Journal of professional nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
-
Cultural immersion experiences incorporated in baccalaureate nursing programs have yielded positive short- and long-term effects on the personal and professional lives of the participants. Despite this evidence, little is known about how immersion experiences affect the RN student returning to school. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to uncover the meaning of a week-long immersion in Honduras for RN students (N = 8) and its impact on their professional practice upon return from Honduras. ⋯ Transcripts were analyzed, and four themes emerged: from the outside looking in, struggling with dissonance, searching for meaning, and from the inside looking out. These themes combined to form the essence of the meaning of the experience: reclaiming the essence of nursing. Implications for practice, education, and research are addressed.
-
Education and practice partnerships are key to effective academic program design and implementation in a time of decreasing supply and increasing demands on the nursing profession. An integrated education/practice competency model can positively impact patient safety, improve patient care, increase retention, and ensure a sufficient and competent nursing workforce, which is paramount to survival of the health care system. ⋯ The Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies define the knowledge, attitude, and skills required as the minimal expectations for initial nursing practice following completion of a prelicensure professional nursing education program. These competencies are now being integrated into new models for seamless, coordinated nursing curriculum and transition into practice within the state and beyond.
-
Evidence-based practice (EBP) has become increasingly important in nursing. It has become a dominant philosophy in teaching research courses and it brings a new definition to the translation of science. As more has become known about EBP, it has continued to grow in its importance and significance. ⋯ A corresponding teaching framework is presented. Additionally, competencies related to the DNP with aggregate systems and organizational foci are suggested. Practical experiences emanating from working within the NP competency development and framework are highlighted and described.
-
Serious deficiencies in the quality of patient care and safety, rapid changes in the health care environment, and technological advances have collectively influenced an urgent call for health professions education reform. The Institute of Medicine (2003) has proposed a set of five core competencies that all health care professionals should possess and has recommended that these be used as an overarching vision for all health care professional education in the 21st century. These competencies have been incorporated into the newly revised American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials of Baccalaureate Education document (2008). ⋯ Strategies to incorporate newly recommended student competencies while preventing content overload are presented. The change process and implications for nursing education are explored. Finally, lessons learned with recommendations for nurse educator colleagues who are undertaking the challenge of curricular revision are discussed.
-
The choice of a venue for publication of a manuscript is rarely a clear-cut decision. Several factors should be considered in this decision, such as the audience for whom you are writing, the topic of the manuscript, the purposes for which you are writing, and the journal guidelines. These factors may vary in importance to the author. Examining each factor and plotting the importance visually on a checklist will assist the author in making the decision about where a manuscript should be submitted so that the article will have the desired impact.