Creating a racial justice plan in a school of nursing: A journey of discovery and learning.

While there are many individuals and instances which illustrate the injustices experienced by people of color at the hands of police in the United States, the video which documented the murder of George Floyd by a law enforcement officer graphically illustrated our long and sad history of racial injustices. This and other events in 2020 forced our society to look at racism and systemic injustices that are embedded so deeply within our policies and practices that differentially advantage or disadvantage certain faculty, students and staff within higher education. This paper will describe the infrastructure and processes used to examine and address individual and systemic racism and white supremacy-based practices and policies at a School of Nursing. We describe the initial phases of racial justice work and infrastructure used to engage and support the efforts of committed faculty, staff and students aspiring to achieve racial equity. We share our challenges as well as immediate outcomes with the hope of stimulating thinking and dialogue in other schools around eliminating racial injustices in nursing education programs so the profession can achieve its' vision of preparing a diverse nursing workforce for the future who will work to improve the health of all.

Creating a culture that values diversity and inclusion: An action-oriented framework for schools of nursing.

An organizational culture that values diversity and inclusion is essential for the achievement of high-quality nursing education, yet little literature exists to guide schools of nursing (SON) in accomplishing this goal. All SONs, regardless of size, need a framework that provides specific steps for developing and nurturing a culture that values diversity and inclusion. Using our SON as an exemplar, the goal of this article was to (a) review the barriers we faced when building a diverse and inclusive environment, (b) share our school's strategic plan designed to promote diversity and inclusion, and (c) highlight successful strategies as part of the development and ongoing implementation of our school's strategic plan. This process requires continuous commitment and intentionality as well as flexibility to address unforeseen circumstances. For example, the goals we have adopted and the strategies we have put in place have allowed members of our SON community to acknowledge and address the urgency and validity of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on racial and ethnic minority groups. Although we recognize that we still have work to do within our SON community, we believe our exemplar offers an action-oriented framework for increasing diversity and inclusion among students, faculty, staff, and leadership in SONs.

Improving Asthma Management in the Elementary School Setting: An Education and Self-management Pilot Project.

PURPOSE: To increase daily asthma symptom self-assessments of elementary school students using Green Means Go, an asthma education and self-assessment program, via a partnership between an elementary school and a school of nursing. METHODS: Over four months, accelerated MSN nursing students provided small group education sessions to teach students and teachers to identify asthma symptoms by Asthma Action Plan (AAP) zones and actions for each zone. To promote continuity of care between school and home, a teacher-parent communication log during yellow zone days was encouraged. RESULTS: Students with asthma (n = 90), teachers (n = 12) and parents (n = 1) participated. Previously no students performed daily self-assessments and at program end, all students accurately identified symptoms, AAP zones, and action steps. A total of 789 symptom self-assessments were recorded. Teachers reported increased asthma knowledge. One parent attended an education session and one home visit was completed. No communication logs were returned. CONCLUSIONS: Partnerships between elementary and nursing schools may be an effective strategy for delivery of health programs to high-risk children with chronic diseases. Self-assessment of symptoms and taking appropriate actions at school are critical components of early asthma intervention, particularly when a school nurse is not always available. Training teachers to follow a child's AAP within school policies is a critical second step. Home visits showed potential as a strategy for engaging parents. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In the current climate of school nurse shortages, management of asthma-related episodes in school can be improved with similar partnerships and programs that promote health education and self-management.

Promoting positive culture change in nursing faculties: Getting to maybe through liberating structures.

Organizations are complex with cultures that influence excellence, commitment and job satisfaction. In nursing schools, faculty are required to succeed within the performance driven culture of academic scholarship alongside the organizational culture that influences the work environment. The purpose of this article is to describe the process that a School of Nursing engaged in using complexity science and liberating structures to shift a perceived unhealthy organizational culture to a healthier one. Complexity science focuses on patterns of relationships within a system while Liberating Structures provide strategies for people to identify new patterns of working together which can contribute to culture change. Over two years, faculty identified the culture issues, the desired positive outcomes and implemented an action plan using Liberating Structures such as Shift and Share, Discovery and Action Dialogues, TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) and 15% Solutions (Power to Create Change Now). The work included a focus on understanding culture challenges, uncovering positive practices, and creating new ways to respectfully interact with each other while implementing the work of the School. Culture is ubiquitous, takes time to alter and can be difficult to measure any substantive change, however on evaluation after two years, there was guarded optimism that a healthier culture exists with knowledge of how to continue to build on the work done. While problems still arise, the new knowledge, strength of leadership within faculty and having the understanding and confidence to interact respectfully, continues to build new relationship patterns and a healthier culture within the School.

