Strong, consistent nursing academic leadership is needed in this time of rapid technological advancement and constantly evolving healthcare environments, but the recruitment and retention of first-level nursing academic administrators can be difficult. Existing literature did not offer a complete picture of the social processes that nurse faculty…

The ability to adapt to one's profession and display satisfaction while in that role has been a subject of discussion for educators. This quantitative, cross-sectional survey examined how types of professional development activities and their timing affected job satisfaction among nurse faculty members in Tennessee. Results indicated that the…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the degree to which Licensed Practical Nursing programmatic variables positively correlate with select Tennessee Technology Center institution pass rates on the licensure examination--NCLEX-PNRTM. This study investigated the relationship between the dependent variable of NCLEX-PNRTM…

Students struggle with the mastery of critical thinking skills which are essential to their academic success. University faculty are challenged to create teaching strategies to help students build critical thinking skills. Nursing faculty at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee looked to research and technology for ways to…

Implementation of patient safety initiatives can be costly in time and energy. Because of small volumes and limited resources, rural hospitals often are not included in nationally driven patient safety initiatives. This article describes the Tennessee Rural Hospital Patient Safety Demonstration project, whose goal was to strengthen capacity for…

Little definitive data exist about what happens to the large numbers of students who drop out of nursing programs. This study examined the reasons for withdrawal, level of alienation, and alternative career choices of 140 first year dropouts from six nursing programs in Tennessee. The results show that the dropouts are not alienated from nursing.…

Background: Studies have described the aggregate results of federal funding for health professions education at the national level, but analysis of the long-term impact of institutional participation in these programs has been limited. Purpose: To describe and assess federally supported curricular innovations at East Tennessee State University…

Staff members of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission worked jointly to establish a task force to investigate and develop recommendations for addressing the workforce shortages in nursing and allied health in Tennessee. The investigation established that Tennessee already has a workforce shortage of…