Debra L. Fawcett

Mentoring—What It Is and How to Make It Work

Mentors are people who help those less experienced in their field learn about the field and advance their careers. Mentors not only help mentees learn, they also learn from the mentor-mentee relationship. To be effective, mentors should possess patience, enthusiasm, knowledge, a sense of humor, and respect. They also should advocate for mentees and get to know them, thus allowing mentees to succeed and the mentor-learner relationship to grow.

Attitudes Toward Patients with AIDS

he AIDS epidemic has reached astounding proportions in the United States. As T of September 1992, 242,146 cases of AIDS had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control; of those, 160,372 have died. By 1994, a cumulative total in the United States is projected to reach 415,000 to 535,000 cases.’ The AIDS epidemic has been identified as an urban disease with most cases occurring in metropolitan areas,* yet recent evidence suggests that large numbers of patients with AIDS are returning to their families for support and care. Rural communities are beginning to feel the impact on health care workers, families, and resource^.^ Responsibility for the care of patients with AIDS has been delegated in many situations to rural community nurses and physicians who often are ill prepared to deal with the disease, both medically and socially.4 Personal contact with HIV-positive patients and those with AIDS may elicit highly emotional, prejudicial, and sometimes hysterical response^.^ Studies have indicated that nurses with negative attitudes are less likely to spend time in the delivery of care to patients with AIDS, thus reducing the quality of care they provide.6 Preexisting social stigmatization and fear of exposure may be the underlying reason for prejudicial attitudes toward these patients. Nurses are part of the community and are inclined to hold the attitudes, social beliefs, and biases that the general community holds. Nurses with strong religious beliefs are more likely to hold negative attitudes about individuals who practice homosexuality and drug abuse.’ Research has documented that nurses who previously have cared for patients with AIDS and nurses who are confident in their skills and knowledgeable about self-protection hold less prejudice toward patients with AIDS and are more confident in their ability to deliver high-quality care to patients with AIDS8 Perioperative nurses are no exception to these general findings. Because of their constant exposure to body fluids, they are at an increased risk of exposure to the HIV. To ensure the delivery of quality care, perioperative nurses must be able to identify their attitudes that may result from personal contact with HIV-positive/AIDS patients.

A Pilot Study Appraising the Climate for Perioperative Nursing Research

Fifty-four perioperative nurses from five Midwestern hospitals completed a questionnaire about areas of interest, perceived barriers, and experience with clinical nursing research. The 22-item questionnaire explored their attitudes, education levels, perceptions of barriers, interest, experience related to nursing research, and demographic information. Fifty-eight percent of the perioperative nurse respondents reported a definite interest in clinical nursing research, 55% had not attended a nursing research class, and only 40% had ever read nursing research. The perceived barriers included lack of on-duty time to do research, lack of administrative support, and lack of recognition.

Periopardy: The 21st Century

One of the biggest challenges that educators face is capturing the interest of students. The use of games in the classroom can be an effective tool to teach, reinforce learning, and provide healthy competition for participants. Periopardy is an educational game based on the popular television game show Jeopardy. The five categories featured in the game can be changed to suit the needs of the class, to include topics such as perioperative nursing, infection control, or womens health. This article provides an overview of how to develop the categories, the rules for playing the game, and web site addresses where readers can download a template of the game board for their own use.

The Ambulatory Surgery Unit as a Learning Experience

Todays graduate nurses are expected to enter the work environment at increased levels of competence. Skills are expected to be ingrained, and health care administrators expect new graduates to be able to think critically. Nurse educators often are looking for new and creative ways to educate students. The ambulatory surgery setting can provide a plethora of clinical tasks and situations that teach students how to gather information, make judgments, prioritize, handle multiple demands and patients, and perform clinical skills quickly and efficiently. This article describes a pilot project in which eight nursing students learned valuable clinical and critical thinking skills in the fast-paced world of ambulatory care.