Perceptions of young men at the Free State School of Nursing with regards to teenage pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancy is a socio-economic challenge and a serious public health problem for communities in South Africa. It is, therefore, imperative that effective interventions and programmes be implemented to address this problem. A number of research studies have been conducted on teenage pregnancy in South Africa, but their focus was mainly on teenage girls excluding young men's involvement in teenage pregnancy. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of young men between the ages of 18 and 23 years towards teenage pregnancy. METHODS: A qualitative, explorative semi-structured interview descriptive design was used toconduct the study. The study was guided by the Johnson's Behavioral System Model. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 participants with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis of data were performed. SETTING: The study was conducted in Free State School of Nursing's two main campuses. RESULTS: The findings of this study revealed that young men were not involved in reproductive health programmes aiming to prevent teenage pregnancies. Father and son's poor communication on issues related to sex and teenage pregnancy contributes to unprotected sexual intercourse resulting in teenage pregnancy. Cultural and traditional practices such as the withdrawal method, not using contraceptives, and misleading teachings at the initiation schools contribute to risk factors of teenage pregnancy. CONCLUSION: There is still a gap in reproductive health that needs to be filled by involving young men to reduce teenage pregnancies. Involving young men in reproductive health programmes could lead to a decreased number of teenage pregnancies. Factors, such as cultural and traditional practices, and father and son sexual health education, need to be taken into consideration to prevent teenage pregnancies.

NUCare: Advancing research on technological integration for self-management in the aging population.

BACKGROUND: The Center for Technology in Support of Self-Management and Health (NUCare) is an exploratory research center funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research's P20 mechanism positioned to conduct rigorous research on the integration of technology in the self-management of the older adult population. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and application of an evaluation plan and preliminary evaluation results from the first year of implementation. METHODS: This evaluation plan is derived from and is consistent with Dorsey et al.'s (2014) logic model. Dorsey's model provided guidelines for evaluating sustainability, leveraging of resources, and interdisciplinary collaboration within the center. DISCUSSION: Preliminary results and strategies for addressing findings from the first year of evaluation are discussed. A secondary aim of this paper is to showcase the relevance of this center to the advancement and maintenance of health in the aging population.

La Escuela de Enfermería UC ante la ley que despenaliza el aborto: responde si al cuidado de los vulnerables / The Nursing School UC before the law that dispenalizes abortion: answer yes to the care of the vulnerable

En Chile el tema de la despenalización del aborto en sus tres causales ha abierto un nuevo horizonte de análisis y reflexión para los sectores de salud y educación en términos de formación de nuevos profesionales. Esto ha impulsado a los profesores de la Escuela de Enfermería de la Universidad Católica a reflexionar al respecto, teniendo en consideración sus valores, antecedentes históricos, el perfil del egresado de la Carrera y el marco antropológico filosófico que guía nuestro actuar como profesionales de enfermería y enfermería obstétrica. El objetivo del presente documento es compartir la postura de la Escuela de Enfermería frente al proyecto de ley que despenaliza el aborto en Chile, considerando que este es un tema complejo y controversial en todo el mundo, incluso en aquellos países en que existen leyes que lo permiten. Es por esto que como Escuela de Enfermería en la que se forman futuros profesionales que se enfrentarán a este posible escenario sanitario, se ha querido contribuir a la reflexión de este tema importante y directamente relacionado a las buenas prácticas y el cuidado de las personas. Se debe tener presente que el cuidado de enfermería, debe orientarse a velar por la vida, cuidar y tutelar a la persona en su dignidad desde el momento de la concepción, a través de todo el ciclo de vida y, sobre todo, en momentos de mayor vulnerabilidad.

In Chile, a decriminalization of abortion has been under discussion for some three years in a bill proposed. This has animated the professors of the School of Nursing of the Catholic University to reflect on this, taking into consideration their values, historical background, career profile and the philosophical anthropological framework that guides our acting as nursing professionals in the scope of good practices in the care of people. The objective of this document is to share the position of the School of Nursing in front of the bill that decriminalizes abortion in Chile, considering that this is an ethical and controversial topic worldwide, even in countries where there are laws that allow. This is why as a Nursing School in which future professionals are trained to face this possible health scenario, we wanted to contribute to the reflection of this important and complex issue. It should be borne in mind that nursing care should be oriented to care for life, to care for and protect the person in his dignity from the moment of conception, throughout the life cycle and, especially, in moments of Greater vulnerability.

Transitioning from Departments to Schools of Nursing: A Qualitative Analysis of Journeys by Ten Deans.

Transitioning from a department to a school of nursing creates an environment that is more conducive to attracting qualified faculty and enhancing program growth to meet the projected nursing workforce needs. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed limited research to guide nursing programs considering this transition. This qualitative study explored the conditions and outcomes associated with successful or unsuccessful attempts to transition from a department to school of nursing from the perspective of 10 deans affiliated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Meleis' transitions theory (2010) guided this study in its exploration of facilitating and inhibiting conditions. With institutional review board approval and participant permission, interviews were conducted in-person or by telephone, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were independently reviewed and coded for emerging themes. Content analysis revealed the following themes: titles matter, support is essential, voice at the table, buy-in or dissension, it just brings nursing to totally different level, think differently, and legitimizing your position. For these deans, consideration of the facilitating and inhibiting conditions is critical in determining whether decisions are favorable and in support of the transition. Developing an understanding from the experiences of these 10 deans offers guidance to nursing academic administrators who are contemplating transitioning from a department to a school of nursing. Future research is needed to explore conditions relative to faculty governance and infrastructure, examine the experiences of those undergoing transitions, and expand study findings to develop a self-study guide for programs in assessing their readiness for such a transition.

