Nurse Faculty Perceptions of External Factors Affecting Psychological Capital and Leadership Development.

BACKGROUND: Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a higher order construct that includes four psychological capacities: hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism (known as HERO). PsyCap can be instrumental in navigating workplace challenges; it can be impeded by factors within the environment that may also impact intention to seek leadership development. METHOD: A descriptive, qualitative study guided by Husserl's descriptive phenomenology sought to explore faculty perceptions of the external factors of workload, organizational support, organizational resources, and incentive on PsyCap and intent to seek leadership development. RESULTS: Analysis uncovered three themes: reset button, driving factors for seeking leadership development, and faculty as leaders. CONCLUSION: External factors can either hinder or promote PsyCap and intent to seek leadership development. Constructs within PsyCap are critical for nursing faculty to achieve a "reset." Organizations should offer resources or support to further foster PsyCap.

Psychological Capital Among Nursing Faculty: Implications for Practice.

BACKGROUND: Psychological Capital (PsyCap) consists of a set of internal resources an individual can access to navigate challenges and enhance job performance, satisfaction, and overall success. External factors within the academic environment may influence PsyCap. PURPOSE: The purpose was to explore PsyCap among nursing faculty and the impact of external factors on PsyCap and intent to seek leadership development. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted to examine nursing faculty's perceptions of their level of PsyCap through the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. RESULTS: Seventy nursing faculty participated. Faculty yield higher levels of PsyCap ( M = 4.5). The level of PsyCap did not correlate with intent to seek leadership development. Results also suggested that organizational support was a positive predictor of PsyCap (ß= .26, t = 2.4, P = .021), and incentives for development were close to significant ( P = .058). CONCLUSIONS: External factors can hinder, promote, and predict PsyCap, yielding both personal and professional implications; however, further exploration is warranted.

Leadership Self and Means Efficacy Among Nursing Faculty: A National Study.

BACKGROUND: There is a call for leadership in every nursing role. Thus, nursing faculty must self-reflect on their leadership abilities and seek support from their surrounding resources to be successful leaders in their current and future roles. METHOD: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted to query nursing faculty's perceptions of their leadership self and means efficacy. An anonymous online survey using the Leadership Efficacy Questionnaire that measures leader means efficacy was sent to universities in the United States. RESULTS: Sixty-nine faculty participated. The majority (92.8%) of respondents were women between the ages of 32 and 71 years. The participants included both diploma and university educators with varied experience. Leader action efficacy yielded a 70.4% confidence score, with leader means efficacy of 66.5% and leader self-regulation efficacy of 77.6%. CONCLUSION: Faculty in higher nursing education must be able to lead with confidence and be supported by their respective institutions. Further research on leadership training is needed. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(11):636-640.].

Nursing Faculty Experiences Transitioning to a Virtual DNP Residency During COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic created many academic challenges. Shelter in place orders forced educational institutions to move on-ground learning to an online format. This necessitated transitioning traditional in-person events such as nursing residency to a virtual occurrence. Currently, there is a paucity of research to assist with transition to the virtual environment. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore faculty experiences transitioning to a virtual Doctor of Nursing Practice residency. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore faculty experiences with virtual residency. The sample included 11 nursing faculty. Data collection consisted of answering demographic and open-ended questions through an anonymous survey. RESULTS: Content analysis revealed two themes: (1) Essence of Residency was Missing and (2) Virtual Residency was an Acceptable Alternative. CONCLUSION: Based on these themes, recommendations for virtual residency improvement were identified that would be beneficial to both faculty and students, providing a better environment and enhanced virtual experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Results from this research begin building a foundation of knowledge for best practices when creating an academic nursing virtual event. Recommendations focus on ways to form a better virtual community, promote a relaxed scholarly environment, and uphold academic standards.

Exploring Student Perceptions of a Virtual Practicum.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has disrupted and overwhelmed academia, adding many new challenges for nursing faculty. However, despite these challenges, nursing faculty at a small private university demonstrated resilience and innovation at the height of the acute phase of the crisis, transforming a traditional 2-day in-person Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) practicum to an abbreviated, interactive virtual format. METHOD: A qualitative study was conducted to explore DNP student perceptions of the virtual practicum. An anonymous survey was created to gather participant feedback; the link was embedded in an email invitation to practicum participants. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were English speaking, middle-aged, Black, non-Hispanic nurse practitioners. Content analysis revealed three themes: valuable interactions, supportive faculty, and enlightening feedback. CONCLUSION: Despite the crisis and ensuing consequences of the pandemic, DNP students who participated in the virtual practicum described a meaningful and valuable experience. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(9):513-516.].

Supporting pharmacogenetic-guided opioid prescriptions for post-operative pain: The design, protocol and preliminary results of the OTP study.

