Responding to the call for globalization in nursing education: the implementation of the transatlantic double-degree program.

Increased demand for nurses worldwide has highlighted the need for a flexible nursing workforce eligible for licensure in multiple countries. Nursing's curricular innovation mirrors the call for reform within higher education including globalization of curricula (E. J. S. Hovenga, 2004; D. Nayyar, 2008; B. J. G. Wood, S. M. Tapsall, & G. N. Soutar, 2005), increased opportunities for student mobility exchanges, dialogue between different academic traditions, and mutual understanding and transparency between universities (J. González & R. Wagenaar, 2005). The European Union (EU) and United States have combined efforts to achieve these objectives by creating the Atlantis program in 2007 (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). This article describes experiences of four nursing programs participating in an Atlantis project to develop a double-degree baccalaureate program for undergraduate nursing students. Early learnings include increasing awareness and appreciation of essential curricular and performance competencies of the baccalaureate-prepared professional nurse. Challenges include language competency; variations in curriculum, cultural norms, student expectations, and learning assessment; and philosophical differences regarding first-level professional nurse preparation as specialist versus generalist. The Transatlantic Double Degree program has successfully implemented the double-degree program. Members have gained valuable insights into key issues surrounding the creation of a more uniform, yet flexible, educational standard between our countries.

Nursing admissions process redesigned to leverage EHR.

Among the challenges facing nurses in acute care facilities are duplicate documentation, complex rules for coordinating care, and pressure to accelerate patient discharge. Christiana Care, a two-hospital, 900-bed health system in Delaware, redesigned its nursing admissions process to address these issues and provide a centralized source of assessment information. An interdisciplinary team redesigned the assessment process to leverage the clinical documentation, decision support, and workflow tools of Christiana Care's evolving electronic health record. Nurses use a wireless device at the patient's bedside to enter admission information. A series of decision-support rules evaluate the information and send electronic referrals to appropriate ancillary departments. Departments electronically document interventions that can be tracked by nursing, closing the loop.A dedicated rollout coordinator and system-generated audit reports were critical to early identification and resolution of several implementation problems. The new process has not only simplified the work of nursing but led to more appropriate referrals to the ancillary departments. More than 25 percent of the patients have information imported from a previous encounter, eliminating duplicate documentation and improving patient satisfaction. Admission information also is being used to monitor and support a variety of quality efforts, including core measures.

Assertiveness and caring: are they compatible?

BACKGROUND: Findings from numerous assertion studies suggest that nurses are generally non-assertive. This study examines the role of caring as an important determinant of adaptive assertive behaviour. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the investigation was to explore the relationship between assertion and caring skills. Two study objectives sought to determine whether both positive and negative assertive behaviours were related to caring skills. DESIGN: Correlational and cross-sectional study. METHOD: The Caring Assessment Instrument (Care Q - Questionnaire Version) and the assertion inventory were used to collect self-report data from a convenience sample of 94 subjects. Behavioural data were obtained by directly sampling 50 nurses' responses within role-play situations. RESULTS: One significant result between the various assertion measurements and caring skill scores was noted, highlighting a relationship between negative assertion and the caring 'accessible' subscale. CONCLUSION: Overall the findings of the study suggest that positive and negative assertive behaviours are not related to caring skills. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The current findings suggest that the presence of caring attributes cannot be offered as a possible reason for non-assertion in nurses.

Effects of nurses' sex-role orientation on positive and negative assertion.

The present paper examines how the sex-role orientation of the nurse can affect both positive and negative assertion. The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BRSI) and the Assertion Inventory (AI) were used to collect self-reported data from a convenience sample of 94 subjects. Behavioral data were obtained by directly sampling 50 nurses' responses within role-play situations. Contrary to earlier studies, the findings of the investigation indicated that there was no significant relationship between assertion measurements and sex-role orientation. Following a discussion of the findings, recommendations relating to future research are made and the limitations of the study are identified.