Advanced practice nurses are situated between general knowledge (knowing why, what, and how) and particular knowledge (knowing who--personal knowledge of patients). Integration of the two assists in knowing when a particular action would be most helpful. This practical wisdom is the hallmark of advanced practice. (Contains 45 references.) (SK)

The University of Maryland School of Nursing is addressing the nursing shortage through public-private partnerships and alliances with the health care industry. Strategies include increasing public awareness through marketing, supporting legislation, expanding articulation agreements, and working with secondary schools to recruit students. (SK)

According to responses from 23 of 52 doctoral nursing program directors and interviews with 16, newer programs tend to offer more general rather than specialized curricula. Only four identified community health nursing as a specialty, all in older, long-standing programs. (SK)

The Alternate Entry Master of Science in Nursing program at the University of Texas at Austin admits nonnurse college graduates. Alumni (n=13) were aware of the disconnection between their academic credentials and limited experience. Eventually, all found places where they were comfortable. (JOW)

Nursing students (n=236) completed the AIDS Knowledge Scale and AIDS Attitude Scale. Results showed most stigma attached to AIDS acquired through drug use or sexual contact, the least through maternal transmission or blood transfusion. Demographic characteristics did not influence attitudes. (SK)

Baccalaureate nursing students (n=24) described their perceptions of learning about children's community-based case management with photographs and text. Instructors categorized students' photographs, developed themes, and validated the themes. (JOW)

Strategies intended to develop research culture and promote research among nursing faculty included needs analysis, management plan, research skills workshops, performance indicators, seed grants, mentoring, colloquia, and teaching load reduction. Follow-up 2 years later showed substantial change in skills, confidence, and time spent on research.…

Pre/post assessment of 27 masters' degree nursing students who completed a health policy course showed a significant increase in their perceived political advocacy and involvement, a small increase in their ability to understand policy context, and the greatest increase in their political knowledge. (SK)

To improve the visibility of nurses in mass media, health communications content should be integrated into nursing education. Nurses equipped with advanced communication skills, media expertise and teaching strategies can empower the profession to influence the health care environment. (SK)

Purpose: This article describes the progress of our study to examine the advantages and costs of using self-managed nurse aide teams in nursing homes, steps that are being taken to implement such teams, and management strategies being used to manage the teams. Design and Methods: A quasi-experimental design is underway where certified nurse aide…

Researchers have demonstrated death anxiety in nursing professionals; however, it is unclear as to when this anxiety develops. This study used a multidimensional measure to investigate death anxiety in a group of experienced (n = 53) and inexperienced (n = 49) nursing students and a control group of non-nursing students (n = 50). Experienced…

When school nurses embrace evidence-based practice (EBP), higher-quality care is provided to students, their families, and the larger community. Despite this, school nursing has been slow to embrace EBP. Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs), which capitalize on the combined strengths of clinicians and researchers to study clinical questions,…

Recognizing that school nurse leaders are essential to the development of school nurses, the North Carolina School Nurse Leadership Institute was developed to enable school nurse leaders to update and advance their leadership skills. The Institute was a collaborative endeavor between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,…

This document demonstrates the relationships among four Florida nursing education programs (home health aide, nursing assistant, patient care assistant, and practical nursing) by listing student performance standards and indicating which ones are required in each program. The 268 student performance standards are arranged in 23 areas of…

THE ASSOCIATION'S FIRST POSITION PAPER ON NURSING EDUCATION WAS PREPARED BY ITS COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AFTER 2 YEARS OF STUDYING THE MAJOR CHANGES AND TRENDS IN AND AROUND NURSING, ESPECIALLY AS THEY AFFECT PATIENT CARE. THE ASSOCIATION BELIEVES THAT--(1) EDUCATION FOR ALL WHO ARE LICENSED TO PRACTICE NURSING SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN INSTITUTIONS OF…