Leadership experiences for baccalaureate nursing students: improving quality in a nurse-managed rural health clinic.

Nurse educators need practical, effective methods to help nursing students understand the importance of quality improvement activities and their relationship to the financial viability of organizations. This article describes a project designed to provide students with an opportunity to apply quality improvement principles in a rural, nurse-managed clinic with the ultimate goal of improving potential reimbursement for services through improved documentation. Implications for students, nurse educators, and rural clinics are provided.

Customized library tutorial for online BSN students: library and nursing partnership.

Students returning to school to earn advanced degrees frequently experience difficulty accessing and retrieving information necessary to complete assignments. The authors describe the need, the development process, and the outcome of the partnership between nursing faculty and librarians to provide a customized library tutorial for online registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing students.

Development of an interdisciplinary case management program for combat veterans.

The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, prompted a major mobilization of Alabama active military reservists and Alabama National Guardsmen to serve in the Middle East. Health problems related to geographic relocation, environmental threats, combat and other traumatic events, and the stress associated with serving in an active capacity have resulted in an increase in the number of patients and the variety of illnesses being seen at Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. The Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center developed a combat veterans care coordination program to efficiently and effectively manage the care of returning combat veterans. The development and first-year outcomes of the program are described.

RN refresher courses: hospital-based versus university-based.

Refresher and reentry courses for registered nurses (RNs) are being used to recruit inactive nurses back into practice in the present nursing shortage. Built on models of staff development orientation for newly employed RNs and continuing education for adult learners, two refresher/reentry programs are described. University- and hospital-based RN refresher courses had similar enrollments and positive evaluations, but different curriculum organization; cost and employment outcomes varied. Both employment prior to the class and collaboration among providers greatly enhance positive outcomes.

WEB-BASED GRADUATE EDUCATION IN RURAL NURSING CASE MANAGEMENT.

The decreasing supply of advanced practice nurses continues to be a problem that plagues America, especially in rural regions. It has been suggested that nurse educators aggressively recruit potential graduate students and provide "easy access" for nurses presently living and practicing in rural areas. Web-based or on-line courses not only improve access to graduate education for rural nurses but also provide for high quality teaching and learning experience for both students and faculty. The purpose of this study was to examine what students in a web-based graduate program in rural nursing case management and faculty perceive are the advantages and disadvantages of web-based learning. In this descriptive study, interviews and a written survey were used for data collection. The sample included six faculty teaching in the graduate nursing program at the time of data collection and 29 former students enrolled or graduated from the program. Findings revealed by students included difficulties with computer technology, unclear expectations for coursework, and lack of socialization as disadvantages. Students identified teacher advocacy and accessibility through distance education as advantages of the program. Faculty identified access as the major advantage. Disadvantages identified by faculty included lack of socialization for students, faculty workload, and a need for ongoing faculty development.

Requirements and interventions used by BSN programs to promote and predict NCLEX-RN success: a national study.

The purposes of this study were (1) to identify specific program requirements and educational interventions used to promote National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) success among graduates of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs and (2) to determine the best predictors of NCLEX-RN success used by BSN nursing programs. This descriptive correlational study used the survey method for data collection. Participants were recruited from 513 generic BSN programs. One hundred sixty usable responses were received for a response rate of 31.2 percent. This is the only recent national study of variables associated with NCLEX-RN success that could be found in the literature; therefore, it addresses a gap in the literature. Significant findings related to NCLEX passing rates included (1) the use of standardized entrance exams and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores for admission criteria, (2) National League for Nursing (NLN) content at-risk scores for mental health and community health nursing for progression, (3) clinical proficiency and use of exit examinations as graduation requirements, (4) commercial reviews as an intervention, and (5) percent White as a demographic variable. Additionally, the findings support the use of standardized entrance examinations and content area examinations to assess readiness for NCLEX.