Differential diagnosis of a breast mass.

The differential diagnosis of breast masses by the primary care provider should be based on thorough history and physical assessment, age-appropriate diagnostic tools, and careful follow-up. Confident determination of the benign nature of most breast lumps, combined with consistent screening measures, will promote optimum breast health. Additionally, early diagnosis of breast cancer is clearly enhanced by early detection of symptoms and contributes to successful treatment.

Nurse manager orientation: guidelines to meet the challenge of a rapidly changing role.

A management development program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore addresses the competency needs of 68 nurse managers. Orientation of new nurse managers is a significant component of the program. The orientation is based on performance standards and identification of organizational resources and opportunities to assist the managers to meet the standards. A convenience sample of 10 nurse managers, assistant directors, and directors of nursing reviewed the program 1 year after implementation and found it had improved the quality of orientation by providing structure and organization. The model can be applied to other institutions and practice roles.

Two-phased oncology orientation program. A resource efficient teaching strategy.

Orientation is an important component in assuring the assimilation and adequate performance of new employees. In settings that require the integration of high-level technical skills and critical thinking, employees must learn essential information in a short time. In this article, the authors review the process used in a critical care oncology setting to develop a curriculum for a two-phased orientation program. Implementation and evaluation strategies are presented to assist others in the process of developing orientation programs that achieve desired objectives in a resource-efficient environment.