Ruth McDermott-Levy

Going alone: The lived experience of female Arab-Muslim nursing students living and studying in the United States

Since 2004, international student enrollment in the United States has increased. Middle Eastern students studying in the United States have been part of the increase. In 2008-2009 there were 29 140 Middle Eastern students, representing an 18% increase from the previous academic year. Despite these increases, there is limited research examining the experience of Arab-Muslim international students or international nursing students studying in the United States. Phenomenological inquiry was used to describe the experience of 12 female Omani nurses living in the United States while studying for their baccalaureate degrees in nursing. The women described the experience of going alone and being away from the support and presence of their large, extended families; this influenced their international student experience. They also described their religious, cultural, and educational adaptation. The experience of living and studying nursing in the United States was transformational as they became self-reliant, learned their capabilities, and adapted to cultural and educational expectations.

Making Health Care More Accessible to Rural Communities in Waslala, Nicaragua Using Low-Cost Telecommunications

Two years ago, at the first IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, we presented a paper on the development of a tele-health project to provide a communication link to health care providers for the rural communities surrounding Waslala, a town located in the North Atlantic Autonomous region of Nicaragua. The system employed volunteer community health workers (CHWs) to transmit vital signs of their community members to a computer server using low-cost SMS telecommunications technology. At that time the project was still under development and four CHWs started to work on the project. Since then considerable progress has been made with many challenges overcome along the way. We now have fifty of the 92 communities covered by the program and expect to provide full coverage to this region by next year. We are also starting to consider other rural locations in Nicaragua to expand the project. This paper elaborates on the many challenges that have been faced and overcome on this project, the key partnerships that have been established to support the program, the impact of the project to date, and the plans for project expansion over the next year.

Health Concerns of Northeastern Pennsylvania Residents Living in an Unconventional Oil and Gas Development County

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to describe the health concerns of residents of an unconventional oil and natural gas development (UOGD) community and identify methods to best disseminate health information to the residents. DESIGN AND SAMPLE A qualitative descriptive study of 27 residents of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, was conducted. RESULTS Residents described their health concerns in terms of their changing community as a result of UOGD, their feelings of stress and powerlessness related to these changes, and the limited response of their local policymakers and protective agencies. There were indications of misinformation related to routine environmental health and UOGD environmental risks. Web-based educational programs with downloadable printed materials to bridge the knowledge gaps of residents and health professionals are recommended. CONCLUSIONS Recommendations include public health nurses providing education to communities and other health professionals regarding environmental health risks, working with communities to advocate for health-protective regulations, and adopting a community-based participatory approach to meet the needs of community members.

Nursing Education's Response to the 1995 Institute of Medicine Report: Nursing, Health, and the Environment

PROBLEM Although environmental health has been central to nursing practice since the work of Florence Nightingale, the inclusion of environmental health concepts into nursing education has, for the most part, been confined to public health and occupational health nursing. The 1995 Institute of Medicine report, Nursing, Health, and the Environment, clearly stated that environmental health was an important aspect of nursing practice, but nurses were not adequately educated to address such in their practice. METHODS This article highlights the initiatives by nurse educators, faculty development programs, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations to educate and engage nurses in environmental health since 1995, with a focus on the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. The historical summary was developed using professional literature, documents, personal interviews, and survey data. FINDINGS Nurses responded to the mandates of the 1995 Institute of Medicine report, Nursing, Health, and the Environment, in formal educational programs, through continuing education for nurses, workshops, symposia, and regional faculty development trainings. Since the formation of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, collaborative efforts led to the development of competencies, nursing outreach to organizations such as the American Nursing Association, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to advance practice standards, academic curriculum, and the development of an electronic textbook. CONCLUSION The environmental health nursing agenda moved forward since the publication of the 1995 IOM report; however, the development of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments accelerated the educational accomplishments through organizational collaboration.

Developing curriculum recommendations for environmental health in nursing.

In 2010, the American Nurses Association (ANA) added an environmental health standard to the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice requiring that nurses implement environmental health strategies in nursing practice. To prepare nurse educators to integrate environmental health at all educational levels, nursing faculty members from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments developed environmental health competencies and curricular recommendations that address this need. Internet URLs are included for environmental health curricula for each level of nursing education.

Ethical Principles and Guidelines of Global Health Nursing Practice

BACKGROUND Nurses are among the many U.S. health professionals engaged in international learning or service experiences and often travel to low-resource countries lacking guidance for ethical practice, respect for host partners, or collaborative work in different health systems. PURPOSE The aim of this study is to develop evidence-based principles or guidelines for ethical global health nursing practice. METHODS A three-round Delphi study was conducted. Global health nurse experts participated in Round 1 focus group, followed by nurses with global health expertise ranking global health nursing statements in Rounds 2 and 3. DISCUSSION Findings led to 10 Ethical Principles for Global Health Nursing Practice and 30 statements for Ethical Guidelines in Global Health Nursing. These Ten principles address beneficence, nonmaleficence, dignity, respect, autonomy, social justice, and professional practice. The 30 guidelines offer more specific actions nurses must consider when working in global settings.

Global Earth Caring through the Millennium Development Goals and Beyond

The interconnectedness of human health and the earth has been central to nursing practice since Florence Nightingale. Drawing from Watsons theory of human caring and Shusters (1990) conceptualization of earth caring, we articulate linkages between environmental concerns and caring for health of people globally. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set standards and targets for health worldwide. Using these goals as guidelines for global health nursing practice, we articulate specific environmental issues related to each of the MDGs. Poverty, hunger, education, toxic exposures in air, water, soil and climate change are all interrelated and a holistic earth caring approach is needed to heal the planet and assure human health.