Preparing New Clinical Educators: 10-Year Outcomes of a Hybrid Program.

BACKGROUND: Recruitment and retention of new clinical educators is of urgent concern as it coincides with a growing need for qualified RNs. One solution is to provide intensive training experiences for expert clinicians who can become educators. METHOD: This mixed-method research reports on 10-year outcomes of one hybrid program and the improvements made to align with best practices in learning in an online environment. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2021, a total of 264 participants completed the program, with 71% taking teaching positions in 21 of 26 Maryland nursing programs. Aggregate data from surveys and focus groups revealed a need for improvements in the organization of program materials, strategies to help participants manage the program's pace, and further efforts to create an ongoing sense of community. CONCLUSION: In the past 10 years, the Faculty Academy and Mentorship Initiative of Maryland has recruited, educated, and inspired clinicians for educator roles while using data to drive change and improve the participant experience. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(12):701-705.].

Nurse Faculty Shortage: Voices of Nursing Program Administrators.

BACKGROUND: The nurse faculty shortage has impacted current and future nursing workforce needs and health outcomes. What has not been expansively reported is the perspective of nursing program administrators as they grapple with the nurse faculty shortage and its effect in their schools. PURPOSE: The purpose was to explore nursing program administrators' perspectives of the nurse faculty shortage. METHOD: Administrators from 8 community colleges and 8 universities representing undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in the mid-Atlantic region participated in semistructured interviews pre-coronavirus disease (SARS COVID-19). Researchers used a 7-stage Heideggerian hermeneutic analysis. FINDINGS: Twenty-four interviews elicited 4 themes: onboarding and integration; "elephant in the room"; making do: getting by; and changing expectations. CONCLUSIONS: Administrators faced increasing faculty workloads, academic/practice pay disparities, and staffing challenges-a stark contrast to their goal of teaching excellence, quality student outcomes, and faculty satisfaction. An unexpected finding was a deterioration in workplace climate and its untoward effects on meeting workforce needs.

"Learning How to Teach" in Nursing: Perspectives of Clinicians After a Formal Academy.

BACKGROUND: The nursing faculty shortage is expected to persist throughout the next decade. Understanding what influences transition from clinician to educator and retention can improve approaches used in nursing programs for those aspiring to careers in nursing education. PURPOSE: This qualitative study elicited the experiences of participants who completed a structured program to prepare clinicians to become clinical faculty for prelicensure students. METHODS: Focus groups uncovered participant perspectives on "learning how to teach." RESULTS: Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, the themes (1) I'm not sure I can do this, (2) changing perspectives-learning to teach, and (3) instilling confidence emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Novice educators reported benefitting most from exposure to multiple teaching methods, simulated teaching encounters, and group debriefing as they learned to become educators.

A Walk in My Shoes: Using Art to Explore the Lived Experience of Psychiatric-Mental Health Standardized Patients.

Use of standardized patients (SPs) to teach mental health nursing skills is increasing. Although the literature regarding the effectiveness of this teaching strategy supports its use, information regarding the effect of portraying mental illness on SPs is lacking. Using a qualitative approach incorporating art as expression, this effect was examined. Five SPs created an artistic expression to describe their work portraying an individual with mental illness while working with senior nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric-mental health clinical nursing course. Themes identified include: (a) Walking the Walk, (b) Listen to Me, (c) See Me as a Person, and (d) Letting it Get to Me. Immersion into the role of the SP with mental illness affects actors. The current article offers best practice approaches to address psychological implications for SPs portraying mental illness. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(8), 39-47.].

Alcohol Use Disorder in Older Adults: Challenges in Assessment and Treatment.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common, under-recognized, and under-treated health concern in older adults. Its prevalence is expected to reach unprecedented levels as the U.S. population ages; consequently, it is poised to place a significant burden on the healthcare system. Given the growing body of evidence regarding the patterns of use in this age group and the serious consequences of its misuse, it is critical that nurses and other healthcare providers assess for AUD in order to identify older adults in need of treatment. Yet, differences in symptom presentation, problems in isolating the symptoms of AUD from other healthcare complaints associated with aging, as well as the denial and fear of stigma that is especially pervasive in this age group, are major barriers to its identification and subsequent treatment. Furthermore, the lack of consistent use of evidence-based, age-specific screening instruments to identify those at risk is another significant obstacle to successful treatment. Healthcare providers in primary care are especially well-positioned to perform a systematic assessment utilizing appropriate instruments to identify AUD and initiate age-specific interventions, including the use of alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBIs). The use of ASBIs, along with other targeted interventions such as mutual help groups (MHGs), such as Alcoholics Anonymous, can be key in encouraging insight, dismantling denial, and supporting treatment success, lifelong recovery, and overall quality of life in this vulnerable group.

