ABSTRACT
Nursing certification is an assessment and formal recognition of specialized knowledge, and is awarded through achievement of standards identified by a nursing specialty (Niebuhr & Biel, 2007). This recognition is a method of not only assessing competency, but knowledge and skills, and has been linked to an increase in patient satisfaction and nurse retention (Kleinpell, 2009). For these reasons, a heightened focus has been on identifying the value of nursing certification and outcomes related to patient care. This study explored nurse perception of certification and measured response to a high fidelity simulated scenario by certified and non-certified pediatric nurses to a deteriorating patient through simulation and self-assessment.
Subject(s)
Certification/statistics & numerical data , Clinical Competence , Pediatric Nursing/education , Perception , Self-Assessment , Adult , Certification/methods , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Hospitals, Pediatric , Humans , Male , Nursing Staff, Hospital , Quality Improvement , Reference Values , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Professional portfolios allow staff to document their participation in areas of education, certification, shared governance councils, national nursing organizations, and community outreach. In this study, nurses tracked their professional development in a virtual electronic portfolio. A preperception/postperception questionnaire for both staff and unit directors revealed that nursing portfolios proved to be a valuable tool during annual performance reviews to acknowledge accomplishments and encourage continued professional growth of individual direct-care staff nurses.
Subject(s)
Documentation/methods , Employee Performance Appraisal/methods , Nursing Staff, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Staff Development/organization & administration , Attitude of Health Personnel , Career Mobility , Evidence-Based Nursing , Goals , Humans , Professional Competence , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
There are identified gaps regarding the accuracy of axillary temperatures as a means of predicting core temperatures in infants and children. This article discusses the relationship between rectal and axillary temperatures in infants less than 1 year of age. This quality improvement project evaluated 425 paired temperature measurements in 86 infants admitted to an inpatient pediatric unit over a 2-month period. A correlation analysis showed statistically significant differences between the two measurements. The results of this project promoted the development of a standard of care for temperature measurement at the project facility.
