ABSTRACT
A rapidly growing number of California's ethnic minority nursing students are individuals whose primary language is not English; these English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students often have high attrition rates. This research surveys the approaches used in all of California's 21 generic baccalaureate nursing programs to retain their ESL students until graduation. Comparisons between the five programs with the highest ESL student retention rates and the group as a whole show significant differences.
Subject(s)
Communication Barriers , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/organization & administration , Emigration and Immigration , Student Dropouts , California , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/economics , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/standards , Emigration and Immigration/statistics & numerical data , Faculty, Nursing/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Nursing Education Research , Program Evaluation , Social Support , Training SupportABSTRACT
In the last few years, public concern about cholesterol has become a national preoccupation. Concerned consumers increasingly direct their questions about cholesterol to the nurses with whom they come in contact. Nurses in any setting who are knowledgeable about cholesterol are in an ideal position to teach current, accurate, potentially life-saving information about it. Nurses everywhere have a responsibility to assist consumers to achieve the goals of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) panel of experts within the next few years. This article describes the prevention and control of hypercholesterolemia through dietary and life-style changes. Drug therapy for control of hypercholesterolemia is discussed. Specific nursing interventions that are designed to assist people to achieve the NCEP goals are outlined.
Subject(s)
Hypercholesterolemia/prevention & control , Anticholesteremic Agents/therapeutic use , Cholesterol, Dietary/administration & dosage , Cholesterol, Dietary/adverse effects , Humans , Hypercholesterolemia/drug therapy , Hypercholesterolemia/etiology , Hypercholesterolemia/nursing , Patient Compliance , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
At least half of all persons in the United States have a serum cholesterol level that places them at high risk for atherosclerosis and its life-threatening complications, particularly coronary heart disease. In the last few years, concern about cholesterol has become a national preoccupation. Concerned consumers increasingly direct their questions about cholesterol to the nurses with whom they come in contact. Nurses who know about cholesterol are in an ideal position to teach current, accurate, potentially life-saving information about it. This article describes the causes, significance, and diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia and outlines the recommendations of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) panel of experts.
Subject(s)
Hypercholesterolemia/etiology , Cholesterol/metabolism , Disease Susceptibility , Female , Humans , Hypercholesterolemia/diagnosis , Hypercholesterolemia/nursing , Male , Patient Education as Topic , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Acute orthostatic hypotension is a common occurrence during a patient's first experiences out of bed after surgery or a period of immobility. It is imperative that acute care nurses understand the dynamics of this phenomenon to provide effective preventive and supportive care for these patients. In this article are outlined recommendations for this care. Preventing acute orthostatic hypotension entails careful assessment of the status of the patient's sympathetic reflexes and assisting these reflexes to gain maximal control over peripheral vasoconstriction before the patient leaves bed. Supportive care during the patient's early experiences out of bed involves measures to reduce the likelihood of acute orthostatic hypotension, careful assessment of parameters that signal impending syncope, and immediate assistance for the patient who does experience it. On the patient's return to bed, evaluation of the patient's tolerance level assists in planning the patient's next venture out of bed.
