Nurse Educators (nurse + educator)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences


Selected Abstracts


A Collegial Mentoring Model for Nurse Educators

NURSING FORUM, Issue 1 2003
Karran Thorpe RN
First page of article [source]


Demands of immigration among nurses from Canada and the Philippines

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008
Linda A Victorino Beechinor DNP APRN(BC)
The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the demands of immigration on nurses from Canada and those from the Philippines, who immigrate to the USA and work in Hawaii. The findings can assist policy-makers in formulating plans to alleviate the shortage of nurses through effective immigration recruitment practices. Nurse educators can gain support for the recruitment of students from a diverse array of cultures. Managers and nursing leaders can use this information in designing recruitment, orientation, support and retention programmes for nurses that are specific to their cultural needs. The two groups of nurses were sampled from acute care staff nurse populations in Hawaii. Aroian's instrument, the Demands of Immigration scale, was used to measure and compare the distress levels of the nurses. The findings include a higher level of distress experienced by nurses from Canada compared with nurses from the Philippines. This might be attributed to a preponderance of social and collegial support available to the Philippine nurses in Hawaii where one-fourth of the population is derived from their country of origin. [source]


The Nurse Educator's clinical role

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005
Odette Griscti MHSc RN
Aim., This paper reports a two-phase descriptive study exploring the clinical role of the nurse educator in Malta. Background., Previous studies indicate a number of similarities and differences in the clinical role of nurse educators by country of practice. These include importance assigned to the role, factors inhibiting/facilitating the role, means to eliminate barriers to the role, and perceptions of the ideal role. Design and methods., Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative strategies. The quantitative phase involved asking all educators to fill in a time log of their academic and clinical activities for a 2-week period. In the qualitative phase, the first author interviewed five educators, five nurses and five students about their perceptions of factors which impact the nurse educator's clinical role, as well as what the ideal clinical role of the nurse educator should be. Findings., Maltese nurse educators allot minimal time to their clinical role. Main reasons cited included workload, perceived lack of control over the clinical area, and diminished clinical competence. Nurse educators who frequented the clinical settings (who were either university or joint university and health service employees) where the study took place perceived that employment inequities among the various categories of nurse educators played an important role in the amount of time dedicated by each group to their clinical roles, and the importance individuals in these groups assigned to that role. The majority of interviewees saw the current role of nurse educators in Malta as preparing students for successful completion of the didactic sections of their programme, rather than preparing them with all the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to be competent practitioners. Participants considered that, when in clinical areas, nurse educators did focus on their students, as they should. However, they also thought that they often did not take the opportunity to forge links with professional staff. Conclusion., The clinical role of the Maltese nurse educator needs to be more multifaceted in approach. [source]


Being With Feelings as a Recognition Practice: Developing Clients Self-Understanding

PERSPECTIVES IN PSYCHIATRIC CARE, Issue 2 2000
Bonnie Raingruber PhD
topic. How are shifts in clients'self-understanding related to focusing on feelings during therapy sessions? methods A phenomenological study involving matched-pairs of clients and nurse-therapists using video-cued narrative reflection. findings Feelings disclose significance within a therapy session. Dialogical relationships and involvements help clients experience the feelings they are discussing, obtain feedback from therapists, and develop self-understanding. conclusions. Nurse educators should stress the importance of focusing on feelings in a session, and clinicians should practice this skill to facilitate a client's developing self-understanding. [source]


Touching their lives: North Western Mental Health's approach to practice development in aged mental health

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2007
Tracy Fortune
ABSTRACT:, The ongoing development of mental health practice is an important issue for consumers, carers, and clinicians. This paper outlines a practice development project undertaken by North Western Mental Health. The aim of the project was to assist nurses and direct care staff working in a residential facility to provide individualized, sensitive, therapeutic, and responsive care for long-term clients with severe mental illness. A clinical nurse educator was engaged to help facilitate changes to both attitudes and practices in a specialist environment catering to those with psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health concerns. The project identified institutionalized routines and practices that were entrenched within the setting and, with support and guidance from a clinical nurse educator, encouraged enhancement of clients' experience and choice. Nurses' clinical reasoning skills were also extended through this process. The project encouraged all staff to develop and maintain an awareness of residents' experience of receiving care in a potentially disempowering environment. In particular, nurses were challenged to consider how nursing, realized to its full potential, can touch the lives of residents and families. [source]


