Frances Pearson

Procedures for Handling Cases of Substance Abuse Among Nurses: A Comparison of Disciplinary and Alternative Programs

Recent estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 5 nurses in the U.S. are chemically dependent. In some states, the board of nursing requires an impaired practitioner to go through a disciplinary procedure. In others, the board refers the nurse to an alternative-to-discipline program providing treatment and rehabilitation, sometimes shielding him or her from further disciplinary action. While the American Nurses Association has recommended that state nursing boards adopt alternative programs, as of 2007 not all states have complied. This article reviews the literature on both disciplinary procedures and alternative-to-discipline programs and then compares the two. It concludes with a set of recommendations that, while supporting the rehabilitation of impaired nurses, encourage the profession to pursue more substantive research on best practices in order help retain valuable healthcare professionals.

Contact with Birth Parents Differential Psychological Adjustment for Adults Adopted as Infants

• Summary: Adults adopted as infants (N = 130) in the United States were surveyed to determine the degree to which they experienced psychological effects of adoption during adolescence and adulthood and the relationship between psychological effects and whether or not they had contact with their birth parents. • Findings: Those who were in contact reported more psychological issues than those who were not in contact. A qualitative analysis of comments made by the respondents demonstrated differences in the types of issues associated with difficulties depending upon whether they had contact with their birth parents or not. • Applications : The results are discussed in light of the literature on searching behaviors among adopted individuals.

Quality of Effort and Career Preparation Differences Between African American and White Community College Students

This study examined data from a random sample of 500 White students and 500 African American students who have taken the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire to determine which factors in the environment impact their career preparation. The results showed that interaction with faculty had the strongest impact on career preparation for all students. Counseling services were significant for African American students. The African American students indicated they put more effort into student-faculty interactions and peer interactions than White students, and they reported greater gains in career preparation.