A Cultural Humility Approach to Inclusive and Equitable Nursing Care.

The nursing workforce does not represent the diversity of patients in their care. Nursing students historically have been taught cultural competence, with a core value for diversity, equity, and inclusion, but health inequities remain a problem. Cultural humility goes beyond cultural competency, offering nurses a perpetual learning role from the individual patients in their care. The concept of cultural humility also offers bedside nurses a way to overcome implicit and explicit bias through self-awareness and active listening, but it may not be well understood.

Examining moral injury in clinical practice: A narrative literature review.

Healthcare workers experience moral injury (MI), a violation of their moral code due to circumstances beyond their control. MI threatens the healthcare workforce in all settings and leads to medical errors, depression/anxiety, and personal and occupational dysfunction, significantly affecting job satisfaction and retention. This article aims to differentiate concepts and define causes surrounding MI in healthcare. A narrative literature review was performed using SCOPUS, CINAHL, and PubMed for peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 2017 and 2023. Search terms included "moral injury" and "moral distress," identifying 249 records. While individual risk factors predispose healthcare workers to MI, root causes stem from healthcare systems. Accumulation of moral stressors and potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) (from administrative burden, institutional betrayal, lack of autonomy, corporatization of healthcare, and inadequate resources) result in MI. Individuals with MI develop moral resilience or residue, leading to burnout, job abandonment, and post-traumatic stress. Healthcare institutions should focus on administrative and climate interventions to prevent and address MI. Management should ensure autonomy, provide tangible support, reduce administrative burden, advocate for diversity of clinical healthcare roles in positions of interdisciplinary leadership, and communicate effectively. Strategies also exist for individuals to increase moral resilience, reducing the impact of moral stressors and PMIEs.

The Impact of Students Studying Abroad on the Subsequent Career of the Professional Nurse.

ABSTRACT: A study abroad course adds to the academic experience of nursing students by offering exposure to other cultures, service opportunities, and an introduction to international healthcare systems. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived impact of a student study abroad experience on the subsequent career of the professional nurse. The phenomenological qualitative study approach revealed three themes: changed personal perspectives in practice, appreciation and service orientation, and insights on the healthcare system. Nurses reported that the study abroad experience helped to shape their views as professional nurses.

Medical Missions: Engaging the Five Senses with Eternal Intentions.

ABSTRACT: Participating in medical mission work can have incomparable spiritual value. Experiencing a foreign culture via sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and textures is a unique avenue for caring for people's physical needs that opens opportunities for spiritually-focused interactions. Nurses can gain cultural competency and humility as they help envision future ministry possibilities with local residents and mission team members. Practical preparation suggestions and a reading list are provided.

The 10 Cow Project: Building Mission Sustainability.

Using lessons from a modern parable about the 10-cow bride, a short-term medical missions team created a sustainable program for Ugandans, helping establish businesses for needy families by providing start-up farm animals. Christian nurses can partner with those in veterinary medicine to provide essential training related to health promotion and prevention of disease transmission in order to promote positive long-term outcomes of such projects.

Six Principles for Remaining Positive in a Negative Work Environment.

Nurses employed in a caustic work environment can find their ability to give quality patient care impeded. Situations in which there is incivility, high stress, jealousy, or harassment, exemplify work environments that can be discouraging, especially for Christian nurses who may have pursued the profession in response to a spiritual calling. There are biblical passages that nurses may use to help them cope, including six focus points to guide and encourage nurses in caustic work situations.

Small-Scale Sustainable Water Project Decreases Infections, Complements Short-Term Medical Missions.

Many communities in developing countries do not have access to clean water, which is essential to health. This project involved the installation of clean water filters in two rural Guatemalan villages, a small-scale sustainable community project proposed by a short-term medical mission team and accomplished in partnership with local missionaries. The percentage of infections in adult visitors to medical clinics was assessed pre- and post-installation of filters, and although not statistically significant, decreased.

Building Effective Medical Missions with Servant Leadership Skills.

Nurses are naturally drawn to service opportunities, such as short-term medical missions (STMM), which hold great potential to benefit health. But STMMs have been criticized as potentially being culturally insensitive, leading to dependency, inadvertently causing harm, or being unsustainable. Utilizing servant leadership skills, nurses can effectively build community, vision, and sustainability into STMM projects.

Caring for Patients of the Millennial Generation: Considerations for Nurses.

Much has been written about teaching students of the Millennial Generation (those born between the years 1980 and 2000) and about intergenerational dynamics in the healthcare workforce. However, little can be found in the literature regarding generation-specific nursing care of Millennial patients. This article presents six categories of considerations for nurses caring for patients of the Millennial Generation based on the characteristics, attitudes, and values that have influenced them as well as the healthcare issues confronting this group of young adults.

Sustaining and Improving Study Abroad Experiences Through Comparative Evaluation.

Researchers have related participation in study abroad experiences to many positive outcomes for nursing students; however, educators are faced with the task of not only developing meaningful study abroad opportunities but sustaining and improving them as well. Educators can evaluate repeat study abroad programs by comparing experiences, looking for trends, and conjecturing rationales. To illustrate this process, an example of a study abroad opportunity that has been repeated over 11 years is presented. The first six years have been compared to the most recent five years, revealing three categories of change for evaluation and the resulting course improvements.

CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE: AN EXPLORATION OF GUATEMALAN HEALTHCARE ISSUES.

Knowledge of health practices and concerns is one key to providing culturally sensitive care to persons of different ethnicities. It is estimated that Guatemala is the third leading source of undocumented immigrants in the US. To increase understanding of Guatemalan healthcare issues, a descriptive study asked what are common healthcare issues among rural, indigenous Guatemalans and Guatemalan immigrants to the United States, and how do these issues compare?

The Gluten-Free Frenzy: Fad or Fitting?

Although the gluten-free diet has been recognized as therapeutic for individuals suffering from celiac disease, it has been promoted recently for other indications, such as autism, chronic fatigue syn- drome, and irritable bowel syndrome, or simply as a healthy dietary choice for anyone. The basics of the gluten-free diet are explored, with evidence-based indications and nursing implications when patients choose gluten-free.

How do new BSN nurses perceive their nursing education?

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to determine if new bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN) nurses perceived their education to be relevant for the current demands of the profession. METHODS: The design was nonexperimental, descriptive survey research. Data were gathered using a researcher-designed mailed survey. Addresses for survey participants, RNs who had graduated with a BSN within 2 years prior to June 2012, were obtained from the North Carolina State Board of Nursing. RESULTS: This study found that new graduates in the sample perceived their academic preparation to be adequate for transitioning into professional practice; however, new graduates wish they'd had more opportunities to practice clinical skills while in nursing school. Respondents also perceived that some health assessment content included in nursing programs may not typically be useful in entry-level nursing practice. CONCLUSIONS: Because a large percentage of the sample perceived they'd had inadequate clinical practice time, new nurses might not feel completely competent with practice-related skills. Employers should take this into consideration when structuring orientation programs. Additionally, the curricula planners for BSN programs might creatively and strategically consider ways to increase or improve the clinical practice opportunities for nursing students.

Teaching the millennial generation: considerations for nurse educators.

A particular challenge for nurse educators has always been to discover the most relevant ways to promote student learning. Each generation of students presents with unique circumstances. The predominant characteristics of the current generation of nursing students are presented in this article. Suggestions are given regarding strategies to strengthen and maintain the characteristics that will be beneficial to students when they become RNs, while at the same time modifying or diminishing those that will not.