The Nurse Educator's clinical role

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005
Odette Griscti MHSc RN
Aim., This paper reports a two-phase descriptive study exploring the clinical role of the nurse educator in Malta. Background., Previous studies indicate a number of similarities and differences in the clinical role of nurse educators by country of practice. These include importance assigned to the role, factors inhibiting/facilitating the role, means to eliminate barriers to the role, and perceptions of the ideal role. Design and methods., Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative strategies. The quantitative phase involved asking all educators to fill in a time log of their academic and clinical activities for a 2-week period. In the qualitative phase, the first author interviewed five educators, five nurses and five students about their perceptions of factors which impact the nurse educator's clinical role, as well as what the ideal clinical role of the nurse educator should be. Findings., Maltese nurse educators allot minimal time to their clinical role. Main reasons cited included workload, perceived lack of control over the clinical area, and diminished clinical competence. Nurse educators who frequented the clinical settings (who were either university or joint university and health service employees) where the study took place perceived that employment inequities among the various categories of nurse educators played an important role in the amount of time dedicated by each group to their clinical roles, and the importance individuals in these groups assigned to that role. The majority of interviewees saw the current role of nurse educators in Malta as preparing students for successful completion of the didactic sections of their programme, rather than preparing them with all the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to be competent practitioners. Participants considered that, when in clinical areas, nurse educators did focus on their students, as they should. However, they also thought that they often did not take the opportunity to forge links with professional staff. Conclusion., The clinical role of the Maltese nurse educator needs to be more multifaceted in approach. [source]


Knowledge to action: Scholarship for faculty and staff

THE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 1 2009
FAAPArticle first published online: 13 MAR 200, FRCPC, Savithiri Ratnapalan MBBS
Abstract Introduction: This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of a continuing education course in facilitating the development and implementation of educational projects of course participants. Methods: This is a case study evaluating a full-year course that consisted of 11 monthly seminars, each 4 hours in length, including practice in a computer laboratory. The class size was limited to 12 participants. Needs-assessment surveys at the beginning of the course, student evaluations, and midterm and final progress reports were analyzed. Results: Seven staff physicians, 3 clinical fellows, a nurse educator, and a research assistant enrolled in the course. Initial needs-assessment surveys indicated that most people had adequate computer skills,11 (90%),but only 2 (17%) were able to type well, 11 (90%) had no statistical knowledge, and 10 (83%) had limited literature-searching skills. The mean score on speaker evaluations for lectures was 4.5 on a scoring scheme of 1,5 where 1 was poor and 5 was outstanding. Ten participants (83%) had a complete proposal for an educational project written by midterm. Nine participants applied for external grants and 2 of them received external funding for their projects. Five participants (42%) completed a publishable educational project by the end of the 11-month course, and submitted it for presentation at scientific meetings. Discussion: Like many adults, health care professionals experience limited time for involvement in formal education. This study shows that a limited-time-commitment course could facilitate health care professionals to develop and successfully implement educational projects translating ideas into action. [source]


A framework guiding critical thinking through reflective journal documentation: A Middle Eastern experience

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 4 2007
Elaine Simpson PhD RN
The purpose of this paper is to present a framework to guide critical thinking through reflective journaling, and describe how a group of 20 Middle Eastern nurses used reflective journaling to enhance their practice. Journal documentation was used during clinical practicum to foster the development of critical thinking in order to assist nurses when analysing and evaluating their clinical experiences. The findings from this study demonstrated that nurses accepted the framework for journal documentation because it provided structure for reflection, speculation, synthesis and metacognition of events experienced during clinical practice. Journaling gave nurses the opportunity to transfer thoughts onto paper and write down subjective and objective data, and created dialogue between the nurse educators and nurses. They were engaged in productive and positive activity to enhance their nursing practice. Nurses also commented that writing helped to develop their confidence in writing English. [source]


Identifying Nursing Concepts: Are We Similar?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 3 2010
Sharie L. Falan PhD
PURPOSE., The purpose of this article was to define and describe the fundamental aspects of similarity with application to the use of nursing terminologies. DATA SOURCES., Data were obtained from Google, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, and PubMed using the keywords "similarity views,""similarity,""concepts and categorization," and other published sources. DATA SYNTHESIS., Three prominent similarity views were compared, contrasted, and applied to the use of nursing diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS., Each view has intentions (requirements) that guide the categorization of information to concepts and influence naming of nursing concepts. IMPLICATIONS., By understanding similarity, nurse educators and technology designers can influence how nursing concepts are represented. [source]


