Building Graduate Student Capacity as Future Researchers Through a Research and Training Award Program.

BACKGROUND: With the global shortage of doctor of philosophy-prepared nursing faculty and an aging nursing professorate, the nursing profession is at risk of having fewer nurses doing research and fewer faculty to supervise the next generation of nurse researchers. METHOD: A research training award for graduate nursing students was piloted with the intent of providing a research-intensive experiential learning opportunity that would contribute to graduate students' future roles as nurse researchers. This article describes the program design, implementation, and evaluation. FINDINGS: The Graduate Student Research Training Awards afforded students an opportunity to develop research and methodologic skills and achieve student-centered outcomes. These awards build their capacity as future researchers by both empowering them and increasing their confidence in research. The input and evaluation from graduate students was integral to the success of the program. CONCLUSION: Graduate student research training awards can be a valuable experiential learning opportunity in research intensive graduate programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(5):284-287.].

Psychosocial adaptation: an evolutionary concept analysis exploring a common multidisciplinary language.

AIMS: To provide the first known concept analysis of psychosocial adaptation, exploring its evolution from the concept adaptation. We also determine how psychosocial adaptation is conceptualized across nursing, health, sociobehavioural and education disciplines. BACKGROUND: Psychosocial adaptation is an important conceptual term that is poorly defined in nursing and other health, sociobehavioural and education disciplines. A thorough understanding of the concept's application in nursing and across disciplines can help to clarify its meaning, facilitate a more effective common language between disciplines and inform future psychosocial adaptation research. DESIGN: Rodger's evolutionary view guided this concept analysis. DATA SOURCES: Peer-reviewed English and Spanish manuscripts published between 2011-2013 were retrieved from the following databases: CINAHL, Psych INFO, PubMed, Scopus and LILACS. REVIEW METHODS: Eighty-nine articles related to psychosocial adaptation were included in the analysis. Findings identify key attributes, antecedents and consequences associated with the use of the concept. Findings were compared vis-a-vis reported characteristics of adaptation. RESULTS: The attributes characterizing psychosocial adaptation are: change, process, continuity, interaction and influence. In psychosocial adaptation, new life conditions serve as antecedents, while consequences are good or bad outcomes. Important features of the evolution of this concept include its broad appropriation across the reviewed disciplines. The attributes of psychosocial adaptation, have some similarities to those of general adaptation. Both concepts include an aspect of change, but unlike adaptation, psychosocial adaptation has branched away from biological descriptors, such as homeostasis and tends to focus on relational characteristics, such as interaction and influences.