The Sensitivity Training Clown Workshop: enhancing therapeutic communication skills in nursing students.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effectiveness of the Sensitivity Training Clown Workshop (STCW) provided to 131 baccalaureate nursing students. BACKGROUND: The STCW was designed and implemented through a collaboration between the artistic director of the Big Apple Circus and nurse faculty to help students understand emotions, learn peripheral awareness skills, and become engaged with patients. METHOD: Forty participants responded to an 18-month follow-up evaluation survey. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported applying lessons learned in the workshop in their current practice, regardless of their area of nursing employment. CONCLUSION: The STCW is an effective method of educating nursing students for pediatric practice. The techniques used in the workshop are applicable to other practice settings.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of baccalaureate nursing students regarding oral health assessment.

Good oral health is important to overall health. Oral and pharyngeal cancers account for 2% of all cancers, yet no significant improvement in mortality has been demonstrated over the past 30 years. Nurses are in a unique position to integrate and conduct oral health assessments across a wide range of practice settings. Although nursing programs include health assessment and promotion in their curricula, there is poor integration of oral health as a focus. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of baccalaureate nursing students about oral health assessment. A convenience sample of 163 students in two undergraduate courses within a baccalaureate nursing education program was surveyed. Findings indicated that these nursing students felt that oral health was essential to their nursing practice; however, they did not have a full understanding of the key components of an oral health examination or about effective smoking cessation strategies.