Improving Diagnostic Accuracy Using an Evidence-Based Nursing Model

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 4 2004
Rona F. Levin PhD
Diagnósticos de enfermagem; prática baseada em evidências; precisão diagnóstica Exactitud diagnóstica; práctica basada en la evidencia; diagnósticos de enfermería PURPOSE. To propose an evidence-based model (EBM) to improve diagnostic accuracy in nursing. DATA SOURCES. Published literature, experience, and expertise of authors. DATA SYNTHESIS. Using an EBM directs clinicians on how to use the best available evidence from the literature to determine the best fit between cues and diagnoses, integrate this evidence with clinician expertise and patient preferences, and conduct a self-evaluation of the process. CONCLUSIONS. Use of an EBM to teach nurses how to ask relevant diagnostic questions and provide a framework for nurse educators to teach evidenced-based practice may lead to developing more competent diagnosticians and improving diagnostic accuracy in nursing. OBJETIVO. Propor um modelo baseado em evidências (MBE) para melhorar a precisão diagnóstica na enfermagem. FONTE DE DADOS. Literatura publicada, experiência e conhecimento das autoras. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS. A utilização de um BEM orienta as enfermeiras clínicas sobre como utilizar a melhor evidência disponível na literatura para determinar o melhor ajuste entre as pistas obtidas e os diagnósticos, integrando esta evidência com o conhecimento clínico da enfermeira e as preferências do paciente, e conduzindo a uma auto-avaliação do processo. CONCLUSÕES. O uso de um modelo de prática baseado em evidências para ensinar as enfermeiras a formular perguntas relevantes e oferecer aos educadores de enfermagem uma estrutura para o ensino da prática baseada em evidências pode levar ao desenvolvimento de dianosticadoras mais competentes e melhorar a precisão diagnóstica na enfermagem. PROPÓSITO. Proponer un modelo basado en la evidencia (MBE) para mejorar la exactitud diagnóstica en enfermería. FUENTES DE DATOS. Bibliografía publicada, experiencia y especialización de los autores. SÍNTESIS DE LOS DATOS. Utilizando un MBE guía a los clínicos en cómo utilizar la mejor evidencia disponible en la bibliografía para determinar el mejor encaje entre los datos y los diagnósticos, integrar esta evidencia con la especialidad clínica y las preferencias del paciente y llevar a cabo una auto-evaluación del proceso. CONCLUSIONES. El uso de un modelo de práctica basada en la evidencia para enseñar a las enfermeras cómo hacer preguntas diagnósticas pertinentes y proporcionar un marco de trabajo para que las enfermeras docentes enseñen la práctica basada en la evidencia, puede llevar a desarrollar mayor competencia al diagnosticar y mejoras en la exactitud diagnóstica. [source]


Jordanian baccalaureate nursing students' perception of their learning styles

INTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 1 2005
F. A. Abu-Moghli rn
Aim:, The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine Jordanian nursing students' perception of their learning styles. Method:, All nursing students enrolled in four universities offering a baccalaureate degree in nursing at the time of the research project (n = 420) were approached. A structured self-administered questionnaire (Autonomous Learner Index) developed by the researchers was used for data collection. The questionnaire was pilot tested on a sample of nursing students who were not included in the study. The tool was reliable with an alpha coefficient of 0.89. Findings:, The majority of Jordanian nursing students perceived themselves as independent learners. The vast majority of students indicated that they have a desire to learn new things, are curious to learn, and can identify their goal independently. However, a low percentage of students indicated having good study skills, ability to concentrate while studying and using their study time efficiently. The two-tailed t -test indicated no significant differences at alpha 0.05 levels between students' learning preferences and the selected demographic variables. Conclusion:, Based on the study findings, it is suggested that nurse educators should provide positive reinforcement of students' active involvement in the learning process, which will stimulate continued self-direction. Moreover, courses on study skills, writing skills, and literature searching skills should be introduced early in nursing curricula. [source]


