Nurses' ability to think critically in clinical situations cannot be assessed by multiple-choice tests. Context-dependent test items that assess critical thinking are useful for orientation of new staff, competency testing, and clinical staff development. (SK)

In teaching research methods, introducing effect size, then power, then statistical significance will improve understanding of Type I and Type II errors. Students will develop a better grasp of decision-making processes involved in hypothesis testing, which nurses need in an environment stressing evidence-based practice. (SK)

Evidence-based practice, the ability to find and apply research evidence in health care practice, requires the ability to define the question, access information, make comparative analyses, and aggregate knowledge. Systematic research review should be part of nursing education. (SK)

Two graduate nursing faculty were able to mentor nursing students successfully despite barriers of time, distance, and apparent mismatch in interests. The experience demonstrates it is not essential to require a match in mentoring; however, active participation, equal responsibility, and institutional support are important. (SK)

A centralized relational database is used to manage information on advanced practice nursing students and their preceptors at Johns Hopkins University. The system relieves faculty of time-consuming tasks and enables rapid report generation, consistent tracking, and timely communications. (SK)

Nursing students (n=79) indicated that difficulties with family responsibilities, emotional distress, fatigue, and financial and work burdens affected their outcomes on the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses. Exam success was correlated with grade point average, lack of family responsibility or emotional distress, and sense of…

Alliances for academic home care offer a new approach to advance the knowledge base related to home care, to improve quality and cost effectiveness of home care services, to prepare the next generation of providers to manage and deliver care in a restructured practice paradigm, and to influence health and social policy. (JOW)

Clinical concept mapping promotes critical thinking and prepares nursing students for clinical experience by helping them organize patient data and view patients holistically. It aids their assessment of what they know and what they still need to learn. (SK)

A women's-health course developed by nursing faculty in cooperation with women's studies takes a holistic, contextual view of women's health. Student outcomes include heightened self-awareness, commitment to personal wellness and community service, and increased knowledge of the societal context of health issues. (SK)

Describes a learning activity that stimulates recollection of nursing students' experiences of loss and grief, helping them examine personal responses, recognize cultural differences in responses, and develop skills for caring for those who are grieving. (SK)

At MacMurray, a liberal arts college, nursing faculty participate in teaching general education courses. Despite initial resistance from nonnursing faculty and students, the nursing faculty were able to model the importance of liberal arts for nursing majors, integrate academic content into nursing courses, improve students' communication skills,…

In a study of 211 associate degree (AD) and 204 baccalaureate nursing students, AD students reported significantly higher stress in clinical practice. Stress for both groups increased as they progressed. Instructors were the predominant source of stress. Students had the most difficulty coping with the demands of patient care and the clinical…

Eight nursing students kept diaries during their transition from school to professional work. Common problems included management of paperwork, heavy workload, difficulty feeling relaxed when off duty, difficulty in determining what to delegate and when to call for doctors, and tending to seriously ill patients. (SK)

Twenty nursing graduate students in an Internet-based course were compared with 23 who did not take the course. The former were more likely to be connected to nursing networks, used Internet-based health information in practice, used computer skills for other classes, and understood the relevance of telemedicine. (SK)

Four graduate courses in nursing administration incorporated computer-assisted instruction modules, e-mail discussion groups, and two-way interactive videoconferencing. The courses successfully incorporated adult learning principles, and the number of students with home computers increased from 20% to 100%. (SK)