Movimento de expansão dos cursos superiores de enfermagem na região centro-oeste do Brasil: uma perspectiva histórica / Movement of expansion of the upper courses of nursing in the center-west region of Brazil: a historical perspective

Estudo documental de abordagem histórico social, cujo objeto foi a trajetória de crescimento dos cursos superiores de enfermagem na região Centro-Oeste do Brasil. Os objetivos foram: levantar o número de cursos superiores de enfermagem criados na região Centro-Oeste, na série histórica 1933-2006; comparar o número de cursos vinculados a instituições públicas aos vinculados a instituições privadas na região em estudo; e comentar os nexos entre o contexto histórico e a configuração desses cursos no que se refere à vinculação institucional, ao longo dos anos. Até o final do ano de 1999, haviam sido criados na região Centro-Oeste 14 cursos de enfermagem, dos quais 57% eram privados e 43% públicos. Em decorrência das políticas de educação adotadas no país, principalmente na década de 90, observa-se a criação de mais 30 cursos na região entre os anos 2000 e 2006, perfazendo um total de 44 cursos superiores de enfermagem, dos quais 79,5% são privados e 20,5% públicos, sendo Goiás, o estado com maior concentração destes cursos. A rede privada expandiu-se na região e concentra, atualmente, a grande maioria dos cursos de enfermagem, o que nos faz entender que a mesma determina, quase que por completo, o perfil do futuro profissional de enfermagem.

A documentary study with historical social approach, whose object was the nursing upper courses growth path in Center-West region of Brazil. The objectives were: raise the nursing upper courses number created in Center-West region, in the historical series 1933-2006; compare the courses number linked to the public institutions linked to private institutions in region in study; and comment the connections between the historical context and those courses configuration in what refers to the institutional linking, to the long one of the years. Results: to the end of 1999, had been created in the Center-West region 14 nursing courses, of which 57% were private and 43% public. In consequence of education politics adopted in the country, mainly in the 90ï, observes-itself the creation of more 30 courses in region between the years 2000 and 2006, making up a total of 44 nursing upper courses, of which 79,5% are private and 20,5% public, being Goiás, the state with bigger concentration of these courses. The private net expanded itself in region and concentrates, at present, to nursing courses big majority, what is going to make us understand that the same determines, barely that completely, the nursing professional future profile.

Estudio documental con enfoque histórico social, cuyo objeto fue la trayectoria del crecimiento de cursos superiores de enfermería en región Central-Oeste de Brasil. Los objetivos fueron: levantar el número de cursos superiores de enfermería creados en la región Centro-Oeste, en serie histórica 1933-2006; comparar el número de cursos ligado a instituciones públicas y ligados a instituciones privadas en la región en estudio; y comentar conexiones entre el contexto histórico y la configuración de esos cursos en lo que se refiere al vínculo institucional, al largo de los años. Resultados: al fin del año de 1999, había sido criados en la región Centro-Oeste 14 cursos de enfermería, del cuál 57% eran privado y 43% públicos. Como consecuencia de políticas de educación adoptadas en el país, principalmente en la década de 90, se observa la criación de más 30 cursos en la región entre 2000 y 2006, haciendo un suma de 44 cursos superiores de enfermería, de los cuales 79,5% son privados y 20,5% públicos, siendo Goiás, el estado con mayor concentración de estos cursos. La red privada se ensanchó en la región y concentra, en la actualidad, la grande mayoría de cursos de enfermería, lo que nos hace entender que la misma determina, casi que completamente, el perfil del futuro profesional de enfermería.

Values held by nursing faculty and students in a university setting.

An ever-expanding wealth of life-preserving high technology and scientific knowledge, coupled with expanded autonomy of nurses, has created for them ethical and moral dilemmas. As society's values are changing, manifested by an accelerated crime rate, malfeasance in high places, and seeming social indifference, have nurses maintained their ethical equilibrium? This article reports the findings of a descriptive study that examined the professional and personal values of nursing faculty in a large midwestern school of nursing and compares them with those of generic students entering the program. Faculty demonstrated a significantly higher commitment to the American Association of College of Nursing professional value, human dignity, than to the values of equality (P less than .05) and esthetics (P less than .01). Also, there was a significantly higher commitment to altruism than esthetics (P less than .05). Results showed that entering students were more alike on personal values (Rokeach Values Survey) than different from the faculty who teach them.