The Nurse Educator's clinical role

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005
Odette Griscti MHSc RN
Aim., This paper reports a two-phase descriptive study exploring the clinical role of the nurse educator in Malta. Background., Previous studies indicate a number of similarities and differences in the clinical role of nurse educators by country of practice. These include importance assigned to the role, factors inhibiting/facilitating the role, means to eliminate barriers to the role, and perceptions of the ideal role. Design and methods., Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative strategies. The quantitative phase involved asking all educators to fill in a time log of their academic and clinical activities for a 2-week period. In the qualitative phase, the first author interviewed five educators, five nurses and five students about their perceptions of factors which impact the nurse educator's clinical role, as well as what the ideal clinical role of the nurse educator should be. Findings., Maltese nurse educators allot minimal time to their clinical role. Main reasons cited included workload, perceived lack of control over the clinical area, and diminished clinical competence. Nurse educators who frequented the clinical settings (who were either university or joint university and health service employees) where the study took place perceived that employment inequities among the various categories of nurse educators played an important role in the amount of time dedicated by each group to their clinical roles, and the importance individuals in these groups assigned to that role. The majority of interviewees saw the current role of nurse educators in Malta as preparing students for successful completion of the didactic sections of their programme, rather than preparing them with all the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to be competent practitioners. Participants considered that, when in clinical areas, nurse educators did focus on their students, as they should. However, they also thought that they often did not take the opportunity to forge links with professional staff. Conclusion., The clinical role of the Maltese nurse educator needs to be more multifaceted in approach. [source]


Healing through self-reflection

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2001
Karran Thorpe PhD RN
Healing through self-reflection Background.,Today, women have an enlightened view towards their life cycles, which is evidence of their healing potential. Women need to share their insights about their healing potential gained through self-reflective processes. Their voices must be heard so that we can benefit from their collective wisdom. The process of healing through self-reflection has begun as a group of nurses share their insights. Documenting the perspectives of these nurses provides the opportunity for other women to learn from and apply this knowledge to their lives. Method.,Through purposive sampling, eight registered nurses, all women, were selected to participate in in-depth, personal, semi-structured interviews. The purposes in this paper are to describe a three-stage (i.e. awareness, critical analysis, and new perspective) reflective-thinking model and discuss the application of this model to women's expressed inner knowledge and wisdom across personal and professional life cycles. Results.,Three themes, signifying their ability to heal themselves, were labelled: Spirituality, Be-ing Versus Do-ing, and Eustress Versus Distress. Conclusions.,Essentially, self-reflection results from both personal and professional stimuli and signifies the need for change so that healing can begin. Recommendations are offered for nurse educators and researchers. [source]


The effectiveness of an educational programme for nursing students on developing competence in the provision of spiritual care

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 20 2008
René Van Leeuwen
Aim., To determine the effects of a course for nursing students on developing competence in spiritual care and the factors that might influence the effects. Background., Studies suggest that role preparation in nursing for spiritual care is poor. For the assessment of competence, few or no explicit competency framework or assessment tools seemed to be used. Design., Quasi-experimental crossover design (pre,post-test). Method., The subjects were students from Christian nursing schools in the Netherlands (n = 97). The intervention consisted of a course in spiritual care. Competencies were measured with an assessment tool, the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. Data were analysed by t -test procedures (paired-samples t -test). At T1 vignettes were added to assess the quality of the students' own analyses. These data were analysed by a Mann,Whitney test. Regression analyses were performed on the influence of student characteristics on the subscales of the assessment tool. Results., Ninety-seven students participated in this study. Analysis showed statistically significant changes in scores on three subscales of the Spiritual Care Competence Scale between groups (T1) and over time for the whole cohort of students on all subscales (T2). Clinical placement showed as a negative predictor for three subscales of the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. Experience in spiritual care and a holistic vision of nursing both showed as positive predictors on certain competencies. A statistically significant difference was observed between groups in the student analysis of a vignette with explicit spiritual content. Conclusions., The outcomes raise questions about the content of education in spiritual care, the measurement of competencies and the factors that influence competency development. Relevance to clinical practice., The results provide nurse educators with insight into the effects of education in spiritual care on students' competencies and help them consider a systematic place for spiritual care within the nursing curriculum. [source]


Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: transition between diabetes services

