Opening My Eyes Building Nursing Student Awareness of Spirituality and Catholic Social Justice Principles.

ABSTRACT: How can nursing academia impart concepts of spirituality, social justice, and personal and professional growth to nursing students? The authors of this qualitative study explored the narratives of 21 nursing students' reflective journals written while students were participating in a global clinical mission. A guided reflective journal grounded in Catholic social teachings and St. Francis' social justice principles was used daily during the mission to capture participants' thoughts and feelings. Data analysis revealed that students discovered principles of spirituality and social justice and expressed a deeper appreciation for being present for others, providing healthcare to all equally, and promoting the common good. Guided questions enhanced the experiential learning experience, fostering personal and professional growth.

Understanding clinical leadership behaviors in practice to inform baccalaureate nursing curriculum: a comparative study between the United States and Australia novice nurses.

OBJECTIVES: While the nursing profession recognizes the importance of leadership behaviors, limited evidence exists on essential clinical leadership behaviors that nursing students should exhibit upon graduation. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were common leadership behaviors exhibited by recently graduated baccalaureate clinical staff nurses in the United States and Australia. METHODS: A quantitative descriptive study with a comparative design was conducted using The Clinical Leadership Survey. RESULTS: Similar clinical leadership behaviors were reported by nurses from the two countries though there was a statistically significant difference in the overall frequency of behaviors between the two groups. Behaviors in the 'challenging the process' domain were less commonly practiced in both countries, identifying a clinical gap and opportunity for student development. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies the central behaviors that should be included in baccalaureate nursing education curriculum in order to prepare students for successful transition into practice.

Implementation and sustainment strategies for open visitation in the intensive care unit: A multicentre qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: Open visitation in adult intensive care units has been associated with improved family and patient outcomes. However, worldwide adoption of this practice has been slow and reasons for this are unclear. This study documents barriers and strategies for implementing and sustaining open visitation in adult intensive care units in the United States experienced by nursing leadership. RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative approach using grounded theory. PARTICIPANTS: Nurse leaders in adult intensive care units with open visitation. SETTING: Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence® designated hospitals in the United States. METHODS: Semi structured interviews were conducted with 19 nurse leaders from 15 geographically dispersed hospitals. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and imported into Atlas.ti qualitative software for analysis. Grounded theory constant comparison analysis was used for coding and category development. FINDINGS: The analysis revealed three barriers; nursing attitudes and clinical and nonclinical barriers. Strategies to overcome these barriers were empathy, evidence-based practice, models of care, shared governance, nurse discretion, security and family spaces. CONCLUSION: Intensive care nursing leadership experienced distinct barriers and strategies during pre-implementation, implementation and sustainment of open visitation. Other nursing leaders interested in open visitation can use these findings as they plan this transition in their intensive care units.

Is Open Visitation Really "Open" in Adult Intensive Care Units in the United States?

BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates that open visitation in adult intensive care units is a best practice for patient- and family-centered care, and nurses substantially influence such visitation patterns. However, it is unclear whether intensive care units in Magnet and Pathway to Excellence (MPE) facilities nationwide implement this in practice. OBJECTIVE: To describe current national visitation practices in adult intensive care units and determine whether they have changed since the last national study, which used data from 2008 to 2009. METHODS: From February through April 2018, websites of MPE hospitals were reviewed in order to identify their adult intensive care unit visitation policy. If this information was unavailable online, the hospital was telephoned to obtain the policy. From May through August 2018, follow-up telephone calls were made to hospitals that reported open visitation, during which intensive care unit nurses at the hospitals were asked to verify that the policy did not restrict visiting hours or the number, type, or age of visitors. RESULTS: Among the 536 MPE hospitals contacted, 51% (n = 274) indicated that they allowed open visitation. Further examination, however, revealed that 64% (n = 175) restricted the number (68.2%), age (59.5%), or type (4.4%) of visitors, or visiting hours (19.8%). Only 18.5% of MPE hospitals (n = 99) allowed unrestricted visitation. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a lack of progress toward implementing open visitation in adult intensive care units nationwide. Research on MPE hospitals that have adopted truly open visitation policies is needed to identify successful methods for implementing and sustaining open visitation.

Bringing Caring Back Into the Curriculum Through Innovative iCare Feature.

Educational efforts and innovative teaching strategies promoting the concept of caring are essential both before and after licensure. Redesigning nursing education to meet the demands of the changing health care landscape while incorporating basic principles such as "caring" into the nursing curriculum can be challenging. Using an active learning strategy, the iCare feature provides students with short, affective "how to" examples relevant to specific chapter concepts. These examples illustrate acts of caring and help students engage in the learning process vital for providing high quality nursing care.

Measuring Nurse Caring Behaviors in the Hospitalized Older Adult.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between nurse caring behavior scores and the use of the "Get to Know Me" poster in hospitalized older adults. BACKGROUND: Hospitalization can be an isolating experience for the patient and his/her family. Within the high-tech healthcare arena, the focus of the "patient/person" can be lost. The art of caring and basic communication between the nurse and person is essential to nursing. METHODS: This was a 2-group quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design using the intervention of the Get to Know Me poster and measurement of nurse caring behaviors with the Caring Assessment of Care Givers (CACG) instrument. RESULTS: Nurse caring behavior scores of the nurses in the experimental group who utilized the Get to Know Me poster were significantly higher on the total CACG scores as well on the subscale dimensions of maintaining belief, being with, and doing for than those of the nurses forming the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research indicated that interventions that focus the attention on the person and emphasize patient-focused care can enhance nurse caring behaviors and strengthen the patient-nurse relationship.