ABSTRACT
Baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs now have a choice of professional accrediting bodies and must make a decision about which best suits the needs of their individual programs. The authors describe the accreditation process and procedures of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The purpose, philosophy, standards, accreditation process, fees, review cycle, and length of accreditation are compared.
Subject(s)
Accreditation/standards , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate , Education, Nursing, Graduate , Accreditation/economics , Fees and Charges , Humans , Organizational Objectives , United StatesABSTRACT
The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to measure the relationship between self-concept and physical fitness, health indicators, and health habits in elementary-school-aged children. Instruments included the Martinek-Zaichowsky Self-Concept Scale for Children and a self-administered questionnaire for parents pertaining to family health habits and health history. Children (N = 61) were screened for health and fitness indicators: height, weight, body mass index, 1-mile walk-run time, shuttle run time, and number of curl-ups. Results showed a positive relationship between self-concept and regular exercise and between self-concept and curl-ups. No gender difference was noted in the relationship between self-concept and physical fitness.
Subject(s)
Health Behavior , Health Status , Psychology, Child , Self Concept , Body Mass Index , Child , Family Health , Female , Humans , Male , Physical Fitness , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Ethical dilemmas involving treatment decisions are increasing in frequency as medical technology continues to provide the ability to prolong life. When the dilemmas involve treatment decisions for children, the added dimension of parental participation makes the issue even more complex. The author describes a pilot study showing the extent of documentation of parents' participation in treatment decisions for pediatric oncology ICU patients.
Subject(s)
Critical Care/psychology , Decision Making , Neoplasms/therapy , Nurse's Role , Parental Consent , Parents/psychology , Patient Participation , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Communication , Consent Forms , Disclosure , Ethical Analysis , Ethics Committees, Clinical , Ethics, Medical , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Parents/education , Pilot Projects , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Social Values , Withholding TreatmentABSTRACT
The purpose of this descriptive study was to survey the parents of well children to determine the ethical principles that influenced the decisions they made in regard to hypothetical choice of treatment options. Sixty-one parents responded to a mailed survey designed to measure the principles of autonomy, beneficence/nonmaleficence, and justice. The high total mean scores for the principles of autonomy and beneficence/nonmaleficence indicated that all three ethical principles were influential in the decision-making process of parents of well children. A student t-test revealed that the mean score for the principle of autonomy was significantly higher than the mean score for the principles of beneficence/nonmaleficence. Open-ended questions regarding the principle of justice revealed many frustrations of the sample population regarding the health care system. The study identified the need for nurses and other health care providers to be aware of the influence these ethical principles have on decision making and the importance of autonomy to the parents of well children.
