Reducing Barriers for RN-BSN Education: The Assessment Competency Evaluation.

The Northeast Team of the Ohio Action Coalition, composed of regional clinical and academic educators, identified a potential barrier for nurses pursuing a baccalaureate degree. Duplication of health assessment content was identified for some associate degree graduates enrolled in RN-BSN programs, thereby adding extra time and cost for attaining the baccalaureate degree. In response, the Northeast Team of the Ohio Action Coalition developed an assessment competency evaluation that, if successfully passed, would grant credit for the health assessment course. The assessment competency evaluation provided the opportunity for students to demonstrate competency in both health assessment and clinical judgment skills.

Pathways to BSN Education: Teamwork in Ohio.

AIM: The Ohio Action Coalition was formed to address the key recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report. BACKGROUND: The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action is a national initiative to guide implementation of the recommendations in the Future of Nursing report. METHOD: Through statewide meetings, leaders from nursing education and practice adopted a statewide competency model. Regional teams provided detailed regional gap analyses using the Ohio Nurse Competency Model and address the Institute of Medicine's foundational pillar that nurses should achieve higher levels of education. RESULTS: Communication among baccalaureate and community colleges and nursing practice has increased statewide as a result of this collaborative project. The teams are committed to exploring ways to standardize and develop adaptable seamless academic progression models for implementation across communities. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, the goal is to positively impact the academic preparation of the Ohio nursing workforce.

Care for the Caregiver: Evaluation of Mind-Body Self-Care for Accelerated Nursing Students.

Stress affects the well-being of both nursing students and the individuals with whom they work. With the theory of cognitive appraisal as a framework for this study, it is proposed that mind-body self-care strategies promote stress management by stabilization of emotions. Outcomes will be a perception of less stress and more mindful engagement with the environment. Objective of the study was to describe an evaluation of student perceived stress and mindfulness to 1-hour per week of class time dedicated to mind-body self-care (yoga, mindful breathing, Reiki, and essential oil therapy). It was a quasi-experimental study; data collection took place at 4 time points. Participants were entry-level accelerated nursing students from 3 US universities: 50 in the treatment group, 64 in the comparison group. Data included health-promoting practices using Health-Promoting Promotion Lifestyle Profile II as a control variable, stress and mindfulness (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS] and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale [MAAS]), and demographic information; analysis using mixed-design repeated-measures analysis of variances. There was a statistically significant interaction between intervention and time on PSS scores, F(3, 264) = 3.95, P = .009, partial η(2) = 0.043, with PSS scores of the intervention group decreasing from baseline to T3 when intervention ended whereas PSS scores of the comparison group increased from baseline. The average scores on the MAAS did not differ significantly. Evaluation of an embedded mind-body self-care module in the first nursing course demonstrated promising improvements in stress management. The findings support the appropriateness of integrating mind-body self-care content into nursing curricula to enhance students' ability to regulate stress.

Using a dedicated education unit clinical education model with second-degree accelerated nursing program students.

Rising health care costs have underscored the need for new graduates to effectively transition to professional practice. Effective academic-practice partnerships, such as dedicated education units (DEUs), can be useful in facilitating the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to the clinical setting. This randomized experimental study found the DEU clinical model to be valuable in facilitating the transfer of knowledge in second-degree accelerated program students as evaluated by course, simulation, and standardized assessment scores and self-evaluations. Successful transition to clinical practice is reported by practice partners; time allotted for orientation program requirements was reduced and retention on the unit of hire was improved. Additional research is needed to understand the effectiveness of second-degree accelerated nursing programs and how to revise the clinical education element of the program to meet the unique needs of these students.

Closing the practice gap: preparing staff nurses for the preceptor role.

Today's practicing nurse faces many challenges and opportunities, and as a result, new graduate readiness for practice has increasing importance. Research completed by the Nursing Executive Center, the Advisory Board's research membership serving nursing administrators, acknowledged a considerable disparity between graduate nurse competencies and the expectation of employing healthcare systems. A pilot project designed to guide preceptors in the role of educator fostered the development of new nurse competencies that helped facilitate transition to professional practice.

Using low-fidelity simulation with sophomore nursing students in a baccalaureate nursing program.

Opportunities to achieve competency in the psychomotor and cognitive outcomes required of the nursing profession are limited due to shortages of clinical sites and situations. One solution is to use simulation to replicate some of the essential aspects of a clinical situation so it may be readily understood and managed when it occurs in reality. A program developed for sophomore students integrated the pharmacology, health assessment, and pathophysiology theory courses using low-fidelity simulation and computer-assisted instruction. The objectives of the program were based on Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies. The simulation strategies were evaluated using the Educational Practice Scale for Simulation, the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning questionnaire, and the Simulation Design Scale. The initial findings are encouraging for promoting active and diverse methods of learning, high and positive expectations for students, self-confidence, and collaborative team-building opportunities.

Self-transcendence and spiritual well-being in the Amish.

Self-transcendence, the ability to expand one's relationship to others and the environment, has been found to provide hope which helps a person adapt and cope with illness. Spiritual well-being, the perception of health and wholeness, can boost self-confidence and self esteem. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the relationship between self-transcendence and spiritual well-being in adult Amish. A random sample of Old Order Amish was surveyed by postal mail; there were 134 respondents. Two valid and reliable questionnaires were used to measure the key variables. The participants had high levels of self-transcendence and spiritual well-being and there was a statistically significant positive relationship between the two variables. The findings from this study will increase nurses' awareness of the holistic nature of the Amish beliefs and assist nurses in serving this population. Additional research is needed to develop further understanding of the study variables among the Amish.

Spiritual and alternative healthcare practices of the Amish.

Although the use of spiritual and alternative healthcare practices is increasing, knowledge of these practices among the Amish is limited. This study explored the spiritual and healthcare practices of 134 Amish. Information about the diversity and prevalence of these practices among the Amish may be useful to nurses in practice.