A study was done to determine the impact of a death education course on the relationship between nursing students' death anxiety and locus of control. No significant changes occurred in death avoidance, death fear, death denial, and the reluctance to interact with the dying after the 15-week course. (JN)

As part of a course in professional issues, RN students who were enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program examined and described the intellectual and emotional strains of their transition to the BS program. The experience helped clarify their professional identity and provided them with the tools to cope with future change and transition. (SK)

In a clinical experience program, each nursing student was to select one school-age client with a chronic impairment and develop a nursing care plan. Both the teaching staff and nursing students found the program to be beneficial. (JN)

Students do not use the nursing process properly when they engage in patient care; to remedy this problem, all nursing content should be taught within the framework of the process. (TA)

In theory, most educators in this survey supported teaching ethics; in practice, few baccalaureate programs provide planned curricular offerings dealing with this subject. Suggestions are offered for implementing curriculum changes. (Editor/TA)

When students sought group experiences for clinical practice, they found they had to use their leadership skills at the initial contact with the agency, thus learning about group dynamics before even leading a group. (Editor/TA)

This article identifies levels of treatment in relation to levels of clinician competency, an approach which should help educators plan curricula for nursing students. Strengths and weaknesses of the wide range of teaching formats in current use are also identified. (Editor/TA)

The integrated baccalureate program in nursing at the University of Cincinnati (Ohio) gives students exposure to the problems and rewards of conducting their own study, helping them to recognize the relevance of scientific inquiry to practice and the need to incorporate it into their role. (TA)

A British study examined nursing modules enrolling 10-174 students; proportion of grades from coursework and from examinations; and student questionnaires. Nursing students performed less well in large classes and better when more coursework than exams were assessed. In large modules, they used surface more than deep approaches to study. (SK)

Because nursing is a practice profession and an applied science, it is a challenge for faculty members to maintain their clinical expertise and pursue scholarly activities. The Medical College of Georgia's School of Nursing's development of a faculty practice plan is reviewed. The political constraints are identified. (MLW)

Results of a survey of 77 public research universities indicated that, in spite of the presence of state legislation for third-party reimbursement of nursing services, legislation is not being implemented in many states by employers in their purchase of group health insurance policies. Nursing services covered by these policies include private…

A study that examined the professional and personal values of nursing faculty and compared them with those of generic students entering the program is described. Faculty demonstrated a higher commitment to the American Association of College of Nursing professional value, human dignity, than to the values of equality and esthetics. (Author/MLW)

The findings in the Authority in Nursing Roles Inventory support the premise that in spite of expanded nursing roles emphasizing nursing authority, there are disagreements between nurses' and physicians' perceptions of the authority of nurses as well as areas of dissatisfaction within each professional group. (Author/MLW)

In response to concerns about continuity of care, nurse practitioners and faculty members from medicine, pharmacy, and nursing developed an interdisciplinary curriculum for clinical experience in a nursing home, an educational and medical experience significantly different from those in hospital or ambulatory settings. (MSE)

Interviews with 20 undergraduate nursing students cited such external problems as excessive academic load, large class size, faculty inattentiveness, racial tensions, dorm/roommate problems, parking, and commuting time and such internal problems as poor study habits, loneliness, homesickness, family conflicts, and difficulty with peer…