Lisa A. Seldomridge

A profile of accelerated second bachelor's degree nursing students.

With economic uncertainty and the worsening of the nursing shortage, interest in accelerated second bachelors degree programs has skyrocketed. Despite dramatic increases in the number of programs, little has been published about the characteristics of these students. A descriptive study at a mid-Atlantic public comprehensive university examined demographic characteristics and compared academic performance of students in the accelerated and traditional baccalaureate programs. Data and their implications for recruitment, admission, and curricular design are presented.

Measuring critical thinking: one step forward, one step back.

When critical thinking was identified as an explicit program outcome by the National League for Nursing in 1991, nursing programs were thrust into frenzied activity defining critical thinking and selecting instruments to evaluate it. This drove research on the measurement of critical thinking among nursing programs and the concomitant search for reliable and valid methodologies to systematically assess changes in critical thinking in their students. Although the ultimate goal of this process was curricular improvement, nearly 15 years later, faculty struggle to make sense of the data they have.

The changing face of accelerated second bachelor's degree students.

Although accelerated second bachelors degree programs have existed for more than 30 years, few studies have tracked the changing student profile over time. This study compared demographics and academic performance of accelerated students enrolled during 1997 to 2003 with those enrolled during 2004 to 2006 at a small, rural, public mid-Atlantic university. Recently enrolled students were older, more diverse in gender and ethnicity, held multiple degrees, and had a significant time delay since their first degree. Modifications in educational strategies, support services, and curricular design, as well as suggestions for future research are proposed.

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.

Cinemeducation: teaching end-of-life issues using feature films.

Given the rapidly escalating older adult population and the need to strengthen content on end-of-life care in nursing curricula, finding creative strategies to encourage student thinking about the dying process and personal choice in end-of-life care is a timely challenge for nurse educators. There is an evolving body of literature in a variety of disciplines on cinemeducation, or the use of films to promote learning and personal awareness. This article describes an innovative assignment incorporating feature films designed not only to enhance student knowledge of the stages and process of grief and the complexity of human reactions when facing end-of-life situations, but also to engage students in thinking about the importance of quality of life in palliative care. The assignment was given to students enrolled in a second-semester, junior-level advanced adult health nursing course. Faculty and student evaluations of the assignment are discussed, and suggestions for selecting films and structuring such an assignment are proposed.

Attracting students to the professorate: a faculty shadowing experience.

The nursing profession is facing an unprecedented shortage of faculty as baby boomers retire and fewer students select teaching as a career. One innovation, underway since 2001, introduces undergraduate students to the faculty role through a shadowing experience, with the goal of sparking interest in the professorate as a career choice. Student interest in teaching, perceptions of motivators and deterrents, and the implications for new faculty recruitment are presented.

Measuring critical thinking in graduate education: what do we know?

Accrediting and specialty organizations agree that a masters education expands critical thinking skills gained during undergraduate study, yet a review of literature revealed a lack of research measuring critical thinking of students enrolled in postbaccalaureate education in nursing and other fields. Of 35 studies retrieved, 17 were conducted on undergraduate nursing students, with the remainder spread across practicing RNs, and masters level students in physical therapy, business, medicine, and nursing. A critique of this research and recommendations for future study are presented.

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.

From community outreach to reaching students: using public access television as an educational strategy.

Nursing faculty are not only charged with educating students in creative and engaging ways but also expected to participate in service activities that benefit the surrounding community. One such initiative was the creation of a television health education series hosted by nursing faculty. The authors describe the evolution of a partnership between a university-based public access television channel and the nursing department that provided community education while enriching both the undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula.

Creating a new view of aging.

T he older adult population represents a core segment of healthcare, yet few nurses are adequately prepared to tend to their unique needs. Presently, people older than 65 years comprise 12% of the population, with those numbers expected to double by 2030. As older adults live longer and with a variety of chronic illnesses, they will continue to use healthcare services, comprising more than 50% of all hospital days, 60% of primary care visits, and 70% of home care visits. These healthcare trends place an unprecedented demand for nurses to provide optimal care to this complex population. As a result, nursing programs are challenged to include evidence-based content and experiences to produce nursing professionals who provide ageappropriate, culturally competent care to meet the multifaceted needs of the aging community. After attending a Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC), faculty at our mid-Atlantic university undertook ‘‘gerontologizing’’ their curriculum. The authors describe several assignments developed for the first adult health course in the baccalaureate nursing program blending theoretical and experiential learning to increase students’ knowledge, skills, and sensitivity in caring for older adults.