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2006
Kate Visentin MN
Aim., The research aimed to develop a sustainable and coordinated approach to facilitating the transition between diabetes services for adolescents. The objectives were to: (1) involve key diabetes health delivery stakeholders in expressing their concerns and issues about current service delivery and ways to improve same, and (2) reveal from the perspective of the adolescents living with Type 1 Diabetes their experiences surrounding the process of transition. Background., This paper presents research that sought to identify the major concerns and issues that stakeholders had about transition and to reveal the experience of transition for the adolescent with Type 1 Diabetes. Key representatives from seven public diabetes services in Adelaide, South Australia worked collaboratively to answer the objectives of this inquiry. Approach., Interview data were generated and analysed using a response focus framework provided by fourth generation evaluation research. In this study, the focus was on common concerns, claims and issues raised by health care professionals (n = 21) and adolescents (n = 10) aged between 15 and 18 years about transferring from children's to adult diabetes services. Findings., Data revealed education and dietetic advice was reactive rather than proactive and that the paediatric model of care is philosophically and practically different to the adult model of diabetes care. Three phases of transition were identified: preparation, formal transition and evaluation. Our findings indicated that these stages of transition were not being fully implemented in health units. Conclusion., The project findings have set the scene to establish a multidisciplinary working party to work collaboratively across agencies to develop effective transition pathways. Relevance to clinical practice., The role of diabetes nurse educators and dietitians in South Australia is under-used throughout the transition process. Diabetes nurse educators are in an ideal position to prepare, coordinate and evaluate transitional processes. [source]


An exploratory study of forensic nursing education in North America: Constructed definitions of forensic nursing

JOURNAL OF FORENSIC NURSING, Issue 4 2009
Arlene Kent-Wilkinson RN
Abstract The aim of this study was to explore forensic nursing knowledge as a specialty area of study, and factors influencing its educational development. A purposeful sample of nurse educators who had established some of the earliest forensic nursing programs in North America were sought for their perspective to answer predominantly qualitative questions. Unexpected findings from this study resulted in the concept of forensic nursing being described, differentiated, and defined. Since the inception of forensic nursing, numerous definitions have been written to articulate the knowledge of the specialty. The constructed definitions of forensic nursing from this study not only validated prior definitions developed by individuals and associations by nonresearchable methods, but also led to a discussion of what concepts are important to include in definitions of forensic nursing. [source]


Forensic nursing education in North America: Social factors influencing educational development

JOURNAL OF FORENSIC NURSING, Issue 2 2009
Arlene E. Kent-Wilkinson RN
Abstract In the mid 1990s, some of the first formal forensic nursing educational programs were established. Now more than a decade later, courses exist at educational levels from certificate to doctorate programs, with little educational research having been conducted. This recent study explored forensic nursing knowledge as a specialty area of study and factors influencing educational development. This paper reports on social factors that facilitated and impeded educational development in the forensic nursing specialty from the perspective of forensic nurse educators in North America. Changing attitudes to previously sanctioned professional roles in society provided discussion for implications for forensic nursing practice. [source]


Emotional intelligence: a vital prerequisite for recruitment in nursing

JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2001
C. Cadman MED
This paper explores Goleman's (1996) concept of ,emotional intelligence' in relation to recruitment to preregistration nurse education programmes. Current studies consistently demonstrate that emotional intelligence is the common factor which marks out individuals as leaders, innovators and effective managers. The role of the qualified nurse is evolving continually and ,portable' skills are the key qualities demanded by a health care system under pressure to compete. These include the ability to work effectively in teams, the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to one's own and others' feelings and the ability to motivate oneself and others. They are collectively termed ,emotional intelligence'. We believe we need selection processes that will determine levels of emotional intelligence in prospective candidates, as they could be a reliable predictor of success in both clinical nursing practice and academic study. Research indicates that emotional intelligence cannot be developed quickly enough through interpersonal skills training and therefore it is essential that nurse educators create assessment strategies that will identify emotional intelligence at recruitment. [source]


How Nurses Learn Advocacy

JOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2002
Barbara Jo Foley
Purpose: To describe how nurses develop the skill of advocating for patients. Design & Methods: Hermeneutic phenomenological research methods. Both reserve and active U.S. Army nurses who cared for patients associated with the military operation in Bosnia were individually interviewed to gain an understanding of their experiences of advocating for patients and how they developed their advocating practices. Findings: The constitutive pattern identified was Developing Advocating Practices. The themes comprising this constitutive pattern were Who I Am, Watching Other Nurses Interact with Patients, and Gaining Confidence. Conclusions: For the nurses in this study, developing advocating practices was more haphazard and situationally dependent than methodically taught in their nursing education programs. Nurses would have a stronger foundation in advocacy if nurse educators consciously teach advocacy and if nurse administrators support new graduates' advocacy in the work environment. [source]


