Judith M. Jarosinski

Expert clinician to clinical teacher: Developing a faculty academy and mentoring initiative

The lack of sufficient numbers of qualified nursing faculty to prepare nursing students for entry into the field of nursing is of national and international concern. Recruiting expert clinicians and preparing them as clinical teachers is one approach to addressing the faculty shortage. Adequate training for the new role is paramount to promote job satisfaction and reduce attrition. Various models for orienting and preparing expert nurse clinicians as clinical educators are reported in the literature with little consensus or research to support a single approach. This paper describes a collaborative effort to prepare experienced registered nurse clinicians for new roles as part-time clinical faculty. Using a blend of learning strategies (face-to-face, online, simulation, and group mentoring sessions), this training experience was designed to cover content while promoting discussion of issues and challenges and providing much-needed mentorship. Outcomes include 12 new clinical faculty, 25% from groups underrepresented in nursing, with nine newly employed as part-time clinical teachers.

From Expert Clinician to Nurse Educator: Outcomes of a Faculty Academy Initiative.

The Eastern Shore Faculty Academy and Mentorship Initiative, a collaborative program among 3 nursing programs in rural Maryland, was developed to facilitate the transition of expert clinicians from diverse backgrounds in clinical specialty areas with critical shortages to new roles as part-time clinical faculty. Initial outcomes include 32 Academy graduates, with 37.5% representing diverse backgrounds and 37.5% in needed clinical specialties. This initiative represents an innovative approach to meeting the challenges of the nursing faculty shortage through collaborative efforts and creative solutions.

A new model in teaching undergraduate research: A collaborative approach and learning cooperatives

Forming new, innovative collaborative approaches and cooperative learning methods between universities and hospitals maximize learning for undergraduate nursing students in a research course and provide professional development for nurses on the unit. The purpose of this Collaborative Approach and Learning Cooperatives (CALC) Model is to foster working relations between faculty and hospital administrators, maximize small group learning of undergraduate nursing students, and promote onsite knowledge of evidence based care for unit nurses. A quality improvement study using the CALC Model was implemented in an undergraduate nursing research course at a southern university. Hospital administrators provided a list of clinical concerns based on national performance outcome measures. Undergraduate junior nursing student teams chose a clinical question, gathered evidence from the literature, synthesized results, demonstrated practice application, and developed practice recommendations. The student teams developed posters, which were evaluated by hospital administrators. The administrators selected several posters to display on hospital units for continuing education opportunity. This CALC Model is a systematic, calculated approach and an economically feasible plan to maximize personnel and financial resources to optimize collaboration and cooperative learning. Universities and hospital administrators, nurses, and students benefit from working together and learning from each other.

Postpartum Depression: Perceptions of a Diverse Sample of Low-Income Women

Postpartum depression (PPD) continues to significantly impact women and their families during the perinatal period. Consequences of untreated PPD in the mother may lead to impaired mother-infant bonding, recurring psychiatric illness, and fewer positive parenting behaviors. North Carolina participates in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey and has the second highest self-reported rate of postpartum depressive symptoms at 19.0%. The full study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative approach, an interpretive Heideggerian perspective, elicited the postpartum clients’ perceptions of risk factors, how those perceptions affected the pregnancy experience, and how self-efficacy played a role in their perceived ability to make healthy choices. The sample was comprised of 60 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40. Four themes were found: (1) Feeling joy and apprehension at once, (2) Depression is something you think about (3) Rearranging your thinking, and (4) Garnering support. The women in this study believed that support was an indispensable tool in dealing with feelings of sadness and depression. Critical aspects of becoming involved in their pregnancy included changing their expectations and knowing how to detect and seek help when depressive symptoms occurred.

The Collaborative Panel: Fostering a Climate for Multidisciplinary Care

Quality healthcare depends on interdisciplinary collaboration characterized as ‘‘an effective interpersonal process that facilitates the achievement of goals that cannot be reached when individual professions act on their own.’’ Collaboration supersedes territorial thinking; interdisciplinary collaboration has the potential to provide care that is truly patient-centered. Examples of successful collaborative initiatives involving nurses and other healthcare professionals abound in the literature. Despite this, the literature is sparse with examples of educators providing collaboration-related teaching/learning opportunities. Teamwork among students from nursing and other healthcare disciplines as the primary strategy is most commonly reported. Standard VI of the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education of Professional Nursing Practice states ‘‘communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals are critical to delivering high quality and safe patient care.’’

Alcohol Use Disorder in Older Adults: Challenges in Assessment and Treatment

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common, under-recognized, and under-treated health concern in older adults. Its prevalence is expected to reach unprecedented levels as the U.S. population ages; consequently, it is poised to place a significant burden on the healthcare system. Given the growing body of evidence regarding the patterns of use in this age group and the serious consequences of its misuse, it is critical that nurses and other healthcare providers assess for AUD in order to identify older adults in need of treatment. Yet, differences in symptom presentation, problems in isolating the symptoms of AUD from other healthcare complaints associated with aging, as well as the denial and fear of stigma that is especially pervasive in this age group, are major barriers to its identification and subsequent treatment. Furthermore, the lack of consistent use of evidence-based, age-specific screening instruments to identify those at risk is another significant obstacle to successful treatment. Healthcare providers in primary care are especially well-positioned to perform a systematic assessment utilizing appropriate instruments to identify AUD and initiate age-specific interventions, including the use of alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBIs). The use of ASBIs, along with other targeted interventions such as mutual help groups (MHGs), such as Alcoholics Anonymous, can be key in encouraging insight, dismantling denial, and supporting treatment success, lifelong recovery, and overall quality of life in this vulnerable group.

A Walk in My Shoes: Using Art to Explore the Lived Experience of Psychiatric–Mental Health Standardized Patients

Use of standardized patients (SPs) to teach mental health nursing skills is increasing. Although the literature regarding the effectiveness of this teaching strategy supports its use, information regarding the effect of portraying mental illness on SPs is lacking. Using a qualitative approach incorporating art as expression, this effect was examined. Five SPs created an artistic expression to describe their work portraying an individual with mental illness while working with senior nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric-mental health clinical nursing course. Themes identified include: (a) Walking the Walk, (b) Listen to Me, (c) See Me as a Person, and (d) Letting it Get to Me. Immersion into the role of the SP with mental illness affects actors. The current article offers best practice approaches to address psychological implications for SPs portraying mental illness. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(8), 39-47.].

A review of research and nursing management of mental health problems in pregnancy and motherhood

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