ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many of our military transitioning to civilian life are expertly trained medics, corpsmen, and health care specialists. PROBLEM: The medical training of these veterans does not follow traditional degree granting academic protocols. These individuals seeking formal academic credentials to work in the nonmilitary sector are often forced to start their health education over from the beginning. APPROACH: An innovative model was developed for waiving the requirements for specific nursing courses for veteran-students. Using a skills self-assessment tool and a validation process, veteran-students are able to demonstrate their knowledge, training, and experience. OUTCOMES: As part of the program, 32 veteran-students have validated out of 65 courses for 115 credit hours. All students have successfully progressed through the BSN program. CONCLUSION: This skills validation model represents a model that can be implemented for students entering a nursing program with a variety of health care backgrounds.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/organization & administration , Models, Educational , Students, Nursing/psychology , Veterans/education , Clinical Competence , Diffusion of Innovation , Educational Measurement/methods , Humans , Nursing Education Research , Nursing Evaluation Research , Students, Nursing/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Diversity in the nursing workforce has a positive impact on the quality of care provided to minority patients. Although the number of students from diverse backgrounds entering nursing programs has increased, the attrition rate of these students remains high. This study assessed the construct validity of a self-assessment tool that can be used by faculty advisors to determine individual academic needs of students.
Subject(s)
Achievement , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate , Minority Groups/education , Minority Groups/psychology , Self-Assessment , Students, Nursing/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between race, region and pre-diabetes. METHOD: The study used 2003-2007 United States baseline data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study for this cross-sectional analysis. Participants in this study were 45years or older at recruitment. Logistic regression was used to assess whether race and region are associated with pre-diabetes independent of demographics, socioeconomic factors and risk factors. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent of the study participants (n=19,889) had pre-diabetes. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for having pre-diabetes was 1.28 (1.19-1.36) for blacks relative to whites and 1.18 (1.10-1.26) for people living in the Stroke Belt region relative to the other parts of the United States. The odds of having pre-diabetes for Stroke Belt participants changed minimally after additional adjustment for race (OR=1.20; 1.13-1.28), age and sex (OR=1.24; 1.16-1.32), socioeconomic status (OR=1.22; 1.15-1.31) and risk factors (OR=1.26; 1.17-1.35). In the adjusted model, being black was independently associated with pre-diabetes (OR=1.19; 1.10-1.28). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pre-diabetes was higher for both blacks and whites living in the Stroke Belt relative to living outside the Stroke Belt, and the prevalence of pre-diabetes was higher for blacks independent of region.
Subject(s)
Cultural Characteristics , Prediabetic State/ethnology , Stroke/ethnology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Sex Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , Southeastern United States/epidemiology , White People/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
As our population ages, more elderly patients will undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. The psychological well-being of a patient is influenced by many factors, including family support. This descriptive, correlational pilot study was conducted to examine the relationship between family characteristics and psychological well-being in elderly coronary artery bypass grafting patients. The results of this study, which consists of 42 participants, are presented, as well as implications for critical care nursing.
