Rubrics for clinical evaluation: objectifying the subjective experience.

Rubrics have historically been used in secondary and higher education to evaluate specific assignments or tasks. There is little mention of rubrics in the nursing literature, particularly in the area of clinical evaluation. A strong case can be made for expanding the traditional use of a rubric to include its validity with clinical evaluation. Clinical evaluation remains a challenge, even for seasoned faculty. Faculty and students often interpret clinical course objectives differently. Coupled with this concern is the subjectivity of the evaluation. The use of "novice" clinical faculty, who inevitably struggle with discerning and justifying anything but stellar student performance, further compounds these issues. Rubrics also facilitate the grading experience for faculty and students. Faculty often find themselves making repetitive written comments to students. These comments can be incorporated into the rubric, thus shortening grading time while increasing the quality and quantity of instructor feedback. When clarified in a rubric, course objectives become "real". Student benefits include increased critical thinking and a more realistic approach to self-evaluation. Clinical rubrics can be developed from existing course objectives. Though perhaps tedious in initial development, both faculty and student satisfaction with the clinical evaluation process can be enhanced with the use of rubrics.

Teaching breast cancer screening to African American women in the Arkansas Mississippi river delta.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of a multifaceted, culturally sensitive breast cancer education program for African American women in the Arkansas Mississippi River Delta. DESIGN: Experimental (i.e., posttest only, control group design). SETTING: African American churches and a county Extension Homemakers Club sponsored through the Arkansas Extension Homemakers council. SAMPLE: 53 African American women. The experimental group included 30 participants who had a mean age of 56 years, and the control group consisted of 23 participants with a mean age of 51 years. METHODS: After the presentation of a multifaceted, culturally sensitive breast cancer education program, a variety of instruments were administered to participants in the experimental group that measured dependent variables. Subjects in the control group completed the same instruments in the absence of a viable intervention. Data were analyzed using t tests. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Knowledge and beliefs about breast cancer. FINDINGS: The experimental group's mean scores were significantly higher than the control group's on the Breast Cancer Knowledge Test and the susceptibility scale of the Breast Cancer Screening Belief Scales. The experimental group also scored significantly higher than the control group on the confidence scale of the Breast Cancer Screening Belief Scales. CONCLUSIONS: The multifaceted, culturally sensitive breast cancer education program appeared to be responsible for the differences in scores between the experimental and control groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Culturally sensitive group educational programs aimed at helping African American women in the rural South become more knowledgeable about breast cancer and early detection clearly are needed. Such efforts also must focus on increasing women's confidence in effectively performing regular breast self-examination as well as their understanding of personal risk. Healthcare professionals play a major role in the development and implementation of these programs.

Nursing students in an expanded charge nurse role: a real clinical management experience.

Ensuring that baccalaureate nursing students obtain a measure of management and leadership proficiency is a challenge for nurse educators. Having senior students manage juniors in a clinical course modeled in a peer hierarchal pattern that emulates advanced beginner practice is a creative approach that is both realistic and achievable. Through specific learning experiences, students are exposed to typical management functions and asked to demonstrate management and leadership skills at an expanded charge nurse level.