A new model in teaching undergraduate research: A collaborative approach and learning cooperatives.

Forming new, innovative collaborative approaches and cooperative learning methods between universities and hospitals maximize learning for undergraduate nursing students in a research course and provide professional development for nurses on the unit. The purpose of this Collaborative Approach and Learning Cooperatives (CALC) Model is to foster working relations between faculty and hospital administrators, maximize small group learning of undergraduate nursing students, and promote onsite knowledge of evidence based care for unit nurses. A quality improvement study using the CALC Model was implemented in an undergraduate nursing research course at a southern university. Hospital administrators provided a list of clinical concerns based on national performance outcome measures. Undergraduate junior nursing student teams chose a clinical question, gathered evidence from the literature, synthesized results, demonstrated practice application, and developed practice recommendations. The student teams developed posters, which were evaluated by hospital administrators. The administrators selected several posters to display on hospital units for continuing education opportunity. This CALC Model is a systematic, calculated approach and an economically feasible plan to maximize personnel and financial resources to optimize collaboration and cooperative learning. Universities and hospital administrators, nurses, and students benefit from working together and learning from each other.

From Expert Clinician to Nurse Educator: Outcomes of a Faculty Academy Initiative.

The Eastern Shore Faculty Academy and Mentorship Initiative, a collaborative program among 3 nursing programs in rural Maryland, was developed to facilitate the transition of expert clinicians from diverse backgrounds in clinical specialty areas with critical shortages to new roles as part-time clinical faculty. Initial outcomes include 32 Academy graduates, with 37.5% representing diverse backgrounds and 37.5% in needed clinical specialties. This initiative represents an innovative approach to meeting the challenges of the nursing faculty shortage through collaborative efforts and creative solutions.

Postpartum depression: perceptions of a diverse sample of low-income women.

Postpartum depression (PPD) continues to significantly impact women and their families during the perinatal period. Consequences of untreated PPD in the mother may lead to impaired mother-infant bonding, recurring psychiatric illness, and fewer positive parenting behaviors. North Carolina participates in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey and has the second highest self-reported rate of postpartum depressive symptoms at 19.0%. The full study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative approach, an interpretive Heideggerian perspective, elicited the postpartum clients' perceptions of risk factors, how those perceptions affected the pregnancy experience, and how self-efficacy played a role in their perceived ability to make healthy choices. The sample was comprised of 60 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40. Four themes were found: (1) Feeling joy and apprehension at once, (2) Depression is something you think about (3) Rearranging your thinking, and (4) Garnering support. The women in this study believed that support was an indispensable tool in dealing with feelings of sadness and depression. Critical aspects of becoming involved in their pregnancy included changing their expectations and knowing how to detect and seek help when depressive symptoms occurred.

Expert clinician to clinical teacher: developing a faculty academy and mentoring initiative.

The lack of sufficient numbers of qualified nursing faculty to prepare nursing students for entry into the field of nursing is of national and international concern. Recruiting expert clinicians and preparing them as clinical teachers is one approach to addressing the faculty shortage. Adequate training for the new role is paramount to promote job satisfaction and reduce attrition. Various models for orienting and preparing expert nurse clinicians as clinical educators are reported in the literature with little consensus or research to support a single approach. This paper describes a collaborative effort to prepare experienced registered nurse clinicians for new roles as part-time clinical faculty. Using a blend of learning strategies (face-to-face, online, simulation, and group mentoring sessions), this training experience was designed to cover content while promoting discussion of issues and challenges and providing much-needed mentorship. Outcomes include 12 new clinical faculty, 25% from groups underrepresented in nursing, with nine newly employed as part-time clinical teachers.

Exploring the experience of hallucinations from a perspective of self: surviving and persevering.

BACKGROUND: Despite improved treatment, little is understood about how clients view their hallucinations from a perspective of self, and few studies address the meaning of hallucinations or the relationship of hallucinations to the individual sense of being. OBJECTIVE: To understand hallucinations from an individual perspective of self. STUDY DESIGN: Heideggerian and hermeneutics-guided thematic analysis. Twelve individuals described their experiences of hallucinations. All interviews were recorded (with consent) and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Four themes described surviving and persevering: (a) Are they who they are? (b) a not-so-certain life; (c) finding strength in the broken places; and (d) I am still me. Although experiencing hallucinations was analogous to living with loss, participants recalled hallucinations as providing something positive in how they cared for and related to others. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners can incorporate a language of caring that meets the needs of their clients, rather than the language of empowerment, which proved overwhelming for participants already overwhelmed by the "business of getting better." J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2008; 14(5), 353-362.