the nursing students. Of the total number of respondents, 99 students (60%) reported satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships shared with faculty. Nursing students' perception of faculty members' realness appeared to be the most significant attribute in fostering positive interpersonal relationships.