A clinical teaching guide for psychiatric mental health nursing: a qualitative outcome analysis project

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2002
S. Melrose phdrn
Limited curriculum enhancement resources are available to psychiatric nurse educators. This article provides a clinical teaching guide for novice instructors teaching an introductory psychiatric nursing course. The investigation is grounded in a constructivist theoretical framework and extends a previous case study project that explored how students learn during a mental health practicum (Melrose 1998, Melrose & Shapiro 1999). The guide was tested and modified by applying a qualitative outcome analysis methodology. Insight into interpreting student behaviour and providing appropriate and stage-specific teaching tools is revealed. Theoretical components, assessment questions for teachers, student behavioural signs and teaching strategies are identified and discussed to describe significant features in creating personally meaningful learning experiences. [source]


Health education for nurses in Japan to combat child abuse

NURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 3 2003
Beverly M. Henry phd, hondsc
Abstract A health education program for nurses was conducted to address the complex problem of child abuse, which has reached epidemic proportions. In Japan, the number of consultations has risen 23-fold over the past 11 years. Maltreatment of children is a public health problem as perilous as any contagious disease. The International Council of Nurses asks for nurses' leadership to strengthen measures to combat abuse throughout the world. The Japanese Nursing Association has published statements for prevention, detection and support. Yet, few community-based education programs with a multidisciplinary perspective have been reported that focus on nurses, the largest group of health providers. More than 200 nurse educators, clinicians and managers met for a one-day program designed to improve understanding of the nurses' role in combating the abuse and neglect of children and to formulate action plans. This significant health problem is addressed in the context of a health education program's needs, objectives, content and evaluation. [source]


Factors influencing the performance of English as an Additional Language nursing students: instructors' perspectives

NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 3 2009
Tam Truong Donnelly
The increasing number of immigrants in Canada has led to more nursing students for whom English is an additional language (EAL). Limited language skills, cultural differences, and a lack of support can pose special challenges for these students and the instructors who teach them. Using a qualitative research methodology, in-depth interviews with fourteen EAL nursing students and two focus group interviews with nine instructors were conducted. In this paper, the instructors' perspectives are presented. Data acquired from the instructors suggest that the challenges experienced by EAL students and instructors reside in a lack of awareness and support at the institutional and structural levels rather than solely on capacities of individual EAL students or instructors. From this study, identification of supportive activities for nurse educators and education sector decision makers emerged. [source]


Academics and practitioners: nurses as intellectuals

NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 2 2002
Colin A. Holmes
Academics and practitioners: nurses as intellectuals In the author's experience, nurse educators working in universities generally accept that they are ,academics', but dismiss suggestions that they are ,intellectuals' because they see it as a pretentious description referring to a small number of academics and aesthetes who inhabit a conceptual world beyond the imaginative capacity of most other people. This paper suggests that the concept of the ,intellectual', if not the word itself, be admitted into nursing discourse through the adoption of a non-élitist Gramscian understanding, similar to the more recently formulated conception of the reflective practitioner. According to the Italian Marxist scholar Antonio Gramsci, intellectuals are those people who develop ways in which to construct the conditions of their own existence, a possibility he believed was open to all. It is suggested that, from a Gramscian perspective, all nurses are intellectuals to varying degrees, and nurse educators should not only be nurturing their own intellectualism but also the potential for intellectualism as it exists within each individual. The ways in which this project are related to Habermasian critical theory are also briefly outlined. [source]


Community Based and Community Focused: Nursing Education in Community Health

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2000
Cheryl Feenstra Ph.D., R.N.C.
Nurses have always cared for individuals, families, groups, and communities in their practice. Recently there has been an increase in the focus on nurses working outside of the hospital, primarily in community-based settings that focus on individuals and families. There is also increasing emphasis on community-focused nursing care with the community as the client. In some nursing programs, nurse educators have tried to adjust to this change by increasing the amount of time that nursing students spend in the community. The focus of this experience ranges from individuals to populations. This article describes a one-semester community health course in a baccalaureate nursing program that gives students both theoretical and practical knowledge in caring for individuals, families, groups, and communities. This allows for practice and understanding of both community-based and community-focused nursing care. [source]