The interindividual variability in opioid response is an issue that contributes to the ongoing opioid crisis. Current evidence suggests this variability can be attributed to genetic factors. The pharmacogenetics of Opioid Treatment for acute post-operative Pain (OTP) project was a prospective study that aimed to identify genetic markers associated with opioid treatment outcomes. Healthy patients undergoing third-molar extractions were recruited from dental offices located within the Greater Toronto Area. Participants were evaluated using the Brief Pain Inventory Short Form, the Opioid Related Symptom Distress Scale, and the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire. Seventy-two participants had an active opioid prescription. Participants were prescribed one of the following opioids: codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, tramadol, or oxycodone. The majority of participants were female (57%), ranging from 16 to 44 years of age. Pain severity, pain interference, and side effects declined over the seven-day post-operative period. Additionally, 4% of participants displayed medium to high risk of dependence. It is anticipated that OTP will enable the development of a genetic test for opioid use and facilitate the introduction of this test into routine healthcare practice. The OTP study represents a novel approach to opioid treatment and has significant implications for future interventions targeting the ongoing opioid crisis. Employing a pharmacogenomic-guided strategy for prescribing opioids may improve patients' response to this treatment and, in so doing, increase adherence to the target treatment plan. Optimized prescriptions may also provide public healthcare systems with beneficial savings and reduce the risks associated with opioid use.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Transformational Leadership Education Session for Nurse Leaders and Nurse Educators.

BACKGROUND: Transformational leadership is one of the most utilized models of leadership across the disciplines. It can positively impact the leader-follower relationship, performance of the leader, and productivity of the organization. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the project was to assess the impact of an educational session on the recognition and execution of transformational leadership characteristics for nurse leaders and nurse educators. METHODS: An interactive transformational leadership education session aimed to affect the recognition and execution of nurse leaders' and nurse educators' transformational leadership characteristics. RESULTS: A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test yielded a statistically significant increase in idealized influence (behavior), and an increase in intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation. CONCLUSIONS: This project creates the infrastructure for future ongoing initiatives focusing on the beneficial impact of transformational leadership development for nurse leaders and educators. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: A supportive environment for transformational leadership development may take the institution to the next level regarding engagement, productivity, and performance, all of which are vital to organizational success.

The pharmacogenetics of opioid treatment for pain management.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are widely used as an analgesic for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, there are interindividual variabilities in opioid response. Current evidence suggests that these variabilities can be attributed to single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in opioid pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Knowledge of these genetic factors through pharamacogenetic (PGx) testing can help clinicians to more consistently prescribe opioids that can provide patients with maximal clinical benefit and minimal risk of adverse effects. AIM: The research outlined in this literature review identifies variants involved in opioid PGx, which may be an important tool to achieving the goal of personalized pain management. RESULTS: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT), adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter B1 (ABCB1), opioid receptor mu 1 (OPRM1), and opioid receptor delta 1 (OPRD1) are all important genes involved in opioid drug response, side effect profile and risk of dependence; these are important genetic factors that should be included in potential opioid PGx tests for pain management. CONCLUSIONS: Employing a PGx-guided strategy for prescribing opioids can improve response rate, reduce side effects and increase adherence to treatment plans for pain; more research is needed to explore opioid-related PGx factors for the development and validation of an opioid genetic panel. Optimal prescriptions could also provide healthcare payers with beneficial savings, while reducing the risk of propagating the current opioid crisis.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Definition, Causes, and Pathophysiology.

First successfully described in 1967, acute respiratory distress syndrome has since garnered much interest and debate. Extensive studies and clinical trials have been carried out in efforts to address the associated high mortality; however, it remains a significant burden on health care. Despite the heterogeneous etiologies that lead to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome, this rapidly progressing form of respiratory failure, characterized by severe hypoxemia and nonhydrostatic pulmonary edema, has a recognizable pattern of lung injury. In this chapter, we will review the clinical manifestations, definitions, causes, and a brief overview of the pathophysiology of this complex syndrome.

Complications and Outcomes of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a disease associated with both short- and long-term complications. Acute complications include refractory respiratory failure requiring prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation and the subsequent need for tracheostomy and gastrostomy tubes, protracted immobilization, and lengthy stays in the intensive care unit resulting in delirium, critical illness myopathy, and polyneuropathy, as well as secondary nosocomial infections. Chronic adverse outcomes of ARDS include irreversible changes such as fibrosis, tracheal stenosis from prolonged tracheostomy tube placement, pulmonary function decline, cognitive impairment and memory loss, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, muscle weakness, ambulatory dysfunction, and an overall poor quality of life. The degree of disability in ARDS survivors is heterogeneous and can be evident even years after hospitalization. Although survival rates have improved over the past 4 decades, mortality remains significant with rates reported as high as 40%. Despite advancements in management, the causes of death in ARDS have remained relatively unchanged since the 1980s with sepsis/septic shock and multiorgan failure at the top of the list.

Special Circumstances and Populations.

Venous thromboembolism is a condition that includes both deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Venous thromboembolism disease can result because of a combination of risk factors, including patient-related, treatment-related, and, more specifically, cancer-related factors. It is not disease-specific or a population-specific disorder, but it is more prevalent in certain specialty populations. This article will cover those specialty populations including cancer, pregnancy, and athletes.